Aaron Boone

New York Yankees: Is Gleyber Torres the Future at Shortstop?

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New York Yankees, Didi Gregorius

The New York Yankees are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. A big reason for why that all started was Gleyber Torres.

In the final game of the opening series, against the Washington Nationals. Torres sparked a late-game rally by hitting a solo home run in the top of the 7th, taking out the gem-throwing Patrick Corbin. Then in the top of the eighth inning, he drove in Aaron Hicks on a single to left field, which was the game-winning run.

There are many questions surrounding the Yankees about replacing Didi Gregorius’s excellence at shortstop. Can Torres improve his defense to stay at short? Can Tyler Wade or Thairo Estrada break out, possibly shifting LeMahieu to first? How long will it take Anthony Volpe to make it to the majors? Will the Yankees go after Francisco Lindor?

Options for Boone at Shortstop

Gleyber Torres

The obvious answer for right now. Cashman traded for him to hopefully replace Derek Jeter in the long run. So far, he has shown he can do that. Torres has proven he can develop into a future MVP and captain in this league. Also, a quick reminder that he is only 23 years old. The only problem is: will his ability to hit for power at such a young age move him to second or third base like Alex Rodriguez?

Tyler Wade

The 25-year-old Wade has proven he can compete for a starting job, with his spark plug performances off the bench. He is also a better defender than Torres and has more range as well. However, his inconsistency at the plate will hurt his chances at getting that job.

Thairo Estrada

A less likely candidate to take over Torres’s spot at shortstop, but definitely not out of the question. He impressed the coaching staff in summer camp with his surprise of power off the starting rotation. His primary position is second base and may not have the arm strength to make deeper plays at short.

Anthony Volpe

His name is only on here as a long-term option. Volpe most likely needs 3 to 4 full years of baseball before he gets to the majors. He was a first-round pick for a reason. Time will tell to see if he has what it takes to be the next face of the franchise.

This could be an issue that Boone and Cashman should discuss if it becomes apparent that Torres is not the future at shortstop. For the meantime, Torres seems to be holding his own out there, and as long as he keeps mashing, he will only get rewarded even more.

 

New York Yankees: Cole and Boone praise Sanchez, who is in the middle of a terrible slump

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New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole

The New York Yankees are off to a blistering start to the abbreviated 2020 season. They have the best record in the league ahead of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, and several stars are streaking at the plate, especially Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela.

Gary Sanchez, the Yankees’ starting catcher, is streaking, but in a negative way. He has only two hits in the season as a whole, and he has only two hits and one walk in 27 plate appearances. That adds up to a putrid .080/.148/.120 line and a negative wRC+ of -22.

Pitch recognition and a lack of contact are severe issues with the New York Yankees’ franchise catcher right now. He is currently running a 51.9 K% and 3.7 BB%, which is terrible. He’s looking especially vulnerable to low and away breaking stuff, more than ever before.

Will the Yankees enjoy vintage Sanchez this year?

But Sanchez is a career .243/.325/.511 line with a 120 wRC+. He’ll get back on track eventually. For now, he’s trying to find his timing at the plate and continues to improve behind the plate, at least according to Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole.

“I think it’s going great,” Cole said to MLB.com about his relationship with Sanchez. “He’s always finding me in between the innings, communicating about what pitches he liked. He picked up on a couple tips in the batter’s box [on Monday], which I thought was really helpful. He’s been on his game behind the dish, especially pitch-calling and picking up some tips here and there.”

The past couple of games suggest that Sanchez may be improving a little bit at the plate, a thesis supported by manager Aaron Boone.

“He had a couple of the games in the Boston series where I thought he was better,” Boone said. “He’s kind of chasing that hit a little bit. He’s just got to continue to trust that he can control the zone and really stay in his legs. When he does, that will take off.”

“It’s not easy to not take the offense out on the field,” Cole said. “As players, we all kind of understand that. It’s easy to rally around a guy that is really taking pride in his defense, even though he may be a little bit frustrated with how it’s going in the batter’s box.”

New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge: “Hitting is contagious”

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

From being questionable to start the season healthy to not only being active from day one, but also raking, Aaron Judge has given the New York Yankees plenty reasons to celebrate lately. He has been mashing, and last night marked the third straight game with a home run for the hulking outfielder.

