Aaron Judge

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone mistake costs Yankees game 2 of ALCS

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees fell to the Houston Astros 3-2 in the 11th inning on Sunday night in game two of the ALCS. The Bombers started off the contest with a Judgian blast, which gave them a 2-1 lead; however, right fielder for the Astros, George Springer, took advantage of a bad Aaron Boone mistake.

After starter James Paxton was pulled from the game after just 2.1 innings, relief option Chad Green dominated for two innings, allowing zero walks and striking out two batters. Boone elected to pull him in the fourth inning with two outs in favor of Adam Ottavino, who was stellar during the regular season.

The very first pitch Ottavino threw resulted in a long home run that tied the game at two apiece. Faulting Boone for this consequence of changing pitchers is an easy excuse, but the lack of offense was the primary cause of the unfortunate loss.

The New York Yankees offense was awful in game two:

Catcher Gary Sanchez went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, not to mention Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Gardner’s combined five strikeouts. The middle of the order accounted for eight of twelve Ks on the night, an unacceptable rate that must change if the Yankees are to take back the lead at home in the Bronx.

The Yankees will face off against Gerrit Cole in game three on Tuesday afternoon, and that might be the biggest challenge yet in their quest to reach the World Series. Cole had a 2.50 ERA during the regular season, and during the playoffs, he is sitting at 0.57 over two starts. He has only allowed six hits over 15.2 innings. Beating him will require a much better effort from the offense, and Yankees ace Luis Severino will need to match his quality at home.

Ultimately, it will likely boil down to the bullpen and which unit can weather the storm better. The Bombers did a decent job in game two, but pitching is only half of the battle.

New York Yankees have power up and down the lineup and more in the tank

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New York Yankees, Didi Gregorius

The New York Yankees power in the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins surged behind the bats of Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, and Brett Gardner and also adding power to the lineup were Didi Gregorius and Cameron Maybin. Gregorius’ Grand Slam in Game 2 was one of the highlights of the series. Heavy hitters missing from this list of home run hitters: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Edwin Encarnacion.

In some ways, the top hitters of the ALDS are also a surprise: Torres, Gregorius, Judge, and Maybin. Torres, Gregorius, and Maybin flashing the power and Judge contributing with timely hitting, taking the walks and cutting down on strikeouts.

Judge and LeMahieu are just two of the heavy hitters who can turn it up a notch against Houston.

While LeMahieu went 4-14 with a home run, there is no way he emptied the tank offensively in the ALDS. He finished the season second in the league in batting average at .327. Against Minnesota, he batted only .286 with 4 RBIs. I hope to see him with even more opportunities to drive in runs during the next series. LeMahieu, arguably the MVP of the Yankees regular season, will need even better numbers in the upcoming series to help the Yankees overcome what will be a tough series against the Houston Astros.

Judge’s performance in the ALDS was perhaps not spectacular offensively, but it was consistent with the kind of hitter he has become – which is not to say that his power stroke has gone missing – he just has become more patient at the plate, and it is unlikely he saw many pitches to take deep. Judge batted .333 for the ALDS, going 3-9 with four walks, one strikeout, and three singles. He was where he should have been if he’s not circling the bases, and that is on the bases.

The Yankees offense in the ALDS proved that the Yankees are poised to strike a balance between reliance on the long ball and playing small ball. If the Yankees can win series in which their power hitters fail to hit home runs, fans will take it, which means everything else is going right.

Against Houston, the pitching will be elite, and having a balanced offense against such elite pitching will be in the Yankees favor. Against pitchers like the Astros Justin Verlander or the Gerrit Cole, it is wise to have several lines of attack to beat them.

The Yankees now have their full complement of starting players back from injury, including Aaron Hicks, who is reportedly healthy and ready to play. The offense showed with its league-leading .324 average that at least so far in the postseason, it can meet any challenge. Woe to the Astros once the home run hitters join the fun.

New York Yankees: What did manager Aaron Boone to get his team going?

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New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees earned a 3-0 lead on the series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. Led by ace, Luis Severino, the Yankees claimed the victory 5-1 on the back of a stellar pitching performance from the starter and the bullpen.

Severino enjoyed four innings, allowing four hits and earning four strikeouts. At one point, he got himself out of a bases-loaded, no outs jam. His aggressiveness and confidence were beaming against a homerun centric Twins team that has failed to produce during the ALDS.

