Aaron Boone

New York Yankees: Yankees announce Exhibition games as 11 Umpires Opt-Out

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The New York Yankees will meet the New York Mets twice this weekend in the first exhibition games of the summer camp.  The Yankees will meet the cross-town rival Mets at Citi Field on Saturday at 7 pm. The following night at 7 pm,  the Mets will take the subway to Yankee Stadium for an evening game.  On Monday at 6 pm, the Philadelphia Phillies will be at Yankee Stadium. All three games will be televised in the YES Network.

These games are in preparation for the regular 60 game season that will start next Thursday in the Nation’s Capital when Gerrit Cole is scheduled to face the Washington National’s, Max Scherzer. That game will be the first of the season for any team. Later in the night, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face the San Francisco Giants.  The remaining teams will have their opening games on July 24th.

The New York Mets look formidable for the 2020 season. They have a new manager in Luis Rojas.  They have a strong pitching rotation even with the loss of Noah Syndergaard, and a dependable bullpen. Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz is a rotation not to be laughed at.  Add to that the Mets have added Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha.  They also added the former Yankee Dellin Betances to their already strong bullpen.

Where the New York Mets fall short is in their hitting lineup. Both Amed Rosario and Robinson Cano had poor seasons last year, and there is no reason to believe 2020 will be better. The Mets have traditionally played poorly against the Yankees. In the cross-town matchups, the Yankees lead the Met 58-43. The last time they met up in a World Series was in 2000 when the Yankees took the series in five games.

For the New York Yankees, manager Aaron Boone who is coming off a 100 and 103 game-winning season, has been preparing his pitchers and hitters for these exhibition games. The Yankees are not without their problems.  They will play the season without star pitcher Luis Severino who is out the whole season after having Tommy John surgery.  And they won’t see last year’s most winning pitcher, Domingo German.  He will be serving the last 60 games of his suspension.

But, unlike the Mets, the Yankees have a lot of things going for them as the season starts.  During the offseason, they acquired arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Gerrit Cole. They also have the up and coming Jordan Montgomery, and a host on young talent to augment both the pitching and the strong lineup that now features a healthy Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

The Yankees/Phillies game on Monday night should be far more interesting when ex-Yankee manager Joe Girardi brings his team to his old Yankee Stadium.  Girardi has already said it will be strange showing up at the Stadium in a different uniform.  How that exhibition game goes could be telling in a short season where the Yankees will face the Phillies just seven days later in the regular season on July 27th at Citizens Bank Park for a two-game series.  The teams will meet for the final time in the season at the Stadium in the following two games.

The Phillies are not the team the New York Yankees are. They, of the East Division teams, are 3rd after the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves.  They come in somewhere between the 5th and 8th of the remaining NL teams, including the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.  That being the case, the Yankees should take 3 of the 4 games facing the Phillies.

The baseball umpires union has announced that 11 umpires have opted out of playing the season because of the coronavirus, or for other reasons.  This leaves the umpire crews short from their usual 19 crews for a total of 76 umpires.  Assuming they will have a further opt-out, injuries, and positive tests, they may find themselves relying on less experienced umpires from the minor leagues that are not playing this season.

Did Yankees’ Aaron Boone deserve manager of the year in 2019?

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

Yankees’ Aaron Boone was outvoted by Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to win Manager of the Year in 2019. Baldelli led his team to a 101-61 record while Boone and the Yankees finished 103-59 in 2019. But did Baldelli deserve it?

Before the season, nobody thought the Twins would be a 100-win team. They seemed to have a lot of chemistry. Minnesota surprised the whole league by outlasting the Indians and taking control of the AL Central. They set the record for most home runs as a team in a single season, beating the Yankees’ previous record. But, they never had to deal with injury problems. For most of the year, Baldelli got to sit back and create lineups with the same players every night. 

