alex rodriguez

New York Yankees on the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

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The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., has unveiled its 2022 ballot. The 2022 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot features 30 former players, including 13 new candidates and 17 returnees. Seven on the ballot are former New York Yankee Players, most notable are Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Andy Pettitte.

Every year the Hall of Fame and the baseball writers put forth a list of eligible players for the annual ballot. Last season the writers did not put threw any new player to the Hall. However in 2019 Derek Jeter was elected to the Hall one short of an unanimous vote. Because of the pandemic he was not installed until last July.

This years list will be voted upon and the results announced on 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 25 on MLB Network. If there are any electees, they will be inducted during the Hall of Fame Weekend on Sunday, July 24, at 1:30 p.m.

Alex Rodriguez:

Even his detractors because of his use of performance enhancing drugs will have to admit the Rodriguez is one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. He started his career with the Seattle Mariners and was already a big star when he became a Texas Ranger. By the time he reached the Yankees he was already a baseball legend.

During his tenure in the Bronx, A-Rod blasted 351 long balls, won two MVPs, three silver slugger awards, and was a six-time All-Star. He ended his career with the Yankees with a .283 batting average over 12 years. He should be a shoe in for a place in the Hall, although some writers will not vote for him due to his short drug involvement.

Mark Teixeira:

The switch-hitting Teixeira launched 206 home runs in the Bronx, earned one silver slugger award, three gold glove awards, and was twice an All-Star. Mark did his best hitting for the three teams he played for before the Yankees. Nevertheless he hit .248 over eight years in the Bronx. He was known for his excellent defense at first base. He had a fielding percentage of .997.

Andy Pettitte:

Known as the best postseason Yankee pitcher, Andy spent 15 years with the Yankees boasting a 3.94 ERA and a record of 219-127. But what he is most known for was how he pitched in important games particularly in the postseason.  In 32 series he was 19-11 with a 3.83 ERA.

Andy Pettitte will go down in Yankee history as the winning-est postseason pitcher of the modern era. Andy, with his number 47 already retired, will always be a favorite player for the Yankees, as shown by the huge ovation he got when he returned for his first Old Timer’s Day in 2018.

Others on the ballot:

Former Yankees’ returning to the ballot are Roger Clemens (tenth and final year), Gary Sheffield (eighth year), Andruw Jones (fifth year), and Bobby Abreu (third year).

Early Baseball Era Committee and Golden Days Era Committee for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2022. These Era Committees will both meet on Dec. 5 at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

The Early Baseball Era ballot includes Bill Dahlen, John Donaldson, Bud Fowler, Vic Harris, Grant “Home Run” Johnson, Lefty O’Doul, Buck O’Neil, Dick “Cannonball” Redding, Allie Reynolds, and George “Tubby” Scales. All of these candidates are deceased.

The Golden Days Era ballot includes Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Roger Maris, Minnie Miñoso, Danny Murtaugh, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce and Maury Wills. Of this group, Kaat, Oliva and Wills are living.

The results of the Early Baseball Era Committee vote and the Golden Days Era Committee vote will be announced live on MLB Network’s “MLB Tonight” at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 5.

Allie Reynolds was 182-107 over 13 years with the Indians and Yankees, with six All-Star team selections. He led his teams to six World Series titles, going 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA. He twice finished in the Top 3 of the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Jim Kaat had a long coreer, playing his last season with the New York Yankees. When his was finished pitching he bacame a Yankeee announcer. Kaat was named to three All-Star Games and helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series.

Roger Maris won back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player Awards in 1960 and 1961, setting a new single-season home run record in the latter season with 61. In 12 big league seasons with the Indians, Athletics, Yankees and Cardinals, Maris earned seven All-Star Game selections and was a part of three World Series title teams.

 

 

 

New York Yankees look to improve the team, here’s their 10 best acquisitions ever

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In my New York Yankees top 10 series that has covered most aspects of Yankee baseball,  with the Yankees looking to make acquisitions to improve the team for the 2022 season, today we look at the top 10 acquisitions in the modern era.  These acquisitions come from both signings and trades.  The Yankees have had many star players that were homegrown, but also have had to look outside their farm system to fill various needs.  Owner George M. Steinbrenner was the first owner to make big moves and set the tone for acquisitions for the future.

This has been the most difficult to complete top 10s so far.  Many will disagree with the placements; however, with the Yankees now looking to acquire players to improve the team, it seemed appropriate to examine these past acquisitions. Keep in mind that many of the Yankees’ best players were not acquisitions.

10. Ricky Henderson

Henderson was one of the longest-tenured players, playing for 25 years, 5 of them with the Yankees.  During his five years, he stole 326 bases, making him the all-time base stealer for the Yankees. He hit .288 and had 78 home runs during the span while having an excellent fielding percentage in all outfield areas.  He was an All-Star every year; he was a New York Yankee.

9. CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia was instrumental in the Yankees winning their last World Series in 2009.  Sabathia came to the Yankees from the Milwaukee Brewers. In his eleven years with the Yankees, he had a record of 134 and 88.  During the Yankees’ years, he was a workhorse, always giving his best effort for a win.

8. Masahiro Tanaka

Brian Cashman brought Masahiro Tanaka to the Yankees from the Eagles of the Japanese league in 2013 in a seven-year contract that will end this season, whether there is one or not. During his time with the Yankees up to this year, he is 75-45 with a 3.75 ERA. Tanaka has never had a losing season with the Yankees.