Manager Aaron Boone looked like a genius based on his moves on Monday night, especially the decision to start Severino in game three, the first game away from Yankee Stadium. Testing him in foreign waters was the perfect way to instill confidence in the starting rotation and give Severino a taste of his potential.

New York Yankees — Defense wins championships:

Despite the Yankees showing their offensive power against the Twins, their defense was stellar throughout all three games. Right fielder Aaron Judge has been jaw-dropping in the outfield, making diving catches left and right and earning praise from his fellow teammates. The fact of the matter is, defense wins championships in the postseason, and holding an offensive Minnesota team to one run at home is remarkable.

That certainly doesn’t mean that offense isn’t required, as Didi Gregorius provided a grand slam in game two to blow open the lead and the first three batters in DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Brett Gardner combined for six total runs in the first game of the series. The top of the order having success is hugely encouraging and should give the Yankees confidence moving forward.

Also, scoring 21 runs in the first three games of the playoffs portrays the desire from the players and their motivation in reaching the World Series. CC Sabathia might be behind their impressive start after all.

The New York Yankees must improve in one category if they wish to see the World Series

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New York Yankees, Didi Gregorius

The New York Yankees have crawled to an impressive 102-57 records despite numerous injuries plaguing them throughout the season. Gaining back Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino will undoubtedly help bolster the team heading into the postseason, but they are still down starters in the outfield and at the catcher position.

Scoring efficiency hasn’t been a problem for the Yankees this season, but their defensive totals have been concerning, especially in the infield.

As per FanGraphs, their collective defensive rating is -12.4, ranking 22nd in the MLB. Only the Twins have a lower grade and are playoff-bound. Only a few Yankees players are enjoying great defensive seasons — Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius, and Gio Urshela come to mind.

The team’s defense is essential to their success moving forward, but their offense is the primary catalyst to success. The Yankees latest offensive bout against the Tampa Bay Rays was disappointing, as they scored only one run in two games. This has hurt the hopes and optimism of their lineup, but one bad two-game series shouldn’t sway our opinion on the quality of the lineup.

The New York Yankees secondary concern:

Facing off against better pitchers will make life more difficult for the Yankees batters, who are very reliant on hitting homers. They may be taking it easy to mitigate fatigue before the postseason, a concern that has arisen after the recent injury to second-baseman, Gleyber Torres.

Torres stated last week that he felt weakness in his legs after falling awkwardly throwing a ball to first base. Also, the number of injuries that have piled up make fatigue more of a pressing concern.

Luckily, the Yanks will also return first-baseman, Edwin Encarnacion, to the hitting order, which will give them a boost in power. His hard-hit rate of 42% and his xwOBA of .359 (with an actual wOBA of .367) only prove he can hit consistently with force.

The Yankees will need to rely on their sluggers to compensate for weak defense and pitching inconsistencies, but tougher teams understand their weaknesses.

New York Yankees: Aaron Judge concerned over outfield injuries

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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The New York Yankees have battled injuries continuously this season, with the latest haunting Edwin Encarnacion (oblique strain) and Gary Sanchez (groin strain). The outfield, however, has been decimated to a point where the depth is dwindling.

Career-average player Mike Tauchman, elevated his game this season to hit .277 on the year before suffering a calf injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. An unfortunate circumstance for the Yanks, who have missed a combined 2,000+ games with all of their injuries.

The outfield heading into the postseason will consist of Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, and Giancarlo Stanton. Cameron Maybin will also be available for the postseason.

Judge commented on the status of the unit and who will need to step up for the postseason, per the NY Post:

To be honest, maybe going into it, it might have been Tauchman, Gardy and me in the outfield with Stanton DH-ing. We got Edwin [Encarnacion], you don’t want to see Edwin hurt [oblique], Tauchman is hurt, so I think [Stanton] will just slide right into that left-field role for us, mix in a DH a little bit.

In regards to Stanton’s return and his influence for the New York Yankees:

He is a big piece. I know a lot of people might have said, ‘Why bring him in now? He’s missing the year, you got a good thing going on.’ But he is an MVP, he knows what to do. He’s come back from injuries before, he knows how to come back.

Giancarlo, a former MVP, will return to the lineup this upcoming week, providing a massive boost for the hitting order and also a defensive option for the outfield. His slugging ability and run production should help supplement any deficiencies in the pitching rotation, which should be expected.

The Bombers will also return starting pitcher Luis Severino to the rotation next week. He will help significantly with the starters and present an additional option for the postseason.