Unlike the Twins, the Yankees were expected to go far into October and fight for a chance at a championship. But, they were hit with a plethora of injuries along the way. Aaron Boone had to deal with 30 Yankees being put on the IL list including 8 players that suffered season-ending injuries. It seemed like every day last season, someone was making their major league debut. Aaron Boone had to preach his next man up mentality every week because of new players in the Bronx. Despite all of that, the Yankees finished with a 103-59 record and won the AL East. With that, Aaron Boone became the first manager in baseball history to have back-to-back 100 win seasons in his first two seasons as a manager. 

Aaron Boone and the Yankees dealt with adversity throughout the season and still exceeded expectations along the way. Don’t get me wrong, the Twins had a very impressive season. But, Aaron Boone dealt with something that coaches rarely do. To not honor him as the manager of the year after all that,  I thought it was unacceptable. 

All of those new players having the success that they did, was not a mistake. Aaron Boone and the rest of his staff did a great job at saving the season and now have nothing to show for it.

Yankees’ closer Aroldis Chapman tests positive for COVID-19

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone has told reporters that LHP Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for COVID-19. Boone says that Chapman is showing mild symptoms and is doing well. 

So what does this mean for the Yankees?

Well, Aaron Boone said that “(Zack Britton) naturally could fill the (closer) role” and that “Britt would be a natural guy (to close games) if Chappy is not able to go.”

Zack Britton had experience as a closer in Baltimore which is why he would be the go-to to replace Chapman. The season starts in less than two weeks and seems unlikely that Chapman will have enough time to get better.

He needs to test negative twice in order to be cleared and it doesn’t seem like the timetable is in his favor right. Chapman reported to Summer Camp last week and if he had it at any point last week, chances are he’s not the only one that might not be ready for the season

Chapman was an all-star and finished the season with a 2.21 ERA in 2019. This is definitely a big blow for the Yankees as we approach Opening Day.

Updates will be posted as more information comes out.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone loves what he sees from Deivi Garcia

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

Yankees’ Deivi Garcia was great in his first intrasquad appearance last night. Garcia only pitched one inning but retired the side in order. He got Tauchman to fly out, Andujar to groundout, and struck out Gary Sanchez. 

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone loved what he saw from the youngster. He said Garcia was “really efficient,” and he threw some “good breaking pitches.” Boone talked about how facing some of the “big boys” was a “good step up for him.” He finished by saying that it was “good to see him get out there and get going.” Great sign for the 21-year old.

Deivi Garcia jumped to the No. 3 prospect in the organization last year and has been in the spotlight ever since. He’s a player some Yankee fans thought could’ve made his debut last year. However, that turned out to be an overstatement.

In three starts for the Yankees in Spring Training, he allowed 6 ER in 7 innings of play. Not the greatest. However, he had flashes of major-league caliber pitching. Despite giving up a lot of runs, he had 8 strikeouts. For his first time facing major-league talent, that’s not bad. 

With minor league baseball not returning in 2020, the Yankees might take a chance on the young star. He could be a good weapon in the bullpen. Garcia has some nasty pitches in his arsenal that get players to swing and miss. With a shortened season and a minimal amount of rest days for pitchers, he could come up clutch for New York. He had a 13.3 SO/9 last season, which could shine even more if he pitches in 1-2 innings spirts. Or, he could serve as a Luis Cessa/Chad Green type of player where he would come in and pitch 3-4 innings if a starting pitcher got into some early trouble. His stats show that he is a very versatile player.

The Yankees have high hopes for the 21-year old pitcher. Look to see how Garcia performs in upcoming intrasquad and exhibition games.

Yankees’ Gary Sanchez is confident he’ll be ready for Opening Day

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez has been working hard to get ready for the 2020 season and thinks he’ll be out there for all nine innings against the Nationals. 

With limited time to get ready, fans are starting to question that. However, Gary Sanchez is very confident that he will be ready. In a press conference yesterday, Sanchez stated, “I think two weeks is going to be enough for me to get ready and catch all nine innings.” Despite the long break, Sanchez didn’t seem to lose a step. He said, “I left to go to the DR because I have a complex there,” where he was working on his “offense and defense.” He finished by saying, “I can tell you, anytime my name is in the lineup, I’ll be ready to go.” Very confident from the young catcher.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone also showed confidence in Sanchez

Boone stated, “from a catching standpoint, the foundation has been very solid” and that he’s “encouraged about where he is right now.” Boone then praised the work that Tanner Swanson has done to keep Sanchez ready. 