As Judge and DJ LeMahieu were in the dugout, the former gestured towards the Yankee Stadium stands and imagined how crazy the fans would be after his home run against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night’s 5-1 victory.

The coronavirus pandemic has made those cheers that Judge and LeMahieu talked about artificial, but what’s real is the Yankees’ right fielder bat.

“I was sitting on the bench talking with DJ, just saying how rocking this place would have been,” Judge said to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “We knew this place would have been packed, so it was a little different. We were upset about that, but the game still goes on — life goes on. We just prepared the same way, went out there and got a ‘W.'”

The Yankees are alone at the top

The Yankees got their fourth consecutive win against the Sox and now lead the American League East division with a shiny 5-1 record.

“Being back at home and in this rivalry, you can’t help but notice usually how intense it is at times,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That was missing a little bit, so it was definitely a little bit different. At the same time, it was still pretty easy to lock in on what we needed to do.”

Judge is trying to remain consistent at the plate, and the hard work he out over the extended break to get over his broken rib and punctured lung is paying off.

“I’m just trying to lock in for big at-bats when we’ve got guys on base, trying to drive in some runs,” Judge said. “It’s been helping me a lot having DJ in front of me, getting three hits a night and always on base, always causing a little havoc. I’m just trying to feed off that. Like they say, hitting is contagious.”

He’s right, it is contagious: after he homered to give the New York Yankees the lead, Gio Urshela and even the cold Brett Gardner left the yard, too.

“We enjoyed it,” Judge said. “We were locked in, ready to go from the very first pitch. It was good to see Monty back out there after all the rehabbing and the work he’s put in to get back out on the mound. It was fun to see him go out there, toe the slab and do his thing.”

New York Yankees: An inside look at how the Yankees navigated the whole Marlins Mess

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees will open tonight at Yankee Stadium after a bizarre week.  The one thing about this short season that is normal is that nothing is normal.  And that is pretty much what we can expect for this entire season that will have all kinds of twists and turns.

After a successful series win against the World Champion Nationals, the Yankees moved on to their hotel in Philadelphia for a split series that would see the first two games played in Philadelphia and the last two at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins that were already at Citizen’s Bank Park and on Sunday morning the Marlins received test results that showed four more Marlins had tested positive for the virus after having a single positive test on Friday.  Unbeknown to the Phillies the Marlins still played their game against the Phillies. After it became known, everything came to a halt.  The Marlins stayed in Philadelphia, and the Yankees stayed at their hotel.

MLB, in their first navigation of this mess, postponed the Yankee game and the Marlins game against the Orioles.  The Yankees first suggested that the series be flipped with the first two games at the Stadium, this was immediately rejected by MLB.  The Yankees sat in the hotel all of Monday with their future in limbo. The Yankee pitchers Cole and Happ that were supposed to pitch in the series got in some catch, and some players used the hotel gym.  The Yankees decided to head back to New York and scheduled an evening workout at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

With the buses sitting outside the hotel and a half hour, before they were to depart for the Bronx, MLB, killing two birds with one stone offered the Yankees to go and play the now idle Baltimore Orioles.  The Yankees took a vote and decided rather than be idle they would play in Baltimore.  The Yankee equipment trucks had already left for New York. They had to be called and turned back to Baltimore.

“We had a discussion first off about what was happening here,” pitcher and Yankees union rep Zack Britton said Tuesday. “We were given some options on what we could possibly do. Guys felt like, you know, obviously we want to play. Our team has done a pretty good job I think overall for the protocols. We feel like we don’t want to take three or four days off. If there’s an opportunity for us to go to Baltimore and play, that’s what we want to do. And that’s what we decided.”

Before all of this was decided Yankee manager Aaron Boone was okay to play in Philadelphia, he said:

“Today I would have been comfortable,” manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday. “We talked a lot yesterday about what was being done to make sure everything was cleaned properly and prepared properly going in and I felt like, had we been cleared to go play there today, I would have been OK with doing that. In the end, we didn’t.”

Instead, the New York Yankees planned a workout at Camden Yards for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, with game planning and pitching plans changing on the fly. Cole is expected to start Wednesday’s game against the Orioles, with Happ going Thursday.  The Yankees ended up sweeping the Orioles series before leaving for New York to play an opening weekend series with the Red Sox.

Yankee pitcher Zack Britton who is the union representative for the Yankees, had more to say about the season in general.

