Aaron Hicks

With Players Beginning to Return, the New York Yankees Face Tough Decisions

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees faced and are still facing an injury crisis, but soon a lot of their stars will be back. However, it will likely be three outfielders to return next. How will the Yankees work this out? Also, once Didi Gregorius comes back, which infielder will go?

The decisions:

Clint Frazier will be returning from a brief IL stint on Monday, and the Yankees sent Stephen Tarpley down for the corresponding move. But, Tarpley isn’t an outfielder, he’s a pitcher.

Tyler Wade has currently been playing the outfield, but I believe that he will begin to play the infield again. People thought for sure though that Mike Tauchman would go once Frazier returns, but Aaron Boone has confirmed that his time as a Yankee has not expired just yet.

Once Aaron Hicks returns in ~10 days, it will certainly be Tauchman’s time to go. A .176 average ain’t gonna cut it in the MLB, especially with Cameron Maybin hitting .333 while playing good defense. Maybin will 100% stay over Tauchman. Maybin is a proven outfielder with a lot of MLB experience.

But once Giancarlo Stanton returns, sometime shortly after Hicks, it will likely be Maybin’s time to go. They may be able to trade Maybin and get some cash or a prospect, because he deserves a spot on a MLB team, but won’t have one with a healthy Yankee squad.

Didi will begin his rehab assignment in a few weeks, and once he returns it will either be Tyler Wade’s or Gio Urshela’s time to go. Didi should be on the active roster in about a month or so.

I think that it should be Wade that goes because, well, Urshela has outplayed him in almost every aspect. Wade is a great base-runner and is very aggressive, but Urshela is more defensively sound and boasts a .338 batting average.

Wade just hasn’t proven himself enough to maintain a spot on a healthy roster, and needs to hit better to spend more time in the MLB. He is also beginning to run low on minor league options, so that could potentially be a problem in the near future.

And once you remove Wade, Gleyber can shift back to second and DJ can be the utility man the Yankees wanted.

Once more players become healthy, the Yankees will face several tough roster decisions. But, Brian Cashman doesn’t make very many bad decisions and you should trust that he will continue to make the right ones.

New York Yankees – The dog days of April are upon us

by
New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

It’s April 19 and the New York Yankees find themselves banged up with twelve guys on the Injured List as if a whole season had taken it’s toll rather than just 21 days.

The team is struggling to find it’s footing here in the early going, challenged by the mass of injuries that have plagued them.  It’s hard to say who the club misses more, it’s ace, it’s centerfielder or it’s catcher.

The Yankees have an 8-10 record and are 5.5 games back of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.  Fans are baffled in the Bronx, as the Yankees lose against teams they should beat (White Sox) and beat teams who pose the greatest challenge (Red Sox).

The lineups these days reflect the reality that an all-star team is on the IL for the Yankees and are made up of rookie call-ups – Mike Ford is the most recent, joining Gio Urshela and Tyler Wade on the Yankee bench – and regulars, such as Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu, Brett Gardner and Luke Voit.

Yankee manager Aaron Boone has configured numerous lineups this season, moving Gardner in and out of the lead-off spot, trying LeMahieu there, using Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman in an almost platoon situation to get Frazier’s bat into the lineup and Tauchman’s glove in the field.

In the game on Thursday, against the Kansas City Royals, the Yankee’s looked flat offensively after their emotional two-game series win over the Boston Red Sox; they were unable to gain momentum from that win to propel them forward to a win against the Royals, losing 6-1.

The team lacks consistency because the Yankees are still a team figuring it out this season rather than a team with a plan and a direction.  The poet T.S. Eliot once wrote that “April is the cruelest month,” and for Yankee fans it certainly has been as the team rides the waves of success one day, followed by a face plant in the dirt the next.

Usually when we think about a team that’s banged up and jerry-rigging the lineup, it’s August, not April.  The dog days of August came early to the Bronx with injuries and tired-looking performances marring the early promise of the season.