7. David Wells

The highlight of David Wells’s career was his perfect game on May 17, 1998, the tenth no-hitter in Yankee history.  Wells for the Yankees was 34-14 in his two-year stint; that’s a .706 winning percentage, one of the best for the Yankees. Wells pitched 21 years, all in the American League.

Wells was quite a character that didn’t care much for rules.  He has admitted he pitched his perfect game while nursing a bad hangover. In 1998 he would help the Yankees with his 18-4 record and propelled them to the World Series shut out of the San Diego Padres.

6. Reggie Jackson

Yankee owner George M. Steinbrenner made Reggie Jackson the highest-paid baseball player when he hired Jackson from the Baltimore Orioles. However, Jackson was a controversial player as he was a show-off, and Manager Billy Martin didn’t want the Yankees to hire him.  It didn’t help when he was quoted as saying, “I’m the straw that stirs the drink,” a phrase that he never said but caused a rift with Yankee catcher Thurmon Munson.

In his five years with the Yankees, Jackson had many memorable moments, including his three home runs that caused him to be called “Mr. October.” In 1977 in the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs off three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers. Jackson batted .284 with 144 home runs while a Yankee.

5. Mike Mussina

On this list, Mike Mussina is the one player that often flew under the radar. Mussina, after being a Baltimore Oriole star pitcher, became a New York Yankee.  He never had a losing season in his eight years with the Yankees, winning 10 or more games every year.  Mussina was not only an outstanding pitcher, but he was an excellent defender as any pitcher ever to grace the mound.

On some writer’s top 10 lists, they don’t even include Mussina.  For the Yankees, Mr. Steady is one of the Yankee’s most dependable pitchers during his time with the Yankees.  The brilliant Stanford grad, with a thinking pitcher that adjusted to every situation.  His performance never diminished with age. In the last year of his career, he had his first 20 win season, becoming the oldest pitcher to have a 20 win season.

He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for his pitching with the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees on January 22, 2019; he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, receiving 76.71% of the vote.  Mike distinguishes being the first American League pitcher to win ten or more games in each of 17 consecutive seasons.

4. Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez is a controversial New York Yankee, to say the least.  Many fans cite his performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers and ignore his Yankee club performance. But the facts are still the facts.  During his 22 years playing the game, he was one of the best in either league.

For his 12 years with the Yankees, he hit 30 home runs a year, with 1,100 RBIs while hitting .283. He was a seven-time All-Star and a seven-time MVP candidate, winning the prestigious award twice.  He would be a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame if it were not for his drug use, which most likely will never come to fruition.

I have to admit that I am a writer that does not place as much importance on drug use as many writers do.  My stance is that dozens of other players used some doping during that period that was never caught; thus, many stats may be in question. However, in the case of Rodriguez, his career wouldn’t have been less impressive even if he hadn’t made the bad decision to break the rules.

3. Paul O’Neill

Paul O’Neil played for only two teams in his baseball career, nine years with the Yankees in the second half of his career. Then, at the end of the 1992 season, the Red traded O’Neill outright for Yankee outfielder Roberto Kelly. In his first year, he batted .311 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs.  O’Neill played with such vigor that owner George M. Steinbrenner would give him the nickname the “Warrior,” which stuck.

In his second year, he got the AL batting title batting .359.  If O’Neill missed a hit he thought he should have gotten, batting racks and water coolers often felt his wrath.  Stick Michael made the trade that would change the face of the Yankees for years to come.  Paul made amazing plays in defending the right field. He played fiercely and hurt; he was the ultimate warrior the Yankee fans loved.

2. Roger Clemens

The acquisition of Roger Clemens was one of the best the New York Yankees ever made. In 1996 the Yankees sent Graeme Lloyd, David Wells, and Homer Bush to the Toronto Blue Jays for their ace pitcher Clemens. In his first year with the Yankees, he helped them win the 1999 World Series. In 2000 he almost single-handedly retook them to the World Series with his 20-3 season.  The Yankees would win that series as well. Clemens was never fully embraced by Yankee fans due to his long tenure with the Boston Red Sox.

Also, in 2000, Roger would win the prestigious Cy Young Award at the age of 38.  Roger is one of the longer-tenured pitchers in baseball, pitching for 24 years.  With the Yankees, he would win twice as many games as he lost.  He went 83-42 in his six years with the Yankees for a .664 winning percentage.  It is outrageous that this 3 time Cy Young Award isn’t in the Hall of Fame.  This year he received 72.5% of the votes compared to the 75% needed to be inducted.  He has two years left of eligibility.

1. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth isn’t a modern era Yankee acquisition but must be included in the list as the best move the Yankees ever made in procuring him from the cash-strapped Boston Red Sox.  Following Ruth becoming a Yankee, he transformed himself into a great hitting outfielder. He really made his name with the Yankees as one of the best if not the best player to ever play baseball.

Honorable mentions:

David Cone, Sparky Lyle, Roger Maris, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher.

Gerrit Cole could not be included for the Yankee top 10s as he hasn’t had a long enough time or games thrown to prove he belongs on this list. However, he has to be mentioned as he may be in the future proclaimed one of the best Yankee acquisitions in history; only time will tell. The same goes for DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela; how they play will tell if they can be included on this list in the coming years.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.  Follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam.

