CC Sabathia

New York Yankees: How Concerned Should We Be About Luis Severino’s Injury?

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On Monday, the New York Yankees presumed ace Luis Severino was scratched from his first spring start due to what the team called “rotator cuff inflammation” and will be shut down for two weeks. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said that it is “highly unlikely” that Severino will start the season with the team, forcing the Yankees to look for a new opening day starter. Severino was warming up in the bullpen and felt pain in his shoulder at about 1PM, 10 minutes prior to first pitch.

With Severino likely not on the 25 man roster to start the season, this leaves the fifth starting pitcher position wide open. Plus, how severe is Severino’s injury anyway? We’ll look into all of it right now.

Yankees: Severino’s concern level

From what we hear, the Yankees are not particularly concerned about Severino…. yet. When he had his MRI Tuesday, the results came back quite clean. With that being said, he should be cleared after two weeks if his shoulder isn’t hurting. No Tommy John surgery has been recommended, but if he continues to have pain after the two weeks, the team will grow more concerned.

The plan is to begin a throwing program after the two weeks, then get him some in-game action before camp breaks and the team heads to Washington for an exhibition. My guess is that he would spend a week or two in extended spring training before going to Trenton and/or Scranton for a few rehab stints. Remember, CC Sabathia is also a few weeks behind due to his offseason heart surgery and will also likely not be on the opening day roster.

Options from free agency

When talking about free-agents, two names come into the minds of Yankees fans: Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez.

In 2018, Dallas Keuchel had a rather down season, his ERA at 3.74 in just over 200 innings. A lot of people thought that the Yankees might push towards him more than signing JA Happ or acquiring James Paxton. But the team didn’t and now heading towards the middle part of March and spring training, he remains a free-agent.

Gio Gonzalez had an ERA last season of 4.21, but remained effective with a 10-11 record in just over 170 innings. Gonzalez, now 33, was a former first round draft pick in 2004. He could still be a fit for any team, and his stats show those of an average fifth starter.

But which one is the better option? In my opinion, Gonzalez is. Gonzalez is older than Keuchel and is now fit to be a five starter, and will not want a whole lot of money. Keuchel was the Astros number one starter just a few years ago, but is now settling as more of a two or three starter.

If Keuchel was available after the 2019 season, the Yankees would jump right on board with him, but they have a solid rotation when healthy. Signing Keuchel would be expensive, and would force the Yankees to really rearrange their pitching staff once everyone is healthy. With Gonzalez, you can DFA or release him and not lose much of anything for your team or salary.

In-house options

The Yankees have a few guys who could replace both Severino and CC in the first few weeks of the season.

Luis Cessa is the first name Yankee fans jump to. Cessa hasn’t had it that great so far in the big leagues, an ERA a bit under five and a 5-11 record. He is slowly improving, but the problem is that he’s out of options. If he starts in the MLB this season, to send him to Scranton they must DFA him and hope he clears waivers.

Domingo German struggled last year for the Yankees, making some starts for injured pitchers in the springtime. His ERA was over 5.50 and won just two games in 14 starts. But his start this spring has been promising, giving up no runs thus far in 4 2/3 innings.

Jonathan Loaisiga, or “Jonny Lasagna” also made a few starts last season, but had an ERA over five despite going 2-0. He definitely needs some more work, and got hammered on Tuesday against the Cardinals, giving up four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

It remains unknown how the Yankees will fill Severino’s hole to start the season, but either way the team goes, there are options.

New York Yankees: CC Sabathia will be getting down to business in ’19

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On Monday, Steiner Sports memorialized New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia’s now famous exit line from his September 27th ejection when he pointed to the Tampa Bay Rays dugout and said “That’s for you Bitch.”  Sabathia was having a stellar outing that day, yielding just one hit over five frames, but he intentionally hit Rays’ catcher Jesus Sucre in defense of Austin Romine, who had been hit earlier in the game.  