Good news, May is on the way and will bring healthy players back to this lineup, – Gary Sanchez is due to come off the IL on Sunday. Aaron Hicks is with the team and is ramping up baseball activities, and Giancarlo Stanton may be able to join the team after the West Coast trip around May 9th, according to MLBTraderumors.com

When this team begins to get it’s starters back, it will become the kind of team that can carry the momentum of winning from one game to the next, one series to the next, and on into the postseason.

April losses can defeat you in October, but only if you let them.  The Yankees have some time still to get healthy and get their starters back in the lineup before the season is in jeopardy.

In the meantime, May can’t come soon enough for the Bombers to turn the page and start playing better baseball.

 

 

New York Yankees: Why There is No Need to Worry About Their Slow Start

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees have gotten off to a less than flattering 3-4 start in 2019, highlighted by losing two out of three to two of the league’s worst teams. There is disappointment with the four losses, but there shouldn’t be any worry, yet. There are a lot of contributing factors to their early struggles, so let’s review them.

Injuries

Obviously, injuries are the prominent factor in the Yankees early season struggles.10 main guys are on the IL in Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dellin Betances, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, Troy Tulowitzki, and Giancarlo Stanton.

We know that Stanton will be back in about three weeks, and that Sabathia could possibly make his next start.

Hicks is just beginning baseball activities, Betances is throwing off a mound and should be ready for rehab soon, while Severino is still throwing on flat ground.

We don’t know a whole lot about the rest of the injuries. We’ll know in about 10 days weather the Yankees can start up Andujar again, or if he’ll need season-ending surgery.

Detroit and Baltimore are off to good starts

The Yankees have played two teams that got off to hot starts.

After taking two out of three against the Yankees, the Orioles went north of the border and took two of three from the Blue Jays before losing to the Yankees in their home opener on Thursday.

The Tigers started the season in Canada, splitting a four game series there. They came to New York to take two of three from the Yankees afterwards, then took their home opener against the Royals.

They aren’t alone

The Yankees are not the only World Series favorite to be losing a lot early. At 3-4, the Yankees are better than some other teams record wise.

The Red Sox are off to a terrible 2-7 start with the worst run differential in the MLB at -26. The Houston Astros have started off 2019 at 3-5. Like the Yankees, they have won the first game of each series and that’s it. Remember, the Yankees and the Astros play on Monday.

Off to the worst start in the MLB are the Chicago Cubs. After winning their opener, they have lost six straight to put themselves at 1-6.

This shows to tell that the best teams don’t always get out to hot starts.

This has happened before

Most years, the Yankees aren’t great out of the gate. They started 5-6 last year en route to a 100 win season.

In 2016, they started out 9-17 on the way to an 84 win season.

In 2009, the Yankees started out 3-4 as they would win it all come October.

The Yankees will get healthy and get back to normal. It may take a while, but they always seem to figure it out.

Morale of the story: the Yankees will be ok, and it’s just a matter of time until they win a lot of games and Baltimore and Detroit start to lose a lot of games. Sadly, it’s also just a matter of time until the team from Boston starts to win too.

New York Yankees: Why Tyler Wade Will Make the Roster Over Clint Frazier

by

With camp breaking on Sunday for an exhibition in Washington on Monday, the New York Yankees will likely be forced to decide on a final position player spot in the coming days. Aaron Hicks going down with the injury makes it look as if both Luke Voit and Greg Bird will be on the opening day roster, but nothing is 100% yet. However, two players are fighting for a roster spot indirectly, in Tyler Wade and Clint Frazier.

Tyler Wade has had a way better spring, and has a lot more versatility, making him a better fit on the roster. Frazier still has some work to do on the little things, but should still see time in the big leagues as the 26th man, for injuries, and come the roster expansion in September if healthy.