New York Yankee Top 10’s: The Yankees top base stealers

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In my latest installment of the New York Yankee Top 10’s, we examine the best base stealers the Yankees have been blessed with in modern history. In my other top 10 articles, I have covered everything from top position players, pitchers, catchers, and more obscure top 10’s such as memorable moments in Yankees history and top 10 best seasons. Today we examine those unique players that run like the wind and become base stealing specialists.

Some players that were fast on the bases never became great base stealers. A good example is Billy Martin; he only stole 19 bases over seven years of play during his playing days with the Yankees. Other players that weren’t so fast on the base, like catcher Yogi Berra weren’t expected to steal many bases and didn’t. In his 19 years with the Yankees, he stole only 30 bases. Compare that to Derek Jeter; in his 20 years with the Yankees, he stole 358 bases. Fans don’t even like to hear the name of Jacoby Ellsbury, but in his short time with the Yankees, he stole 108 bases. An honorable mention has to go to Alfonso Soriano, who stole 130 bases for the Yankees, Bernie Williams for his 147 stolen bags. The “Scooter” Phil Rizzuto’s 149.

10. Horace Clarke– 151. Clark was a second baseman who probably is not known to many young Yankees fans, but he would steal 151 bases; he was only caught 58 times. Clarke had speed on the bases and was a decent player. However, he also has the distinction of never reaching the postseason in his ten-year career.

9. Roberto Kelly– 151. Kelly did not spend his entire career with the New York Yankees, but he stole 151 bases while a Yankee. In 1990 he stole his career-high 42 stolen bases. Unfortunately, he was with the Yankees for only four whole years. He was an All-Star in 1992. He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Paul O’Neill. Over the life of his baseball career, he would steal 235 bases. He was lucky enough to be back with the Yankees in 2000, where he finished out his career playing ten games that year.

8. Alex Rodriguez – 152. Rodriguez was one of the best baseball players ever to play the game. He was a brilliant hitter and defender and continued that trend when he came to the New York Yankees, being just as good a hot corner defender when he changed from being a career-long shortstop. What many present-day Yankee fans don’t know is that he was an excellent base stealer. Few were ever more successful; he had an 84% success rate. While with the Yankees, he stole 152 bases. An 84-percent success rate is second for the Yankees all time. After hip surgery and as his time in the game waned, he was 24 for his last 27 attempts. A-Rod was one of the smartest Yankees base stealers ever. In his career with the Seattle Mariners, the Rangers, and the Yankees, he stole 329 bases and fell four home runs short of 700.

7. Mickey Mantle– 153. Mantle was known as a player that played through many injures and still hit 536 long balls. Many only know him from his 1961 race with Roger Maris for the most home runs of the season. Maris finally won with 61. But, not only was Mantle one of the best switch hitters over his career, but he was also an excellent base runner. In this Yankee career, he stole 153 bases. Many think the total would have been much higher if he hadn’t spent so much time trotting his home run trot. He was caught just 38 times.

6. Roy White – 233. While playing and still today, Roy White is often overlooked for the fine baseball player he was, primarily due to some of the star players he played with. But White was a giant in his own right. Even though he didn’t hit many home runs, he was a consistent contact hitter with a career .271 batting average over his 15 years, all with the Yankees. He also was an excellent base runner, stealing 233 bases for the Yankees.

5. Hal Chase – 248. For most New York Yankee fans, Hal Chase is one of the more obscure Yankee players even though he played 15 years in the majors, mainly because it was 1905 to 1919. Chase stole an excellent 248 bases for the Yankees when base stealing was not widely known. He had a .291 career batting average, playing his best with the New York Yankees in the nine years.

4. Willie Randolph – 251. Willie Randolph hasn’t played for the Yankees in years, but you still hear his name frequently, mostly being in consideration for managing the Yankees. But, it is doubtful the talented second baseman ever will, being that he has been passed by twice already. The ever-popular Randolph had a career batting average in his 13 years with the Yankees of .275. He was a great contact hitter and drove in six short of 500 RBIs. He also was one of the best Yankee base stealers, stealing 251. That’s an average of about 20 per year.

3. Brett Gardner– 274. Of present-day New York Yankees, veteran Brett Gardner is the hands-down best Yankee base stealer, even though his stealing has waned in the last few years. He is still the best stealer over the previous six seasons. During his base-stealing prime between 2010 and 2011, he stole 96 bases. Even at age 38, few in the major league can compete with his wheels around the bases, and his 274 career stolen bases.

2. Ricky Henderson- 326. Whether to put Henderson or Jeter as the best Yankee base stealer was somewhat of a dilemma for me, but I decided to go with career stats with the Yankees and not most productive years. That said, know this, Ricky Henderson is the major league’s record holder for the most career bases stolen (1406). No one in baseball comes close to that and likely never will. However often overlooked is that during his four years with the Yankees, he was the most dominant base stealers the Yankees have ever seen. He had his best stealing years with the Yankees. Pitchers feared him as they knew if he got on base, he would probably steal.

1. Derek Jeter – 358. In his Yankee career, Derek Jeter broke many records; one of the most overlooked was he was one of the most consistent base stealers throughout his career. He stole 358 bases for the Yankees over his 20-year career. The Hall of Famer stole a career-high 32 bases in 2002 while only being caught three times. Well past his prime and in his last year in baseball in 2014, he stole ten bases, only being caught twice. Over his career, he had a 79% stealing success. Throughout his career, the Captain was one of the most reliable base stealers for the Yankees.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Follow him on Twitter @parleewilliam.