Sabathia cost himself some loose change for his aggression:

Sabathia’s action cost him $500,000 as he was due to reach an innings-pitched incentive during the game, his last of the season.  He had entered the game with 148 innings pitched and he needed to complete 155 innings to reach the bonus. It was discovered, however, on December 17th that the warrior would receive the bonus from the team, despite being six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.

Sabathia is back for the Yankees, leading the way on the field and in the clubhouse with his warrior’s attitude.  A fierce, emotional competitor, Sabathia plays the game the way it should be played and fans were thrilled when the Yankees brought Sabathia back for his eleventh season with the team and awarded him the bonus he had so nearly earned and so richly deserved.

A projection for Yankees’ Sabathia in 2019:

What can fans expect from Sabathia in ’19?  Projections, conservative as they usually are, suggest he will pitch fewer innings (117), that his numbers will decline, but not sharply-his ERA which was 3.65 in ’18 is projected by Steamer to be 3.75 in ’19.  

Sabathia, who successfully underwent surgery to clear a blockage in one of the arteries leading to his heart, is likely in his final season.  When he re-signed with the Yankees back in December, Sabathia said he felt there was “unfinished business to attend to.”  

The chase for number 28 begins February 13th, when Sabathia will report along with the other pitchers for spring training – let’s hope he gets down to business and finishes what he and the rest of the team are there to do, win a championship.

New York Yankees: Is Old Faithful Sabathia Running Out Of Gas?

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New York Yankees, CC Sabathia

There’s nothing more fascinating than taking a look at New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia and saying, “how is his motor still going?”

Sabathia has had a rather up and down career, winning 14 games in 2017 but winning a combined 18 between 2014-16. His lack of consistency is what really causes fans and coaches to wonder about how much gas in the tank he has left.

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According to Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers, Sabathia was throwing fire until the 4th inning, giving up five runs to allow the Rangers back into the game. His inconsistent pitching is just an analogy for his career totals.

So far in 2018, Sabathia has earned an ERA of 3.55, with a record of 2-1. The consensus is starting to shift to the narrative of, “the Yankees might need serious starting pitcher aid.”

In the last three games against the Rangers, the Yankees’ three starters recorded 13 total innings, 13 hits, 17 earned runs, 10 walks and six home runs. That’s an average of more than one run per inning… The Yankees are lucky to have escaped with even a single win.

The bright side:

The Yankees can’t stop hitting home runs. In the last seven games, the Bombers have bombed 21 home runs – but the pitching has forced the team to come crashing back to earth after a tremendous April/May run.

Being that Sabathia is struggling with consistency issues and Tanaka can’t seem to effectively toss his fastball or splitter, the Yankees might be forced to seek a trade to bring a quality starter to their rotation.

One option would be Rangers’ Cole Hamels. Hamels pitched against the Yankees on Tuesday, throwing seven strong innings – giving up two runs and four hits. A solid outing for the veteran that saw his team earn a 6-4 win.

While Hamels may have a 3-4 record, his losses can be blamed on the team’s offensive production. In the four losses, Hamels only allowed 10 runs, which is a tad more than two runs per game. Compared to Sabathia, who has allowed 13 runs in just three games.

The bottom line, the Yankees can continue to hit as hot as the sun, but as long as the pitching continues to struggle, the team will flounder as a result. Hopefully, a mid-season acquisition or a young pitcher can step up and begin to force a rebound from the bullpen as a whole.

The New York Yankees Win Sole Possession Of The Lead In The AL East And Everyone Loves Brett Gardner Again

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New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

The New York Yankees rallied from a 6-5 deficit in the seventh inning with a 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox to get Yankee Stadium rocking on a Wednesday night and Brett Gardner was the unlikely catalyst of the comeback win.

Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News summed up what this win means to the Yankees:

The Yankees broke a tie at the top of the division with the win over the Red Sox to give them eight straight victories and 17 wins in the last 18 games.