What Wade brings to the table

Tyler Wade is a very versatile infielder that can play some outfield who has been raking this spring. He has bat .333 with a home run, and his slugging percentage is at .571. Wade is also very speedy and has stolen three bags so far. His fielding skills are above average, and is primarily a middle infielder but played centerfield for the Yankees last season on a few occasions.

His versatility is what the Yankees love, knowing they can plug him into the lineup in several different positions. Plus, his speed is something the team wants to use for pinch running when he doesn’t start.

What Frazier brings to the table

Clint Frazier has struggled mightily this spring, but some may be from rust. He has just six hits in 40 at-bats. However, he has had more success at the major league level and cracked a walk-off home run in 2017. Frazier has a lot of power, good speed, and a good glove. But because of his struggles so far, it would be best to start him in AAA to polish up mechanics and work off the rust. The more he plays, the better he should too and the better his stats will be.

If Tyler Wade starts this season like he did last season, his time in the MLB may be short and Frazier could come up fast. But, something to watch out for is that Wade is starting to run low on options, and the team needs to limit how freely they send him up and down.

New York Yankees: Dellin Betances to Start Season on Injured List

by

During Tuesday’s spring training game on the YES Network, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman announced in an interview that hard-throwing relief pitcher Dellin Betances will start the 2019 season on the injured list. Cashman said that in an MRI, he showed to have shoulder inflammation and the team is calling it a “shoulder impingement.” The team expects Betances to be throwing again “in 3 to 5 days.”

Betances had not been himself during spring training. He had an ERA of 5.40 in just four outings, and the team was concerned about his velocity. His fastball was only reaching 88 to 92 mph, much lower than his 96 to 100 mph average. He has had issues with getting off to a fast start, literally. His ERA is always a bit higher in the early part of the season, and way high in spring training with his strikeout rate lower.

More Injuries

This now leads to even more early season injury concerns from the Yankees. Though he is the only bullpen guy out right now, the Yankees are down two starters in CC Sabathia and Luis Severino. Aaron Hicks will not be ready until at least the second series of the season, Didi Gregorius is out until summer because of his Tommy John surgery, and who knows about Jacoby Ellsbury.

Like last year, the Yankees will need to have a “next man up” mentality to fill these roster spots. Young guys will be stepping up and providing a lot to start the season, especially on the pitching staff. Those pitchers may be Jonathan Loaisiga, Domingo German, Stephen Tarpley, and Luis Cessa.

New York Yankees: Aaron Hicks projects power and consistency in ’19

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

Aaron Hicks is a New York Yankees player who stirs up mixed reactions from fans who either believe the analytics that he is one of the top ten center fielders in the game or who believe that he should hit higher than .240 and stay healthy.

Back on September 25th, Travis Sawchik of fivethirtyeight.com took a look at Hicks’ 2018 season and concluded that “the Yankees have unearthed a star.”

Hicks, according to Sawchik, blends one of the game’s strongest outfield arms (hitting 105.5 mph in 2016) with one of the league’s most disciplined bats and his WAR total in 2018 bears out what a complete player he has become:

“Through Sunday, Hicks was tied for 17th in position player wins above replacement at 4.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. (Harper was tied for 38th.) WAR is an accumulative stat, so when we adjust for playing time,1 Hicks ranked 11th in baseball in WAR per 600 plate appearances since 2017. By that measure, he placed ahead of stars like Christian Yelich, J.D. Martinez and Kris Bryant in terms of overall performance per playing time.”

A quality outfield is essential for success:

Hicks features as a significant piece of the Yankees’ success in 2018, playing in 137 games, his most in pinstripes since being traded here in 2016.

Hicks reputation for being often injured is due to a pair of oblique injuries that landed him on the disabled list in June and September of 2017 and a pair of injuries that slowed his start to the 2018 season.  In 2017, he played in only 88 games.

Can we trust Hicks to remain healthy?

Is he injury prone? If he was, certainly playing in 137 games in ’18 should go a long way toward proving that he isn’t any longer.  Healthy, after the early injuries, he had a successful and productive season.