EXTRA:

One player that has been fantastic lately is James Paxton. On Saturday night, he went five innings, allowing just one run on three hits before handing the ball over to Cory Gearrin. The Yankees will feature him in their three-man rotation for the postseason.

New York Yankees: An Ideal Starting Lineup for the Post-Season

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New York Yankees shortstop, Didi Gregorius.

Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees, has a fun, but challenging task of creating a lineup for the postseason.

The Yankees currently have the best record in baseball at 95-51, are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and have an 8.5 game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have one more two-game set against the Rays, at Tropicana Field, near the end of the month (MLB.com).

With the recent news of Hicks possibly needing Tommy John surgery and Tauchman being out the rest of the season, that opens up some spots in the outfield on the postseason roster. Stanton is the candidate to get the starting spot in left once he comes back off the IL. Clint Frazier could see an increase in playing time as well and will most likely make the postseason roster with all of these injuries.

What should the Starting Lineup Look Like in the Post-Season?

Once everyone comes back from injury, an ideal lineup would look like this: Lemahieu (3B), Judge (RF), Sanchez (C), Encarnacion (DH), Stanton (LF), Voit (1B), Torres (2B), Gregorius (SS), and Gardner (CF). Even for the Astros pitching, that would be a tough lineup to get through.  The balanced hitting of Lemahieu and Judge will set up the middle of the order, where all of the power comes from. Then, the sneaky home run leader, Torres, will add value to the bottom-third of the lineup. Gardner, a player that always seems to make something happen, whether it’s drawing a walk or stealing a base, is a perfect nine hitter to set up the top of the lineup.

Some key players off the bench would be: Gio Urshela (3B), for his electric plays on defense and consistent bat, Cameron Maybin (OF), for his veteran presence and ability to everything he asked to do at a high level, and Austin Romine (C), for his ability to lead as a veteran and come up clutch in big moments at the plate. He also seems to bond well with the pitchers and gives them extra confidence the mound.

Also, for the ALDS, Boone should most likely have Paxton start game 1 with his recent success. Tanaka game 2, Severino game 3, and German open up game 4, with Sabathia and/or Happ, right behind Severino or German. Severino will need some time to get back to his full durability audit may not be this season. German has also thrown a lot of innings this year and they should be careful with his arm. This plan would allow The Yankees could be smart to utilize all of their options to keep everyone fresh out of the bullpen.

Using this strategy, Boone can help lead the New York Yankees to their first World Series in a decade.

New York Yankees: The key to a deep playoff run for the Yanks

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

As the New York Yankees journey forward towards the postseason, they will have to make several tough decisions on who to carry over on their roster. The apparent choices being Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and more will all feature on the active squad.

However, several injured players will need to return and make an impact during the playoffs, if the Yankees are keen on making a deep run. One of their stars, Giancarlo Stanton, will be needed. As one of the league’s top sluggers, he offers immense value In the lineup and the outfield. He can fill an outfield spot over Mike Tauchman or Camaron Maybin, which would be the ideal scenario for the Yankees.

Injuries continue to plague the team, as Tauchman left the game on Sunday night against the Boston Red Sox with what the team called a tight left calf. He will undergo further testing in New York.

Losing another outfielder is disheartening, which makes the return of stand that much more influential.

What’s the key to a New York Yankees postseason run?

Ultimately, success in the playoffs relies on two things: consistent pitching and run support. The Yankees have one of the two down, and returning Stanton will only help them in that category. So far this season, the Yankees have hit 131 home runs at home and 134 on the road. Not only should that give you an idea of their power, but attests to their ability to hit away from Yankee Stadium, which will be essential during the playoffs.

The Yankees top sluggers account for a significant portion of their home runs. Edwin Encarnación has 11 homers, Aaron judge has 21 homers, Gleyber Torres has 35 homers, and Gary Sanchez has 34 homers. In total, they’ve hit a total of 103 long balls.

Adding Stanton to that grouping will only help the team succeed. Despite his high strikeout rate, that is the sacrifice the Yankees are willing to make for timely runs and compensating for inconsistent pitching. Their biggest weakness is in the starting pitching rotation, as they don’t have a true Ace and are just returning Luis Severino. He will likely not be able to pitch a full game, which will make him an opening option.

New York Yankees have difficult decision to make in the outfield

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New York Yankees, Cameron Maybin

With the New York Yankees heading into the back end of the regular season, difficult decisions loom for manager Aaron Boone. Specifically, in the outfield, the Yankees are stacked with talent and potential for the playoffs.