“I think coming into it we understood that there was going to be positive tests and there could be a team that had multiple positive tests like the Marlins,” Britton said. “The biggest thing is for us to continue following the protocols that we have in place. I feel like guys on our team are doing a good job. We can’t control what’s going on with other teams, but as long as we follow the protocols and take care of ourselves, I think that we can minimize our exposure.”

Many, including this writer, hope that Britton’s belief is true.  But this whole ordeal is just one of the twists and turns that this stranger than strange season will throw at us.

 

 

Yankees’ Aaron Boone touches on MLB’s recent situation

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees’ schedule has been shaken up due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Marlins organization. They were supposed to start a home and away series against the Phillies on Monday, but ended up postponing the series after finding out about the ten new cases that Miami had to deal with after leaving Philadelphia.

The Marlins were supposed to play the Orioles but didn’t have enough players to even field a lineup. Now the Phillies are off until Friday, and the Marlins won’t play until next week. Because of this, the Yankees and Orioles decided to create a two-game series between themselves. New York will spend tonight and tomorrow night playing in Baltimore. 

Aaron Boone shared his thoughts yesterday about how this would change his original plans. “We are fortunate enough to have a group that is very focused.” “So I feel like, from a focus standpoint, we’re ready.” Then, he was asked about his reaction to hearing about the Marlins situation and said, “I think of it more as your heart goes out to the individual players,” and that “you hope your guys are able to turn it around and get back on the field.” 

Boone went on to talk about how he expects his team to handle situations like this. He stated, “We always try to be prepared for adversity,” and “we knew going into this we were going to have to prepare for some uncomfortable situations.” He finished by saying, “It’s one of those things that’s going to be critical if you are going to be able to have success on the field this year.” Aaron Boone seemed to be very content with where the Yankees are at right now. He also seems optimistic about the chances of the season going strong. 

Will the season make it the distance for the Yankees and others?

There are still lots of questions about how well the MLB will handle this situation. Lots of fans and analysts have their worries about the MLB being able to complete their season without any setbacks. They have often compared the way the NBA has handled things and have received backlash about not incorporating some sort of bubble-like plan for major league baseball. However, in many ways, the MLB does it better than the NBA. The way that they are testing their players, to some, might seem more organized.

For as long as the MLB season will continue, there are always going to be people that have their doubts. However, it’s about making sure the players can play the game they love while staying safe at the same time. Every time a mass amount of players get sick, there are going to be people chirping in the MLB’s ear. But overall, it’s about making sure the correct safety precautions are in place. The Yankees seem very happy with the MLB so far. Look to see how the MLB handles different COVID-19 situations throughout the season.

New York Yankees: Yankees not thrilled with expanded postseason setup

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New York Yankees, Aaron boone

The New York Yankees have started their campaign to win a 28th World Championship in this shortened 60 game season.  As they approach the last game in the Series with the World Champions Washington Nationals, they sit at 1-1 and hope today to come out of the series with the series win.

Before yesterday’s game last night, MLB announced what the expanded postseason would look like.  The significant change is that it will be expanded from the present ten teams to 16 teams, which will mean that more than half of the MLB teams will reach the postseason.  The problem the New York Yankees see with the plan is that there is near no reward for winning their division.

With the new plan to have three-game Wild Card series, if the Yankees win the division they will get to host the series.  In a normal season if they win the division, they and sit back and wait for the winner of the one-game wild card and may end up not having to face anyone until the ALDS. This year when they win, they will still have to reinforce that with an additional series win.

Manager Aaron Boone: “I really don’t see it,’’ Boone said of a 16-team playoff in a normal year. “I see maybe something in-between last year and this year. But I don’t see 16 teams in a 162[-game] scenario. I think this year, all bets are off.”

Some of the other New York Yankee players were even less happy with the plan.  Yankee reliever Zack Britton had this to say about the setup:

“I definitely think it’s good for the game to create more high-leverage games, if that’s what you want to call it, more excitement, but I wasn’t a big fan of division winners not being rewarded in some form or fashion. So I wasn’t really for this, but I do see the benefit of increasing playoffs and adding that to our sport.”

“It’s good for the future,’’ Britton said. “I just felt like it was kind of rushed. But the only thing I would’ve liked to see is division winners, whether that’s us or another team, get a bye or something to show you won your division.”