Tanner Swanson is a catching coach that the Yankees added to their staff this off-season. Swanson worked with the Twins and Mitcher Garver last year and is teaching Garver’s style of play to Sanchez. Sanchez, no doubt, took a step up defensively last year. In 2018, Sanchez led the league in pass balls allowed in only 653 innings of work. The average catcher can catch up to 1,000 innings in a single season. However, in 2019 Sanchez averaged a passed ball every 86 innings. A huge step up from the previous year. But, it will be interesting to see how Swanson can improve Sanchez as an overall catcher.

Sanchez has always been a force to be reckoned with at the plate but hasn’t reached his full potential from behind the plate. Hopefully, Swanson will work to make Sanchez a complete player. Look out for a lot of new things defensively from Sanchez.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone gives us answers on Miguel Andujar for 2020

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

In early 2019, Yankees’ Miguel Andujar suffered a season-ending shoulder injury sliding back into third base. After that, Gio Urshela stepped up and took over as the starting third baseman. Since then, Andujar has been a question mark for the Yankees. In Spring Training, Boone talked about transferring Andujar to the outfield and using him as a DH but hasn’t talked about their plans for Andujar in the 2020 season. 

In a press conference yesterday, Aaron Boone talked about where they’ve been placing Andujar during Summer Camp. He said, “he’s been getting work in the outfield” but he is still “balancing between the two” positions (third base and outfield). Boone said when they were doing fielding work a couple of days ago, Andujar was “doing all of his stuff with the outfielders.” He finished by saying the Yankees “continue to be excited in his ability to play the corners of the outfield but also at third.” 

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Later that night, Andujar started in left field in the intrasquad game and hit an opposite-field home run off of starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. 

If it works out, Andujar will provide more talent and depth into an already stacked outfield. When Stanton shifts back to left field, it seems very likely that Andujar will take over the DH spot for the Yankees. 

Many forget how talented Andujar is at the plate. His 2018 stats were: 573 AB, 170 H, .297 AVG, .328 OBP, .527 SLG, .855 OPS, 47 2B, 2 3B, 27 HR, 92 RBI, 25 BB. Andujar ended up finishing second in “Rookie of the Year” voting in 2018 behind the slugging right-handed pitcher, Shohei Ohtani. 

Andujar is a very versatile and talented player.  His ability to get on base and hit the opposite way will further justify placing him in the DH role this year. Look to see Andujar’s name in a lot of lineup cards this season.  

New York Yankees’ Clint Frazier has been dealing with secret foot injury for months

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

Despite having a new strength and conditioning coach in Eric Cressey, the New York Yankees still can’t manage to escape the injury bug. With Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, and more all returning from injury and attempting to stay healthy, there’s a lot of emphasis on recovery and rehabilitation.

However, we can add another name to the list. Clint Frazier has been dealing with “a little foot issue” for months, manager Aaron Boone stated following Tuesday’s intrasquad game.

The New York Yankees are taking things easy with their injured players

Frazier has been taking it easy for the past few months, as the lingering issue has affected his play. That is a major reason why he has taken minimal at-bats and looked a little bit off. Usually, his name rings a bell on occasion, but he has been mostly a ghost the past few weeks. He seems to be well on his way to recovery. Frazier was launching homers prior to the start of the game on Tuesday.

“But he’s been able to do anything from running to playing the outfield,” Boone said of Frazier, who launched a few booming home runs in batting practice hours before. “So we’re just taking of slow playing him (at DH) these first couple of days.”

With the active roster being expanded to 30 players, Frazier has a fantastic opportunity. He can lock down an active spot with a good summer camp performance.

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Frazier was a bit a rocky in 2019

Last season with the Yankees, he played in 69 games, posting a .267 batting average with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. The majority of his deficiencies came on defense, as he struggled with a .963 outfield fielding percentage and committed three errors.