Finding the right players, however, is the tricky part. Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner will all be postseason players. Beyond those starting three, the Yankees and Boone need to make several difficult decisions based on who will provide the most value and efficiency at the plate.

Injuries have plagued the team this season, which has forced regular starter Giancarlo Stanton out for a majority of the campaign. He will likely be the designated hitter for the playoffs if he can manage to return in time.

As a whole, the outfield has been as productive this season as last, when it was one of the majors’ best. With a .835 OPS of 2019 compared to .812 last year, the unit is not only productive at the plate but also defensively.

Adding the likes of Cameron Maybin and Mike Tauchman have allowed the Yankees to experiment with different combinations of players and avoid significant fatigue to their primary starters. Maybin and Tauchman have a combined .853 OPS and 3.5 wins above replacement in 504 plate appearances.

Boone will have a difficult decision to make when it comes to choosing between the two journeyman players. The former is a better base runner and is just as talented on the defensive side of the ball, but Tauchman is a lefty and provides the lineup with a bit more diversity.

Throw in the likes of Clint Frazier, and Boone might not be sleeping much for the next several weeks. Frazier, who is had a tough time staying at the major league level with attitude issues, still has offensive value despite his defensive woes.

Gardner will likely retain his spot for the postseason given his veteran leadership and ability to come in clutch. Hicks, who has been dealing with injuries throughout the season is the primary centerfielder and will also earn a spot.

The final outfield spot will likely come down to Maybin and Tauchman — I favor Cameron simply because he offers more in every facet of the game than Mike. Stanton will be the obvious choice to hold over the left-field position if he can play defense, but he is looking like the penciled in designated hitter once he returns.

New York Yankees Weekly Recap + Yankee Player of the Week for 8/19-8/25

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

Weekly Recap:

After going 6-2 the week before, the New York Yankees started the past week on an unsatisfactory note. Starting their last west coast trip of 2019, the Yankees were swept in three games by the A’s in Oakland. Oakland Coliseum has been the Yankees’ house of horrors in recent years, as evidenced by their 7-21 record in their last 28 games at the Coliseum. The offense was quiet in situations where they typically shined this year and were outdueled on the mound.

Riding a four-game losing streak, the Yankees then headed to Los Angeles, where they would begin a Players Weekend series against the Dodgers. In a battle between the best teams in baseball, a potential World Series preview, the Yankees would leave Chavez Ravine winning two of three.

Overall, they finished the week 2-4, but their series win in LA sent a huge statement. The two games they won came at the expense of the Dodgers’ two aces, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Clayton Kershaw. Their starting pitching was at its finest in all three games. James Paxton and Domingo German both dominated in their starts, while C.C. Sabathia was solid despite only pitching four innings. Finally, in a matchup of two great offenses, the Yankees outscored the defending N.L. Champs 16-5 in three games.

This comes as the calendar is about to turn to September for the stretch run. Riding a nine-game lead over Tampa Bay entering Monday, it would take a near-total collapse for the Yankees to not lock up their first division title since 2012.

El Kraken hits 100th career dinger:

Catcher Gary Sanchez wrote his name into some more history books Friday night in LA. In the third inning, Sanchez hit a home run off Dodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu, the 100th of his young career. With that long ball, Sanchez not only became the fastest catcher to 100 home runs but also the second-fastest all-time by games played, accomplishing the feat in his 355th career game. Only former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard did it faster, at 325 games.

Sanchez continues to make a strong case for A.L. Comeback Player of the Year. In 91 games played entering Monday, Sanchez is batting .233/.306/.519/.825 with 29 home runs and 67 RBI.

Aaron Judge Heating Up:

After suffering a left oblique strain on April 20, an injury that kept him out for two whole months, slugger Aaron Judge seemed to concern many fans. Coming into the week, Judge had hit 12 home runs, none of which going to left field. This led many to believe that the oblique is still an issue, and may require time in the offseason to heal fully.

The 27-year-old put those fears to rest this past week. In the first game of the Oakland series, Judge hit a home run that went an estimated 467 feet. Not only was this home run crushed, but it was also to deep left field, the first dinger he pulled all year. That one blast, his only hit of the series, was one of few bright spots in an otherwise putrid series.

The blast turned out to be no fluke when the Yankees took on the Dodgers next. Judge ended up with a home run in every game of the series, a sign that the slugger is starting to heat up.