Former Yankees’ star defends Aaron Boone and takes shots at analytics

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New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez

In the past few hours, rumors about the New York Yankees keeping manager Aaron Boone and offering him a new contract are starting to grow. He still has believers inside the organization and one of them, apparently, is Hal Steinbrenner.

A former Yankees’ star, Alex Rodriguez, seems to believe in him, too. The 2009 postseason hero and longtime member of the Bombers offered his thoughts about the situation on The Herd, with Colin Cowherd, and defended the current skipper.

“I would give him a three-year extension. Aaron Boone did a fantastic job. If anyone thinks Aaron Boone has anything to do with the Yankees’ failures, they’re wrong. I met with the front office, and they said, ‘We had a Wild Card Game. We had 30 people around the table making the lineup.’ What do you need 30 people, analytics people? What are you, a hedge fund? You making a $2 billion bet? You’re making a lineup. You think Joe Torre had 30 people? I’m not saying it was the Yankees. But it was a team like the Yankees. It’s too much thinking. You take half the IQ, you’re going to throw it in the ocean,” he stated (link to NJ Advance Media article here).

The former Yankees’ slugger is a known traditionalist

A-Rod, who bid to own the New York Mets before the team was awarded to Steve Cohen, has become famous for his anti-analytics takes.

“Go back to Manny Ramirez. Just plays baseball. See ball, hit ball. You gotta be able to compete. You gotta be athletic. You gotta play defense. It’s not softball. You don’t put a right fielder in left field and a shortstop at second. (Derek) Jeter was shortstop. I played third. (Robinson) Cano. (Mark) Teixeira. Everybody knew where they were every place. You go to work every day, you’re here. Imagine Monday, you’re here. Joe, you’re here on Tuesday. Wednesday you’re here. That’s what baseball is. You know your spot.”

Boone’s contract with the Yankees is up after the World Series, and a sizable portion of the fans want him out. He does have supporters, though.

He has a very good regular season record, but ever since he took over in 2018, he has failed to advance to the World Series.

Is A-Rod right about Boone and analytics?

Yankees News, 7/16: Alex Rodriguez says ‘the party’s over’ for the Bombers, rips strategy

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New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez

The All-Star break is meant to offer a short resting period for MLB teams heading into the second half of the season. As for the Yankees, they desperately needed some time to regain their strength and turn the corner after finishing the first half of the year just barely above the .500 mark. They currently sit 8.0 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East and 4.5 games back on the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card race. With plenty of games left to catch up, the Yankees are still in the fold but desperately need their starting pitching and offensive production to increase.

The Bombers were scheduled to take on Boston on Thursday evening, but a COVID-19 outbreak within the team forced the game to be postponed. Just when the Yankees felt as though they were ready to flip the script, another obstacle was presented, and it is possible they miss the entire series after six players were confirmed with positive cases.

However, one former Yankee believes the season is all that but done for his team:

“The way the Rays and the Red Sox are going, I think, unless there’s radical change—and I don’t see one coming—I think the party’s over at least this year for the Yankees,” said Alex Rodriguez on FOX Sports.

Ultimately, one of the biggest flaws for the Bombers this season is their lack of lefty-hitting, which normally offers diversity in the batting order, providing leverage over pictures.

“As a right-handed hitter, I loved having a left-handed guy right behind me like [Ken] Griffey [Jr.], or [Mark] Teixieira, or [Hideki] Matsui,” Rodriguez added, via Pat Ragazzo’s transcription on SI. “What we want as a lineup, we want lefty-righty-lefty-righty. That way, that opposing manager always has a tough decision. Right now, the way that team is architected, there’s eight righties against a righty [pitcher]. They’re last in doubles, they’re last in triples, they’re second in double plays. They have made a ton of outs, almost 40 outs, on the bases.”

Rodriguez nails it on the head, the Yankees have followed an analytically distraught method, and if that doesn’t change quickly, they will find themselves plummeting down the standings even further. Rumors have indicated that general manager Brian Cashman could be intrigued by Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, who offers a big lefty bat. While he would be expensive to acquire, he’s exactly what the Yankees need in the middle of the lineup, fitting their mold perfectly while adding a bit of variety.

Unfortunately, the Yankees are strapped for cash and are still dealing with injuries all over the roster, so unless they can find more supplementary pieces, this season could be over well before the playoffs roll around.

New York Yankees: Sanchez, Andujar and all the Yankee news in one place

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yankees, joey gallo

New York Yankees start at 3 game series with the Minnesota Twins

With the New York Yankees‘ disastrous homestand going 2-5, they have dug themselves into a hole that is becoming increasingly more difficult to climb out of. If the Yankees can climb out, each new series becomes even more important that they take that series. One-third of the season’s games have already been played, and the Yankees after this homestand have slipped back to fourth place 6 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

The New York Yankees are 31-29 in fourth place in the AL East. The Minnesota Twins are 24-35, sharing the bottom of the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees suffer from underperforming hitters; the Twins suffer from everything, nagging injuries, and the worst bullpen in baseball.

Today at 8:10 pm, the Yankees will meet the Twins at Target Field in Minnesota with Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Yankees. He is 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA over 11 games this season with a strikeout per inning. Montgomery will face Michael Pineda, who was with the Yankees from 2014  to 2017. Pineda is 3-3 with an ERA  of .3.40 ERA. He is coming off on June 1st, when he lasted only three innings, giving up five runs. 