Chad Green said he’s “not really sure [and] a little hesitant,’’ about the changes.

“To have over half the league make the playoffs, I would like to see a reward for winning the division,’’ the right-hander said. “I’d probably need to learn more about the actual specifics of it, [but there] needs to be more incentive for winning the division.”

Both Adam Ottavino and Chad Green are also unhappy about the man on second base in each half-inning after the ninth inning of any game this season. Ottavino said, “it’s just not real baseball.”

“It’s gonna be different,’’ Green said. “A lot of guys are gonna have to adjust to it. You’ve got to have your stuff as soon as you get in there. If you start the 10th inning, the game could be over real quick.”

“It’s gonna be more of a mental thing than anything,’’ Green said. “Guys are just gonna be coming in and trying to attack guys right away and see what happens. … I’m personally not a huge fan of it. When you’re playing a 60-game season and every game matters, just to throw a guy on second base is not the answer.”

The man on second base at the bottom of the tenth inning happened for the first time in the season on Friday night in Oakland. The Athletic’s won over the Lost Angeles Angels. Oakland’s Marcus Semien started the bottom of the 10th on second and scored on Matt Olson’s grand slam.

The bottom line in this and other issues that affect baseball is that all will have to relent to the keyword “adjust.”  There is much that all teams will have to adjust to, from not being able to play in their home park to having key players come down with the coronavirus, and yes, to conform to all the new rules.  We that love baseball will get through it. For the New York Yankees, before all this started, they were favored to win the East and go on to a World Series.  Much may have changed, but that has not changed, they are totally focused on the Championship ring.

New York Yankees talk ‘unreal’ offense ahead of July 23 Opening Day

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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The New York Yankees finished last season first in Major League Baseball in runs (943), second in home runs (306), third in slugging (.490), and fourth in batting average (.267).

The bulk of their 2019 positional depth chart remains in place: Gary Sanchez, Luke Voit, DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela, Gleyber Torres, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton, among others.

Health has been the recurring impediment for this bunch, as most of the aforementioned players missed extensive time last season due to injury.

Stanton feels the Yankees lineup is “unmatched” if they can stay on the field (quotes per George A. King III of the New York Post).

“It’s unreal, unmatched in the league if we could all stay out there,’’ Stanton said before the Yankees final of three spring training 2.0 exhibition games ahead of Thursday night’s Opening Day gig against the Nationals and Max Scherzer in Washington. “We definitely know what we are capable of. It’s just a matter of putting it out there.’’

Yankees manager Aaron Boone feels “the bar is very high” on a healthy version of his ballclub.

“I think you can add a couple of more names to that list. I feel like if we are whole and even into some of our depth, the bar is very high for what we think we can do offensively and it should be,’’ Boone said Monday night. “Hopefully we can meet those expectations because I know our guys expect a lot of themselves. I am looking forward to them going out and not only continue to be who they are but hopefully continue to make strides as players.’’

Boone wants his team to be ready to “get the stretch drive.”

“In my head sometimes I say, ‘It would be great if this guy could play X amount of games,’ but when I really get down to it I really don’t look at it like that,’’ Boone said. “I look at it in chunks. We have Opening Day, an off day and then 16 in a row. I think therein lies how do you build those guys up? Obviously with the deeper roster [30] at that standpoint what is the best way to get them a day off but continue to build their endurance so that when you get to 20, 30, 40 games into the season they are hopefully healthy because of the way we have done it but also ready to really get the stretch drive.’’

The Yankees begin the 2020 season on Thursday against the World Series-champion Washington Nationals, the first of a three-game set.

New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone praises Mike Ford’s offensive ability

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New York Yankees, Mike Ford

New York Yankees’ Mike Ford pinch-hit for the Yankees in the 9th inning of yesterday’s exhibition game against the Phillies and smashed a 458-foot game-tying home run. He’s always been known for his ability to hit the ball and seems like a lock to make the 30-man roster.

After yesterday’s game, New York Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone praised the young slugger. When asked if he sees Ford playing a role this year he responded “I see a role,” and “I think some people miss how good of an offensive player he is.” “He controls the zone as well as you can and has power,” Boone said. He also gave us hints on how the Yankees might use him, saying “He’s a middle of the order major-league hitter, that’s how I view him. He’s that good.” All in all, Boone seems like he’s made up his mind on whether or not to make room for Ford on the roster. 