Frazier has the offensive prowess to excel at the MLB level, and an increase in defensive production would help him significantly in this development. If he can earn one of the expanded four roster spots, they will likely utilize him in the outfield as Stanton and Judge could rotate in the DH spot for the time being.

Boone stated that Stanton would likely feature as DH, and they are optimistic that Judge will be ready for the start of the regular season. Ideally, Judge will start in right field and Aaron Hicks in center field, leaving left for Fraser or Brett Gardner to slide into.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone raves about SP Clarke Schmidt: ‘He has a presence to him’

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New York Yankees, Clarke Schmidt

New York Yankees‘ Clarke Schmidt is a pitcher whose stock has risen in the last year and has turned lots of heads in the organization. He is finally getting attention from the higher-ups and has a chance to prove something in the coming weeks. 

Before the intrasquad game yesterday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared in a media interview how much he loves SP Clarke Schmidt. He talked about how impressed he was after seeing him pitch up close in Spring Training and seems to have high hopes for the young pitcher.

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Manager Aaron Boone raved about the young arm

Boone seems to have trust in the young star. In the interview, Boone says that his pitch repertoire is “excellent” and says his “athleticism on the mound allows him to have a real clean delivery.” Adding on, he talks about his attitude and how “he has a presence to him” saying that “he believes he belongs here.” 

Boone notices Schmidt as a very determined person and states “he came in highly touted” and “looked the part” in Spring Training. Boone finishes by saying they  “certainly are excited about his development so far” and that he is “looking forward to seeing him go out and start building.”

Schmidt pitched the first and second inning of last night’s intrasquad game and was lights out. He struck out some big-name players like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on nasty breaking balls. Boone and the rest of the coaches seemed really pleased with Schmidt’s performance. 

Clarke showed promising numbers last season. He pitched in 19 games last year and finished with 3.47 ERA. He struck 102 batters out in 90.2 innings and had a BB/9 of 2.8. Schmidt then received an invite to Spring Training in 2020. He appeared in 4 games and had a 2.57 ERA in 7 innings of work. 

Clarke Schmidt is currently ranked as the 88th best prospect in the MLB and 2nd in the Yankees organization. He still has a lot to prove but is someone to keep your eye on in Summer Camp.

New York Yankees’ regulars will do some sitting in the early going

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

While some teams will prioritize their star power to take advantage of the short schedule and win critical games, the New York Yankees will use their incredible depth to their benefit, especially in the position player side of things.

It is a wise decision given that some of the Yankees’ stars, including Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks, are coming back from long-term injuries that have a certain re-aggravation risk.

New York Yankees’ skipper Aaron Boone said that, with 60 games in 66 days and only 17 days to get ready for the season, he will sit regulars in the early going and insert them progressively with each passing day.

“As much as there’s the urgency of a 60-game season, an injury can wipe out a season in a hurry if you’re forcing a guy more than they’re probably ready for early on in the season,” Boone said “You have an injury in a 60-day season, now all of a sudden maybe it cost them half a year, or the season for that matter.”

That likely means that players such as Judge, Hicks or Giancarlo Stanton will take some games off in the early going or occupy the designated hitter position, while outfielders such as Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman stand to benefit from the situation and play a lot in the early going. You can throw Miguel Andujar into that group, as well.

The Yankees’ depth will help

It also means that Andujar could spell Gio Urshela at third for a start or two, Mike Ford could play some games in first base in the early going and Tyler Wade’s name could appear at shortstop instead of Gleyber Torres’. By that logic, Kyle Higashioka will catch more than a couple of times per week.

The Yankees are going to open their summer camp on Saturday, at Yankee Stadium. The season for them will start on July 23 against the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital.

“The bottom line is we’re going to try and make evaluations on an individual basis about where we think guys are physically,” Boone said. “If we feel like they’re ready after this three-week stretch to go and do their normal workload and play every day, so be it.

“But we also know and trust in our depth. If you look at our team, and if we’re fortunate enough to be healthy at the end of this camp, we feel like we have a lot of players that are capable of being everyday players that won’t necessarily be that. We’ll lean on those guys, especially in the early days, to make sure we’re building guys up properly.”