Wednesday night Gerrit Cole will face the Twins’ Randy Dobnak, a righty 1-5 with an elevated 6.19 ERA. Then, on Thursday, a yet-to-be-announced Yankee pitcher will face ex-Yankee in J.A. Happ, 3-2 with an ERA of 5.61. Happ was with the Yankees for three seasons, including last year when the Yankees did not offer to keep him in pinstripes.

Gary Sanchez inching his way back?

After an abysmal start to the season, the always controversial Gary Sanchez lost his starting catcher position in what was called a shared start with Kyle Higashioka. In 26 games since Aaron Boone called the team’s catching situation “a day-by-day thing” and said Kyle Higashioka had “earned more playing time,” Gary Sanchez has improved by simplifying his hitting approach. He has five doubles, four homers, and an OPS of .781. This performance, although not ideal, is something the Yankees can deal with.

At the same time aiding Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka’s performance at the plate has dramatically dropped since April 27; he is 6-for-51 with three extra-base hits and an OPS of .426. His power has also seemed to disappear. At one point, he had the most home runs per game. Instead, slugger Aaron Judge has taken over that stat.

Yankees targeting Rangers’ Joey Gallo?

With the New York Yankees in dire need of a permanent centerfield with the loss of Aaron Hicks for the year with wrist surgery, there are all kinds of talks about trades before or at the trade deadline. One name that keeps popping up is the Texas Ranger’s, Joey Gallo. Being a left-hand hitter makes him the perfect fit for the Yankees.

Gallo was a Gold Glover last season and, in 2018, an All-Star. He had hit 40 home runs in 2017 and 2018. The downside to Gallo is that he is more of the same for the Yankees. Although he hits home runs, he leads the AL with 79 strikeouts and has a lousy batting average of just  .207, which is pretty much in line with his career batting average of .208. However, he is a patient hitter and is tied for the most walks (45) in all of baseball. He also has 10 homers on the season.

Oswald Peraza promoted

Another Yankee getting closer to playing a game at Yankee Stadium is the possible future shortstop Oswald Peraza. He is considered one of the top New York Yankee prospects. In 127 plate appearances with High-A Hudson Valley, Peraza leads the team with a .917 OPS. As far as his defense is concerned, he is stellar.

Yesterday Peraza announced that he had been promoted to the Double-A Somerset Patriots. Still very young, he will turn 21 this month and was the youngest Yankees during spring training.

Alex Rogriguez voiced what’s wrong with the Yankees

With the Yankees playing so poorly of late, many opinions are expressed as to what is wrong with the Yankees. They are 31-29, fourth in the American League East, and have been swept in each of the last two weekend series: first in Detroit to the rebuilding Tigers, and then in the Bronx to surprising Red Sox. On Sunday night, they struck out 11 times and left 12 runners on base in another loss.

After Sunday night’s loss Aaron Judge had this to say: “We’ve still got about 100 games left in this season, that’s what we’ve got to focus on, is the bigger picture. We can’t sit here and listen to outside noise telling us we’re this and that.”

Also, Sunday night, former Yankee and ESPN broadcaster Alex Rodriguez added to the noise. Rodriguez, no longer a Yankees adviser, knows the team and management really will after spending 12 seasons with the team and was unsparing in his criticism of the roster. It was refreshing candor from Rodriguez, whose knowledge of the game is undeniable, despite his tangled history within it. In so many words, he said the team must diversify and separately needs life-handed bats.

“Sticky” issue again names Gerrit Cole

Here we go again. Gerrit Cole has again been criticized for using sticky substances to increase the spin rate. Going into a 3 game series with the Minnesota Twins, the Twins Josh Donaldson has suggested that Cole is suspect with sticky stuff. He cited how Cole’s spin rate dropped considerably after an AP story stated that four minor leaguers were suspended for using foreign substances.  Manager Aaron Boone responded to the allegation.

“I don’t make much of it, Gerrit, as well all of our staff members, I believe are mostly above board and will be able to handle this situation in the right kind of way,’’ Boone said. “And it’s not gonna affect the kind of pitchers they are.”

MLB owners met last week and agreed on the need to crack done on pitchers that potentially increase their spin rate with greater revolutions using illegal and prohibited foreign substances.

New York Yankee expectations turn on their head

This season, now a third of the way completed, has been full of surprises. One of the biggest of those surprises is that the New York Yankees are not the team that was projected to be the team to beat on their way to an inevitable World Series appearance. However, now it appears if they continue to play the way they have so far, they might not only lose the division, but they could lose it badly.

Fast forward two months, and New York is looking up in the standings at the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, the surprising Boston Red Sox, and even the Toronto Blue Jays. The only team worse in the East is the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankee pitching rotation and bullpen have been more than adequate. The problem is that the lineup projected to be the team’s strength is nothing short of lousy.

Those projections at the beginning of the season have been turned on their head. The opposite has played out at home and away. New York ranks among the lowest-scoring teams in the majors and has had to lean heavily on its starting pitching to win any games. At the same time, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays have been playing better than their projections, and the Yankees don’t seem to be able to win against the teams they are trailing. The Yankees have given no one in baseball any reason to believe that will change.

Miguel Andujar heating up for the Yankees

Miguel Andujar has been living in no man’s land ever since his surgery on his shoulder. His everyday position at third base has been lost to Gio Urshela. While he spent time at the alternate site, the Yankees have struggled to find a place for him on the team where he could contribute. So they tried him at third and first base and in the outfield.