Hicks has become a more selective hitter since his days with the Twins. According to Sawchik, he ranked fifth in baseball in walk rate on the season at 15.8 and, in the second half of the season, he led baseball in walk rate at 19.6 percent. Sawchik notes:

“Only two major leaguers have walked more frequently and hit more home runs than Hicks this season: Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.”

Hicks’ 27 home runs, 79 RBI, 18 doubles and 90 walks were all career highs in ’18 and on the strength of that Hicks is projected by Steamer to have very similar numbers in the coming season.

If Hicks can replicate or improve upon his numbers in ’18, he can put to rest the fans’ complaints that he doesn’t hit for average and doesn’t stay healthy. With his arm, fielding range and newly discovered power, Hicks profiles as one of the top center fielders in the league.

Clint Frazier Promoted by the New York Yankees Ahead of Nationals Series

by
New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

New York Yankees‘ Clint Frazier caused quite a frenzy on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon when Josh Norris of Baseball America sent this tweet out:

Fans have been clamoring for “Red Thunder” since he recovered from concussion symptoms suffered in spring training and started hitting .362 with 3 homers in AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

Correspondingly, Aaron Hicks (.215) and Brett Gardner (.227) have gotten off to slow starts offensively and fans have been wondering how long until Frazier got his chance.

The New York Yankees have one of the most powerful lineups in baseball. Keep up with breaking news, broken bats, and daily updates on your favorite team! Sign up to our free newsletter to get premium Yankees content straight to your email.

[sc name=”StubHub”]

The move to bring Frazier up during the Nationals series brings another hot right-handed bat into the lineup tonight against LHP Gio Gonzalez.

 

New York Yankees: Ronald Torreyes Leads The Way

by

Ronald Torreyes is leading the New York Yankees in batting average with .429—Aaron Hicks, the next man on the list, isn’t even close with .364.

Torreyes has come off the bench to play in eight games, going 9-21 with nine hits, three doubles and one strike out. This spark in the offense (all 5’8, 150 lbs) may come in a small package, but it packs a powerful punch and often gets the Yankee offense going.

Not to mention that Torreyes is a solid glove man at whatever position he plays, as Austin Romine told John Healy of the New York Daily News:

“You can’€™t count Toe out,” said catcher Austin Romine. “He’s going to make plays that others don’€™t make.”€

No wonder there are headlines that call for Torreyes to play an even more prominent role with the team, perhaps, even replacing Miguel Andujar, who is struggling with the bat, at third base.

In Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Torreyes had three hits and an RBI in the 8-6 win, a fact which might get lost in the fireworks provided by Hicks and his spectacular multi-homer game.

Torreyes produces at a rate Yankee fans have come to take for granted—he makes the occasional start or comes in off the bench and produces hits and RBI opportunities for the big guns that come after him.

When he’s on the bench, not playing, he is watching, learning, as he told Healy:

“Although I’m not playing in those games, to me I feel like I’€™m playing because I’m in every pitch, every at bat,” he said.

Torreyes is one of those rare breed of players that seem born ready to play. When he gets the call, he always answers with impact plays on both sides of the ball.

Despite his size, what he lacks in stature, he makes up for in impact and right now Torreyes is leading the way for one of the most potent offenses in the league.

Breaking News: Aaron Hicks to the DL

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The Yankees Opening Day center fielder Aaron Hicks has been played on the 10-Day Disabled List with a Right intercostal muscle strain.

This injury to Hicks marks the third New York Yankees outfielder that has been injured so far this season. Hicks along with Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique) and Clint Frazier (concussion) are all on the DL currently.

Opening day is right around the corner, so you’re not going to want to miss out on any BIG news! Sign up to our free newsletter to get premium Yankees content straight to your email.

This injury allows rookie outfielder and novice first baseman Billy McKinney to be called up. McKinney played well this Spring. McKinney had five home runs this Spring and with that performance he will be making his major League debut tonight, starting in Left Field and batting seventh.