New York Yankee News: Aaron Boone spells out the importance of not rushing players in media call

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

As New York Yankee fans await the start of baseball, today, New York Yankee manager Aaron Boone held a conference call with the media about the start of summer camp 2020. For EmpireSportsMedia.com, I was in on the call and took notes on a variety of subjects.

An overriding subject that was constantly talked about, Boone responded to many questions asked in different ways about how his players have prepared for the season and how they will be ramped up for the season when it starts on July 23rd.

Aaron Boone continually emphasized that he will be careful in getting players to move forward. He stated that

“you can get into a lot of trouble forcing guys, pushing them early on when they are not ready to go. An injury early on could mean missing a quarter, half, or even all of the season because you pushed them too hard at the start.” He continued “if we are healthy we are going to lean on our depth and hopefully build guys up properly so that we are not sacrificing any game early on, but are giving ourselves the best opportunity to be one of the best teams over the 60 game stretch.”

At one point, he was asked what it was like to be away from the game for so long.  He responded that it was different. He mentioned that he spent some time with Gerrit Cole, who lives nearby in Greenwich, CT. He said it was an opportunity that he wouldn’t have had otherwise, to watch the seasons change, see the trees fill out, and spend time with family.  He mentioned the joy of planning meals and cooking with his wife.  He also said how difficult it would be for his daughter not to be able to come to the Stadium and watch games.

He was asked about his New York Yankees starting pitchers and if he was able to stay in touch with them and how he thought they had prepared for the eventual season.  He stated that he had been in regular contact with most of them and especially with Gerrit Cole, who has been “working his tail off.”  Boone feels his pitchers are in a good place and that he will watch them carefully as summer camp starts this Saturday.  He specifically mentioned that he had less contact with Masahiro Tanaka than with the other players as he left camp immediately when it was shut down and went home to Japan. He did say that Tanaka is a veteran and knows how to prepare. He mentioned that Tanaka was at the Stadium and had undergone his intake testing.

One question was if Boone had considered a six-man pitching rotation or even a four-man.  Boone reiterated that he had not thought about it, but that everything is fluid when you’re dealing with a short season. “we will be creative as we need be, those calls will be made at the beginning of the season or on the fly as needed.”

He was asked if he personally had any hesitation coming back to baseball, considering his health issues. He answered “no hesitation healthwise
I’m in a good place; the family is healthy, I have no fear I’m excited to play
smartly and as safely as possible.”

He was questioned about how and what he would say to the players during the first team meeting.  “We have a responsibility for each other
in being safe at the field and off the field. We’re a hungry group, and we want to rise to the top of the mountain, we want to be champions..find that energy the edge on a daily basis.”

During the conference call, there was little mention of any of the individual players, with the exception of Miguel Andujar.  Boone stated that he was comfortable with Andujar playing in both corners of the outfield and even at third base. He continued that he still had to grow into the positions, but the more he does, the more opportunity he will have to play ball.

When queried about the Yankee 30 man roster, Boone said it gives us flexibility early on in using pinch hitters and even going to the bullpen early.  ” With a more flexible bench that are some things you can do in the middle of the game or during the game that last year with a 25 man roster you wouldn’t necessarily do. We will try and be creative there and be smart about effectively using our roster whether it be the 30 or when it goes to 28 and 26.”

A question that I thought would never come up in the 50-minute call as if he was concerned that the season might not be completed.  Boone said that he doesn’t think about that much. He stated that anything was possible, but my job is to focus on getting ready to play on a championship level,
that’s the focus and goal. We are in this to win it, to get to a World Championship. If circumstances change, that is out of my control; I don’t spend time thinking about that.

Overall, Boone was upbeat on the season that will definitely present challenges for the Yankees but he believes his players are in a good place both emotionally and physically. He stated that whether it’s a 162 game season or a 60 game season, the approach is the same. We are totally focused on winning and getting to a World Championship.

We have a video of New York Yankee players arriving today at Yankee Stadium in another EmpireSportsMedia.com article, see the video here.