Injuries and underperformance forced the Yankees to give him some playing time. Most of it was in the outfield when Aaron Hicks went down to wrist surgery. With some significant time in left field, Andújar seems to be settling in. The problem, he wasn’t hitting. However, he seems more comfortable at the plate in the past week and appears to be heating up. Andujar was one of the team leaders before his surgery. Last Monday, he hit an exit velocity 102.2 mph home run; he also hit a single in the game. On Tuesday, he hit another hard-hit home run. On Wednesday, a single. On Thursday, he had a 110.2 mph groundout.

On Saturday, he went hitless, but on Sunday, he hit a double. So far, for the season in 85 at-bats, he has 20 hits and 3 home runs, two of them last week. His is hitting just .235, but he appears to be trending up. If he can return to form, it will be big for the Yankees that direly need hitting.

New York Yankees: This week in Yankee history (videos)

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New York Yankees, Bernie Williams

There probably isn’t a day that goes by that something in New York Yankee history hasn’t happened that is memorable in their 109-year history. Here is a look at this week’s happenings in that history.

1933 April 25th:

Yankee pitcher helps himself. Rookie Russ Van Afta shuts out the Senators 16-0 while hitting 4 for 4. the 26-year-old ended his rookie season 12-4 with a .283 batting average in 67 at-bats.

1904 April 25th:

The New York Yankees’ winningest ever pitcher Jack Chesbro wins his first game of the season at American League Park, the Washington senators’ home. The Highlander right-hander would go on that season and win 41 games, creating a pitching record that still holds today.

1999 April 25th:

The legendary Joltin Joe DiMaggio joined Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins, and Mickey Mantle with a monument at Yankee Stadium, only the fifth New York Yankee to do so. Unfortunately, DiMaggio had died a month earlier. As part of the celebration, singer-songwriter and life long Yankee fan Paul Simon took to the field to sing Mrs. Robinson; the lyrics included “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a nation turns its lonely eyes on you.”

1961 April 26th:

Eleven games into the season, Roger Maris hits his first home run of the season in a 13-11 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Maris would go on to his 61 iconic home runs that season, still a Yankee record.

2005 April 26th:

New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez hit a home run that day in his first plate appearance; He would do the same in his next two at-bats, becoming only the 11th major leaguer to have 10 or more RBI’s in one game, just one shy of Tony Lazzeri’s feat (11) in 1936.

2012 April 27th:

Yankee right-hander Ivan Nova fails to tie the franchise mark of 16 consecutive wins established last season by Roger Clemens when he doesn’t get a decision in the team’s 7-6 victory over Detroit.

1985 April 28th:

The New York Yankees fire Yogi Berra after the team got to a 6-10 start. The Yankees brought back Billy Martin for a fourth stint as manager. George Steinbrenner broke his promise not to fire Berra causing a rift between Berra and the Yankees that lasted 14 years before the elder Steinbrenner apologized to Berra and celebrated Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium.

1939 April 29th:

The legend Lou Gehrig came to the plate and hit a single. The 2,721st hit of his career and his last. The record endured for 70 years until Derek Jeter broke the record in 2009. ALS debilitated Gehrig; he died two years later of what was named Lou Gehrig’s disease.

1939 April 30th:

Lou Gehrig plays his last game as a New York Yankee; he went hitless in a loss to the Washington Senators. This day would end his 2,130 consecutive games played. He would end his 17-year career with a  lifetime batting average of .340 with 490 home runs.

2010 April 30th:

Mariano Rivera ties the record for the most consecutive saves at a home park with 51 saves. He also moved ahead of Roger Clemens for 10th all-time, with 1,015 strikeouts.

1996 May 1st:

Bernie Williams becomes only the second player in New York Yankee history to hit 6 hits in a single game. On this day, he would go 6 for 8 in an extra-inning contest at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. The Yankees were victorious, winning the game 11 to 6.

2015 May 1st:

Amid loud boos, Alex Rodriguez blasts a 3-0 fastball over the Green Monster for his 660th career home run, tying Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list. Willie Mays congratulated A-Rod, saying that “milestones are meant to be broken. I wish him continued success throughout his career.”

 

 

New York Yankees Top 10’s: A history of great 3rd baseman, is yours on the list? (videos)

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New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez

In their glorious history, the New York Yankees have many of the best players ever to play at their positions in the history of MLB.  In this installment of Yankee top 10’s, I give my picks for the best Yankee 3rd baseman throughout the Yankees years.  This list may change in the near future, as Yankee third baseman Gio Urshela is making his mark at the hot corner with his Gold Glove-like play.

10. Aaron Boone

Aaron Boone was an average player and didn’t play but part of one season with the New York Yankees.  His claim to fame includes playing injury-free for two years of his career while racking up 322 games within the two years, but they weren’t with the Yankees.  The only reason he makes this list at all is that as a 3rd baseman for the Yankees, he had one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.  In 2003 his home run to left field at Fenway Park brought the Yankees to the 2003 World Series.  The walk-off home run in the eleventh inning is generally considered the ninth-best home run in baseball history by Baseball Tonight.