The Yankees at 26-10 have the best record in Major League Baseball ahead of the Red Sox, now 25-11.

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The Yankees had trailed the Red Sox in the American League East for the entirety of the young season until they went head to head on Tuesday night for the tie and went ahead on Wednesday night for the lead.

And the excitement of the crowd in the eight inning surprised even manager Aaron Boone, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

“It got my attention. I looked around a little bit in that inning. It’s May and it’s bedlam.” — Boone, on the crowd reaction in the eighth

Oh, and Gardner’s eighth inning two run triple was the spark and meant redemption for a player who that day had been the subject of reporters’ questions to manager Aaron Boone because of his slow start—Gardner was off to a .198 mark.  Should he be dropped in the batting order? Should he be benched in favor of Clint Frazier?

Gardner’s performance Wednesday night shows what an impact player he is for this team, coming through in a clutch situation where the Yankees were down 6-5. Gardner said to Billy Witz of the New York Times that:

“I try to take things one day at a time and learn from what happened from yesterday and today and apply that to tomorrow, and try to keep getting better.”

He raised his average to .214 after the 3-for-5, two RBI performance he put on Wednesday night.

Gardner’s veteran work ethic and glove work are irreplaceable, and so, too, are his gritty, gutsy battles at the plate, especially when they result in two run triples.

As Witz noted,

“Gardner may have delivered the crowning blow, but he also helped get the Yankees started, something he has rarely done this season.”

He is important as a catalyst at the top of the order, and getting him going could only make this lineup more challenging and fearsome for opposing pitchers.

W

CC Sabathia (2-0, 1.39) is on the mound tonight against Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 5.29) for the Red Sox.  The Yankees will be fighting to hold onto the lead atop the division and there’s no better warrior than Sabathia to send out there to do the job.

CC Sabathia is bringing his “big dog mentality” to the Yankees recent success

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New York Yankees, Yankees, CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia’s passion and elite performance were the biggest highlights of the Yankees 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night—-not to mention Gary Sanchez’ two run homer.

But Sabathia is so assured and confident on the mound that even when he gets in a jam, as was rare last night, there is the clear sense that he is in charge and he literally wills the out.

On January 18, Sabathia spoke to the MLB Network and said:

“Last year, we were the team that everybody loved, that feel-good story,” Sabathia said Thursday on MLB Network. “But getting Giancarlo [Stanton] just brings us back to being that hated team. That’s what we like. We want to go out there, put the best team on the field and crush everybody every game.”

I keep coming back to this statement again and again this season when I think of Sabathia.  This is spoken like a true leader—a battle-ready one at that.  It cries out for his teammates to take up the cause and follow him in crushing “everybody every game.”

He leads the way with elite performances, such as the 2-1 gem he put together last night against the Angels, giving up five hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 1 run, 1 wild pitch—only throwing 97 pitches.

Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports said of Sabathia:

“Sabathia has turned himself into a pitcher — I’d even say he’s crafty now — working the corners and working his way into year three of a lovely late career renaissance with the Yankees that could very well put the icing on the cake of a Hall of Fame career.”

Sabathia could arguably be the ace of this staff with his 1.71 ERA in five games with 16 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. Luis Severino‘s ERA of 2.62 in six games seems bloated by comparison.

Sabathia also showed his passion in last night’s game when home plate umpire Angel Hernandez and he exchanged words after the third inning.  Sabathia was reported by Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports to have said to Hernandez “Don’t talk to me.  Call f–king strikes.”

When asked what the heated exchange between he and Hernandez was about, Sabathia replied: “Thought I was throwing strikes.”

To me this demonstrates Sabathia’s “big dog presence” in the game, which he told Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News back in January he wanted to establish:

“We want that big-dog presence back where we can go out and try to beat everybody every night.”

Sabathia has a take-no-prisoners attitude, a big presence on and off the mound, and a successful start to power this team forward this season.