Empire Sports Media’s Yankee Players of the Week:

Aaron Judge:

6 games, 8-25 (.320), 4 HR, 5 RBI, 5 Runs Scored, 1.186 OPS

James Paxton:

Vs. Dodgers (8/23): W, 6.2 Innings, 5 Hits, 2 ER, 11 SO

All Rise for the honorable first-ever two-time Players of the Week, the Judge and the Big Maple!

As stated earlier, Judge is starting to heat up, pulling home runs with more regularity, including a 467-foot bomb in Oakland. In LA, he hit home runs in every game of the series, including ones off Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw.

James Paxton was also huge in his start against the Dodgers, opposing Ryu. He lifted the bombers on the mount with 6.2 strong innings, striking out 11. This includes striking out N.L. MVP frontrunner Cody Bellinger three times. More importantly, he lifted the team’s spirits with his performance after the Yankees were swept in Oakland. With the win, Paxton has now won his last five decisions and is 5-0 with a 3.56 ERA in August.

Honorable Mentions (In no order):

Didi Gregorius:

6 games, 6-21 (.286), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1.014 OPS

Gleyber Torres:

6 games, 9-23 (.391), 3 HR, 3 RBI, 1.266 OPS

Mike Ford:

5 games, 6-12 (.500), 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1.083 SLG %

The New York Yankees Launch Four for the Win, Sweep Mariners

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Everything about today’s pitching match up screamed pure poetry. The battle revolved around James Paxton and Justus Sheffield, who made his major league debut with the New York Yankees last year and was traded for Paxton as a package deal after the 2018 season. Before today’s game, Sheffield only had pitched 7.0 innings this season, accumulating a 6.43 ERA and a 6.35 FIP. Although this is an extremely small sample size to criticize, Sheffield hasn’t had much success outside of Triple-A.

In 4.1 innings pitched, Sheffield was responsible for giving up 6 hits, 5 runs and struck out 5 batters on 92 pitches. He now has racked up a 7.94 ERA, 6.56 FIP, and a 2.29 WHIP. The Paxton blockbuster deal was well worth the price of admission. Speaking of the man himself, Paxton collected another solid performance on Wednesday afternoon. In 5.0 innings pitched, he was accountable for giving up 1 hit, 2 runs and striking out 4 batters on 86 pitches. However, Paxton ran into some issues with his pitch location later down the road, walking 5 batters and raising his BB/9 from 3.30 to 3.53.

Gary Sanchez positioned the Bronx Bombers with an early, 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Sanchez ripped a blast into deep left field, traveling 434-feet with an exit velocity of 112.0 MPH. Paxton dealt with flawless precision through the 1st 3 innings, recording 3 strikeouts in the process. Sanchez possessed another trick up his sleeve, throwing out two different base runners in back-to-back innings. The Kraken truly displayed his arm accuracy and strength, which is nothing new to the average Yankees fans.

Paxton was responsible for allowing a 2-run mammoth off the bat of Kyle Seager in the bottom of the 4th, evening the score up to 2-2. The tie was not prolonged, as the Yanks powered in a 4-run, 5th inning. Mike Ford, who has been a scorching-torch with the bat as of late, broke the tie by drilling a solo shot to right field, traveling 356-feet with an exit velocity of 94.8 MPH. “The Machine,” known as DJ LeMahieu, cashed in an RBI single to left field.

Aaron Judge rounded off the 5th inning rally, hammering a towering, 2-run moonshot to right field. This preposterous no-doubter traveled 376-feet, 106.5 MPH and possessed a ridiculous 42-degree launch angle. Everyone recognizes just how muscular Judge is, but obliterating a 376-foot homer at a 42-degree launch angle is just absurd and requires strength beyond the average human’s comprehension.

Chad Green relieved Paxton in the bottom of the 6th, racking up a solid 3 strikeouts in 2.0 innings pitched. Adam Ottavino also took the slab in the bottom of the 8th, allowing no hits on 1.0 inning pitched. In the top of the 9th, LeMahieu recorded and annihilated his 23rd homer on the season to deep right field, traveling 421-feet with an exit velocity of 108.6 MPH.  The Seattle Mariners acquired their final run in the bottom of the 9th. Dylan Moore cashed in an RBI single to left field.

The former Mariner, known as Corey Gearrin, closed out the game and granted the New York Yankees their first sweep since the Baltimore series in mid-August. The Pinstripes now own an 88-47 (.652) record, which is the best in the American League and the majors as a whole. They are also 20-8 and have crushed 66 homers in August. I forgot to mention that I was noticed by Senpai today. I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty big deal.