Mike Ford was another one of those players that shined after being called up because of injuries. Heck, he even saw time on the mound. He, along with many others, made a name for himself. Because the Yankees are so right-hand heavy on the offensive side, Ford might get to see his name in a decent amount of lineups. Now obviously in a shortened season, he won’t see as much time as he saw last year but still a good amount. That’s assuming that everyone stays healthy. 

What else can he do?

Ford can also serve as a great pinch-hitter. He proved that today. With his left-handed bat, you might see Boone put him in the DH spot just for the matchup. He is very versatile offensively and provides great depth behind Luke Voit. I thought he was a no brainer on the roster and it’s good to know that Boone agrees with me. Ford in many ways, might change how the Yankees handle things.

Here are Ford’s stats from last season: 50 G, 143 AB, 30 R, 37 H, 7 2B, 12 HR, 25 RBI, 17 BB, .259 BA, .350 OBP, .559 SLG, .909 OPS, 1.1 WAR. A .909 OPS in his first 50 major league games in crazy good. 

Mike Ford is going to end up taking roster spots away from people that made the roster last year. That’s how good Aaron Boone and the Yankees think the second-year player is going to be. Look out for Ford’s name on a lot of lineup cards this season.

New York Yankees: Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Boone talk southpaw’s growth

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

Jordan Montgomery took the hill for the New York Yankees in their Sunday night exhibition at home against the New York Mets. The left-hander surrendered no runs and three baserunners while logging six strikeouts across five innings (59 pitches) en route to a Yankees’ victory.

Montgomery says “everything” feels different on the hill (quotes per NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty).

“Arm speed, conviction, strength,” Montgomery said. “Everything, really.”

Montgomery made 29 starts for the Yankees in 2017, recording a 3.88 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He has made just seven starts since 2017 due to an elbow injury. Montgomery has a chance to round out a rotation that’s expected to include Gerrit Cole, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is “really proud” of how far Montgomery has come.

“I’m really proud of Monty on where he’s at,” Boone said.

“For how good as he was in spring and then again so far here in summer camp, I think he even put it all together for his entire outing,” Boone said. “You saw everything and that’s a good lineup over there. The ability to pitch with the fastball, the cut fastball has become a real factor for him. The changeup and curveball. A number of really quality pitches he made to get swings and misses, weak contact, whatever it was.”

Montgomery says he feels “really good” about where he’s at.

“I was really excited after spring (training) and I was in a good place then,” Montgomery said. “It was just a little extra hold off. The excitement is still there. I was excited (Sunday). Just ready to get out there with the guys.”

He added, “I feel really good about where I’m at and only going to keep getting stronger the more pitches I throw.”

The Yankees open the 2020 Major League Baseball season on the road against the World Series-champion Washington Nationals on Thursday.

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone names James Paxton number two starter

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

Wednesday afternoon New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that left-hander James Paxton will take the hill for the team’s second game of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on the road against the World Series-champion Washington Nationals on July 25.

Paxton underwent back surgery in March but has been pitching in intrasquad games held at Yankee Stadium as part of MLB’s summer camp.

Paxton is entering his second season with the Yankees. Last season he posted a 3.82 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 186 strikeouts across 29 starts (150.2 innings). Paxton made three starts for the Yankees in the 2019 postseason, posting a 3.46 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP and 20 strikeouts across 13.0 innings.

New York acquired Paxton from the Seattle Mariners in November 2018 for left-hander Justus Sheffield, right-hander Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.

Gerrit Cole, who the Yankees signed to a nine-year, $324 million deal in the offseason, is expected to take the hill on Opening Day. The Yankees open the 60-game season on the road against the Nationals on July 23.

After Cole and Paxton will be a combination of Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, Jordan Montgomery and Jonathan Loaisiga. Tanaka is recovering from a head injury suffered by means of a line drive off the bat of Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton in an intrasquad match last week.

Montgomery made 29 starts for the Yankees in 2017 under former manager Joe Girardi and seven since; Loaisiga has made eight career MLB starts.

Boone went with a bullpen day at various points of last season.

Luis Severino, who made 63 starts for the Yankees from 2017-18, made just three regular season starts in 2019 due to a shoulder injury and will be off the mound this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees have three players away from the team after testing positive for COVID-19: infielder DJ LeMahieu, right-hander Luis Cessa and closer Aroldis Chapman.