9. Joe Sewell

Sewell played 3rd base for the Yankees from 1931 to 1933.  He would likely be placed higher on the list if he had played longer with the Yankees.  Coming from the Cleveland Indians after the 1930 season, Sewell played excellent defense at third and hit .282 over the span.  The other factor is that the Hall of Famer played most of his career with the Indians at shortstop. He played his Yankee career at third and was an MVP candidate in 1932.

8. Frank “Homerun” Baker

Baker was a well-known Yankee getting his nickname from his timely home runs as Phillie.  He got 96 home runs in his career, which is not a lot by today’s standards, but in his period of play from 1908 on, it was a lot.  More specifically, his home runs won a lot of games, including postseason games.  With the Yankees, he was an excellent .942 defender of the hot corner.  He also had a .288 average with the Yankees.

7. Clete Boyer

Clete Boyer was a Yankee fan-favorite between 1959-1966.  Boyer would have been a national star at third, except that he played at the same time as Brooks Robinson, one of MLB’s greatest third baseman.  He wasn’t as good a hitter as Boggs or Brosius, but his defense was second only to Robinson. He had 25 home runs as a Yankee and batted .243

6. Gil McDougald

Gil would be rated considerably higher in this list if it wasn’t for manager Casey Stengel’s penchant for platooning players.  McDougald played much of his time at second base while with the Yankees and is in the top 10 in that position as well.  He won an All-Star nod in 1952 at third.  The reason he places lower than Scott Brosius is because of his World Series stats.  McDougald hit .237 in World Series play, and Brosius hit .314.

5. Scott Brosius

Scott Brosius was another New York Yankee fan favorite.  He played during the dynasty years from 1998 to 2001. During his four years with the Yankees, he hit 65 home runs and batted .267.  The Yankees reached the World Series all four years during his stint with the Yankees.  He was stellar at third, but his claim to fame is his postseason stats.  In the 1998 ALDS and ALCS, he hit .350.  But in the World Series that year, he hit .417 and was named the most valuable player.  All tolled in postseason play, he hit eight home runs and drove in 30.

4. Red Rolfe

Red Rolfe was a product of the Ivy League Dartmouth College.  He was an All-Star four of his ten years with the New York Yankees. In 1939 he had 213 hits, 46 doubles while scoring 139 runs.  1939 was his best year with the Yankees when he batted .329, one of four seasons above .300.  He ended his career, all ten of which with the Yankees.  His career batting average was .289, with almost 1,000 runs scored.

3. Wade Boggs

Boggs might be at the top of this list, but he is known mostly as a Boston Red Sox.  He played only five of his 18 seasons with the Yankees.  Those five years were impactful not only for his defense at 3rd but for a .313 batting average as a Yankee. In his first four years with the Yankees, he hit over .300 and was an All-Star each of those years.  He also won two Gold Glove awards while he was a Yankee.

In most of his years with the Yankees, he led off due to his hitting and walking abilities. Like the present DJ LeMahieu, he found a way to get on base. To set the stage for the 1996 World Series, the Yankees had lost the first two games at Yankee Stadium and then won three in Atlanta. Back at Yankee Stadium, the Yankee had two chances to win the World Series. They didn’t need it as they won game six against the Braves. Boggs walked in the three-run third inning, and that was all the Yankees needed. During the Championship celebration, Boggs left the dogpile in one of the most iconic moments in Yankee history, jumped on the back of one of the police horses, and rounded the warning track in celebration of the victory.

2. Graig Nettles

Graig Nettles was one of the finest defenders at the hot corner. He won two Gold Gloves at the position but was another player overshadowed by Brooks Robinson, often considered the best 3rd baseman in all of baseball history.  Graig played an incredible 22 years, 11 with the New York Yankees.  Although not the best hitter on the club, he did hit 250 home runs as a Yankee.  Nettles’ Game Three defensive performance in the 1978 World Series was as good a post-season game as any fielder ever had.

Nettles sizzled in the 1981 American League Championship Series, going 6-for-12 with 9 RBIs in just three games and being named MVP.  His defensive and offensive leadership brought the Yankees two world championships, two more A.L. championships, and a fifth division title from 1976 to 1981.  He is a frequent participant in the Yankee Old Timers Day celebrations.

My number one pick for the best New York Yankee 3rd baseman will be somewhat controversial, but I can deal with that.  Many would exclude Alex Rodriguez as the top player or even exclude him from the list due to his involvement in performance-enhancing drugs.  I am not considering that and only looking at his performance at the hot corner while with the Yankees. Nettles could have been first on this list, but I picked A-Rod because he became one of the best 3rd basemen after changing from his natural position as one of the best shortstops when he became a New York Yankee.

1. Alex Rodriguez

This writer had no trouble having Alex Rodriguez top the list of the best Yankees third baseman.  He is one of the top 20 baseball players ever to play the game of baseball and is number one or two as the best shortstop to play the game.  Rodriguez came from the Texas Rangers, where he had his best three years stat-wise.  They are also the years that he was accused of doping.  In this writer’s opinion, if he had not doped, he still would have had superstar status throughout his career.

Graig Nettles had far more appearances at 3rd than Rodriguez, but he had over 1000 games on 3rd and was by far more productive.  After being an eight-year All-Star at short for the Mariners, and the Rangers, A-Rod came to the Yankees and accepted a switch to 3rd base, as the Yankees already had a star shortstop in Derek Jeter.  To show what a universal talent Alex was, he became a seven-year All-Star at 3rd while becoming a Yankee MVP twice and a Silver Slugger three times. At the close of his career, he was four runs short of 700 home runs 4th all-time behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714).