CC Sabathia and the Yankees make good news with video and other Yankee notes for April 19

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New York Yankees, Yankees, CC Sabathia

When 10 year old Cassidy Slater from Scranton, PA posted a two and a half minute video on Facebook detailing the bullying she experienced at school, she might not have imagined that 25 men in pinstripes and their manager would respond with such strong, compassionate support for her.

The Yankees responded with a video clip of their own addressed to Cassidy with each man on the roster holding up words of support that clearly showed her they “have her back.” At the end of the video, manager Aaron Boone suggests an invite to the stadium.

There’s rumblings around the Yankees’ clubhouse that Giancarlo Stanton should be moved down in the lineup tonight. Brendan Kuty reports what Aaron Boone had to say about moving Stanton:

“I might flirt with splitting different guys up (in the lineup) and stuff,” Boone said, “but not moving him down too far because he’s one at-bat away from getting it locked back in but the last thing you want is him down in the order, getting pitched around.”

It will be interesting to see when Boone posts the lineup today if he makes a change and perhaps drops Stanton to fifth or sixth from the number three spot.

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The Yankees re-acquired first baseman Adam Lind, 34, who had been released at his own request during spring training.

Lind, who hit .301 with 14 homers for the Nationals last year, was signed as insurance at first base, and perhaps, to man the bag while Tyler Austin serves his five-game suspension beginning on Thursday. Neil Walker, who has shared duties at first base with Greg Bird on the disabled list, has had a slow start to the season batting only .173.

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When the 8-8 Yankees take on the 12-5 Toronto Blue Jays tonight, CC Sabathia returns to the mound against RHP Aaron Sanchez. Sabathia last pitched on April 6 against the Orioles and was removed from the game with hip soreness.

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In 2017, Sabathia was 2-2 with one no-decision against the Blue Jays with a 4.22 ERA. Yankee fans are hoping he returns with a strong performance tonight at home against the Jays.

New York Yankees: The Ellsbury Effect

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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New York Yankees Player Preview: CC Sabathia

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New York Yankees, Yankees, CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia is in one word, awesome. He truly loves this city, the fans and the New York Yankees organization. The big man has had an amazing career and still has plenty left in the tank. CC has redeveloped himself from a power pitcher with a plus fastball to a guy who can mix his off-speed stuff with his speed pitches and get batters to swing at air.

CC had a great campaign for the Yankees last season.

Sabathia’s numbers from 2017:

3.69 ERA, 14 W, 5 L, 120 K, 50 BB

Background:

CC attended Vallejo High School in Vallejo, California where he was born. He played baseball, football, and basketball in High School. CC was the top prospect from Northern California entering the 1998 Draft. He was selected by the Indians in the first round 20th overall. He had signed a letter of intent to play football and baseball for Hawaii ,but signed with the Indians.

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Yankees Career:

CC signed with the Yankees in 2008 and helped to lead the team to their 27th World Series Championship in 2009. Since then, CC has been tremendous for the Yankees. He has dealt with injuries and bounced back from them. but still retained the fire and passion even after playing for so long.

2017 Season:

CC was tremendous for the Yankees last season. He was the Yankees stopper when they were on a losing streak and when it was Sabathia’s turn to start he was 9-0 with a 1.83 ERA.

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CC was even better in the playoffs for the Yankees. He stepped up in game five of the ALDS against the Indians to propel the Yankees to the ALCS against the Astros. CC posted a 2.37 ERA, 1-1, 5 ER, 16 H. 19 K in 19 innings pitched.

2018 Predictions:

CC was a free agent after the 2017 season and many speculated that he would return to the Yankees. He did have meetings with several teams including the Angels and Blue Jays, but ultimately decided to rejoin the Yankees. CC resigned with the Bombers on December 11th on a one year contract worth $10 million.

Resigning CC was huge for the Yankees, as they know they can give the ball to him and get a quality start. He will be the Yankees third starter to open the new season. This may be Sabathia’s final season in Pinstripes, so the Yankees should send their big man off with a world series trophy.