The Yankees once “Crowded” outfield that was questioned how guys would get any playing time is now evening out. The Yankees will shift Gardner over to center field for the time being.

[sc name=”NYY 5 posts”]

The Yankees have a ton of Minor League depth thanks to Brian Cashman and his brilliant. That depth will now be put to an early test.

New York Yankees: The Ellsbury Effect

by

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…

With the start of the Major League regular season a week away, the New York Yankees have a decision that needs to be made:

Who is making the roster to replace the oft injured Jacoby Ellsbury? Jacoby was at one time and six hours North of the Bronx a very productive Major League ballplayer. However, throughout his time in the pinstripes, Ellsbury has been less than a shell of his former self.

Ellsbury has played for the Yankees across four seasons, in that time he has only managed to have one season above “replacement level” production (2014), according to Baseball Reference’s OPS+. 2014 was Jacoby’s first season in the Bronx and his last truly productive season.

[sc name=”NYY Thumbnail”]

Now, with Ellsbury set to begin the season on the shelf, this opens up a spot on the 25-man roster to “Break Camp” with the team heading North. Manager Aaron Boone told members of the media that Tyler Wade has made the ball club. Many believe that he will be the starting second baseman on Opening Day in Toronto on March 29th.

Opening day is right around the corner, so you’re not going to want to miss out on any BIG news! Sign up to our free newsletter to get premium Yankees content straight to your email.

The Yankees current roster consists of:

Catchers: Gary Sanchez & Austin Romine
First Baseman: Greg Bird
Second Basemen: Tyler Wade & Neil Walker
Third Baseman: Brandon Drury
Shortstop: Didi Gregorius & Ronald Torreyes
Left Fielder: Brett Gardner
Center Fielder: Aaron Hicks
Right Fielders: Aaron Judge & Giancarlo Stanton
Starting Pitcher: Luis Severino, Mashiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray & Jordan Montgomery
Relief Pitchers: David Robertson, Dellin Betances, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Adam Warren & Chasen Shreve
Closer: Aroldis Chapman

Who Gets A Shot ?

That gives you 24 out of 25 players to start out the 2018 season for the New York Yankees. The injury to Ellsbury leaves an opening. Some who have thought that it could have been someone like Tyler Austin who was having a tremendous Spring, but he was reassigned back to Minor League camp on March 21st before the Yankees game against the Orioles. This however does leave the opening for the starter in the same game…. Luis Cessa.

[sc name=”Email Signup”]

Cessa has been up and down for the Yankees since his acquisition by the Yankees in December of 2015. Cessa has pitched 106 innings for the Yankees to the tune of a 4.49 era. Luis will have an opportunity to show what he has earlier in the season as the Yankees will have five straight games to open up the start of the regular season.

The injury to Ellsbury could have been the golden ticket to the Bronx for a premium talent like Clint Frazier, however, they both went down at similar times and have stayed out recovering. Clint won’t be getting that opportunity.

This season will be a defining point for Clint Frazier, as with the number of outfielders already on the Major League roster and an impending free agent who hasn’t been shy about stating his fandom for the Pinstripes looming. Frazier once healed up from his concussion must set the world by storm, if he has any hopes of staying in Pinstripes.

Lasting Impression:

Jacoby, much like Clint Frazier, has seen the writing on the wall. And while his contract is rather cumbersome, it’s not impossible to think GM Brian Cashman can sell his talents to another team and move his monetary obligations elsewhere.

Ellsbury’s injury will be a foreshadowing of the potential future the Yankees will have. If the first few weeks of the season pass and Ellsbury has not returned vying that 25th spot on the roster, he may be replaced by a rising prospect.

Jacoby Ellsbury will have a major effect on the Yankees success this season; when healthy he could be a productive fourth outfielder, if unhealthy his spot will provide the launching pad for the top prospects in the top sixth farm system in all of baseball.

[sc name=”Email Signup”]