Many think that the Yankees got back at A-Rod for his suspension and somewhat bad relations by not letting him finish his 2016 season, allowing him to reach 700 home runs.  The other punishment he will endure, probably for the rest of his life, is that his involvement in enhancing drugs will prevent one of the best players ever from having a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Nearing the end of his 22-year career and after his suspension in 2014, he returned to the Yankees. He made every effort to regain his reputation by becoming a mentor to younger players and being a leader in the clubhouse.  He finished his career with the Yankees with a .283 batting average and 351 home runs.

During the recent coronavirus, Rodriguez has been giving online baseball classes for children via his Instagram account.  He and Jennifer Lopez has partnered with their new meal-delivery company, Tiller & Hatch, and have donated an entire year’s food to the students of Jacksboro Elementary school and stock their food pantry.

New York Yankees: Is it wise for Aaron Judge to party unmasked?: Super Bowl 2021

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

One of the big questions for the New York Yankees going into the 2021 baseball season is can the newly improved starting pitching rotation get the Yankees over that hump of reaching a World Series and winning an unprecedented 28th World Championship. Another question is can the Yankees avoid another injury-plagued season that has cost them dearly in the last two seasons, with some of the biggest names spending far too long on the IL?

Add to that, there are still big concerns over the coronavirus and the delays in getting the vaccines into the American public’s arm, and what effect that will have on the 2021 season. Will the players let their guards down? If the 2021 Super Bowl in Tampa last night is any indication, the answer is yes, even for the most important players to the Yankees. Last night slugger Aaron Judge partied at the game with the likes of former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez, who is engaged to A-Rod, Pats owner Robert Kraft, Shaquille, rapper Meek Mill, and others.

Nothing wrong with a Super Bowl party, but all of those mentioned, including Aaron Judge, were having fun, not socially distanced, and with none wearing a mask. Is this wise behavior less than two weeks away from the begging of spring training? To see the photo of the group, click here. Robert Rubin, the co-owner of the Philadelphia 76’s and the New Jersey Devils, took the photo.

Judge was wearing a Patrick Mahomes jersey. It didn’t turn out well for him because Tom Brady’s Buccaneers won the game 31-9, depriving the Kansas City Chiefs of back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Kraft said he was rooting for Tom Brady to win it even though Brady left the New England Patriots two seasons earlier. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fifth time.

New York Yankees fans’ question is that if their players ignore basic CDC safety rules, will they be able to stay healthy? With many more ” “halftime with the boys!!!” situations, that may not be the case. Mask up, Aaron Judge!

 

Baseball’s Hall of Fame Needs To Fix Their Selection Process

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Tuesday marked the ninth time no players were selected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame since the first class was inducted back in 1936. The BBWAA also set a record with 14 blank ballots because of the controversial Curt Schilling and steroid tied candidates.

Baseball is the only Hall of Fame among the four major sports where only the writers are the judge, the jury, and the executioner. This flawed process allowed writers with bruised or exacerbated egos to severely damage the voting process’s integrity.

Election rules state, “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” Some voters stick to the rules provided while others insert “did I like him?” to the end of that sentence. This year’s fiasco heightens the need for change in the selection process.

By no means is this a rebellion against the writers, considering that I fall into the same category. The issue is that people who never spent a day playing, coaching, or working in the front office of a Major League Baseball team hold the fate of all-time great players in their pens. 

If writers do not have egos, then explain why Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, or Greg Maddux never got 100% of the vote or why certain biases against first-ballot players exist?

Enlist a Committee

It is not a matter of kicking writers off the vote; it is about bringing in the perspective of people who had to play and manage against the considered players. Committees already exist for separate eras, but it should encompass the entire Hall of Fame. The other three major sports use a committee filled with writers, executives, Hall of Famers, and other experts in their respective sports.

Earning a spot on these committees is a thorough process and eliminated the current situation in baseball. Plenty of current voters do not deserve their vote, and plenty of former players have different opinions that would allow deserving players to get their moment in Cooperstown.

Holding a vote from Schilling is reasonable due to his support for a terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol. There are plenty of gray areas for the rest of the ballot. It has been a struggle for “steroid era” players to enter the Hall even though MLB did not implement PED testing until 2004.

Bud Selig was the commissioner during this era and did next to nothing to solve the problem quickly. Selig got his day in Cooperstown, while the players who kept baseball alive might not get theirs. During Selig’s era, taking steroids was as normal as drinking Gatorade in between innings. Even players who did not have the special talents of the potential Hall of Famers were juicing.

It is impossible to describe baseball’s past without these names in the Hall of Fame. When they are enshrined, the steroid conversation does not fade away. It will never be engraved on their plaques, but it will always be attached to their names. Post-2004 abusers like Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano deserve to miss out on enshrinement. They tested positive in an era where mainstream cheating comes in the form of technology.

Players See The Game Differently

Most players and managers would tell you Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens belong in the Hall. If you are against steroid users, ask about Billy Wagner or Jeff Kent; you would get the same results. Instead, all four of them, along with much more, are polling at numbers that will keep them out for the rest of their time on the ballot.

There are plenty of great media members who deserve to keep their vote, but others have egos as large as the players they despise. Some voters are not even covering the sport at the moment. Replacing media members with other baseball voices will bring back lost integrity from the most historic and illustrious sports Hall of Fame.