deivi garcia

New York Yankees Player Profiles: Deivi Garcia makes his first 2021 start

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

Tonight when the New York Yankees start a 4 game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Orioles Stadium at Camden Yards, Deivi Garcia will make his first start of the season. Garcia made his major league debut last season. The Yankees won the first start of his career. That game produced one of the most memorable quotes of the year. “I’m going to play catch with my son,” that was the phrase shouted back at the dugout when veteran New York Yankees catcher Erik Kratz left the dugout for home plate to get ready to catch Deivi Garcia in his major league debut.  The phrase was an obvious remark referencing the two players’ age difference.  Kratz was 40 years old, and the young pitching sensation was just 21.

Today, still at 21 (he will turn 22 next month), he will make his seventh start of his young career. Garcia did not make the Opening Day starting roster. He has been at the alternate site working on command issues with his slider. Garcia made his major league debut last season and pitched in six games. He ended the season with the Yankees winning 4 of his six starts and an ERA of 4.98. Today he will hope to join the rotation permanently. Being part of the traveling squad that travels with the team on road trips, he is also set up to start game two of the following Detroit series. Let’s take a look at how he got to this point.

Deivi García was born on May 9, 1999.  He grew up in Bonao, the Dominican Republic. He has two older brothers. His father, a youth baseball coach, also coached García as a youngster. His mother, a doctor, set aside her career to raise their family.  The Dominican Republic has a bevy of young boys interested in baseball. Deivi (pronounced Davey) developed that same interest as a young boy and played baseball with friends in the sandlots around his home in Bonao. Influenced by his father, he developed a strong arm for pitching, although he played in the infield and outfield.

At the age of just sixteen, he made his way to the beach town of Boca Chica in the DR.  Boca Chica is the home of several baseball training facilities, including the New York Yankees baseball Academy. One day the Yankee’s top international scout Donny Rowland stood in the batting cage in the hot DR heat.  On the mound was Deivi Garcia.  Rowland watched and watched five pitches from a right-hander who would become one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, despite how hard it might have been to envision at the time.  The reason it was hard to envision is the young prospect was just 5′ 9″ which is really small for a pitcher.  He also had a slight build, more like a welterweight boxer at only 150 pounds. But Rowland was amazed by the young man’s knee-buckling curveballs. Rowland immediately said get that guy off the mound, we’re going to sign him. On a side note, Rowland also discovered Jasson Dominguez that is currently being developed at Boca Chica.

García signed with the New York Yankees in July of 2015 for a $200k signing bonus. Though he previously played baseball as an infielder and outfielder, the Yankees were determined to have him become a Yankee pitcher due to his curveball and arm strength.   For the next two years, trainers worked with Garcia at the Boca Chica facility. In 2018, García pitched for the Charleston River Dogs and the Tampa Tarpons.  He made his final start of 2018 with the Trenton Thunder AA Yankee minor league affiliate as he continued to rocket through the minors.

García returned to Tampa in 2019 and was promoted to Trenton after making four starts. In July, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game. After the game, he was promoted to AAA Scranton Wilkes/Baree RailRiders. 2019 was not Garcia’s best season as he struggled at times and seemed to tire; nonetheless, he continued to show his abilities.  Following the 2019 season, the Yankees added García to their 40 man roster to protect him from becoming eligible in the Rule 5 draft. García was named minor league pitcher of the year in the Yankees organization in 2019.

The Yankees sent García to their alternate training site to begin the 2020 season where he continued to improve.  On August 30, 2020, the Yankees were short starting pitchers, due to playing five games in just three days. In the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets, Deivi Garcia made his major league debut.  An unintimidating figure on the mound, Garcia showed the complete confidence of a much older veteran. He backed that up with a one, two, three first inning.  He struck out the side in the third. He ended up his major league debut pitching six innings on 75 pitches, allowing four singles, no earned runs, no walks, and had six strikeouts in a no-decision debut. He and Kratz worked seamlessly together, the two hugged in the dugout.  Only after the game did Garcia crack a smile.

Although Garcia is the Yankees number 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, he still has to complete with Michael King and Clarke Schmidt to hold down a spot in the New York Yankees pitching rotation. Even with a win today, there is no surety that he will remain with the team, but it certainly will put him in contention if one of the starters fails or is injured.

New York Yankees: Baltimore Orioles series preview

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees packed up and left Cleveland yesterday, after the game to take part in a four-game set in Baltimore, with the Orioles at Camden Yards. Before we get into that upcoming series, let’s take a look at the season so far. The New York Yankees are now 9-12 (.429). They opened the season at Yankee Stadium, winning one of three against the Jays. They followed, winning 2 of three against the Orioles. They then took off for their first road trip and lost two of three games against the Rays. In Dunedin against the Jays, they lost two of three. Back at the Stadium, the Yankees were swept in a 3 game series by the Rays. Then split a two-game series with the Braves. That brings us to the good news, as the Yankees took three of four in Cleveland.

Now the Yankees move on to Baltimore, for a four-game set before going west again to play the Detroit Tigers. The first several series were Jays/Rays heavy, teams that will be the most challenging for the Yankees. This road trip should be much more favorable to the Yankees; they have already won 3 of 4 with the Indians and have always done well at Camden Yards. The Yankees in their history have won 400 more games against the Orioles than they have lost (1348-921). They have also won 53% of games against the Detroit Tigers. But many more recently, as the Tigers are not the team they once were.

We will not see New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole in the Baltimore series, but he will start the first game against the Detroit Tigers.

Game one, today at 6:30 pm:

The New York Yankees have called up Deivi Garcia from Scranton to start the first game of the Baltimore Orioles series today. Garcia did not make the Opening Day starting roster. He has been at the alternate site working on command issues with his slider. Garcia made his major league debut last season and pitched in six games. He won his debut game. He ended the season with the Yankees winning 4 of his six starts and with an ERA of 4.98.

In today’s game, Garcia will face the Orioles’ Matt Harvey. Harvey is a 9-year veteran, having started his career with the New York Mets. More recently, he has pitched for the Reds, Angels, and Royals. Now with the Orioles, he has pitched in relief and has started three games. His record is 1-1 with an ERA of 5.12 with 16 strikeouts over 19.2 innings. Harvey’s last winning season was in 2015 with the Mets.

Although Garcia is not officially with the team, he is part of the traveling taxi squad that is allowed to travel with the team. As the Yankees seem to be transitioning to a six-man rotation, he is also set up for his second start of the season in game two at Detroit.

Game two, Tuesday 7:05 pm:

The Yankees’ Corey Kluber will start game two. In Tuesday’s game, Kluber will, for the first time this season look to go deeper into the game. He has not gone a full five innings yets. The Yankees would like to see him complete six or seven innings in the game. His last time out against the Atlanta Braves, he went 4 2/3 innings. Kluber’s two problems so far this season, are the command of his pitches and allowing far too many walks (11 in 15 innings). The 2 times Cy Young award winner is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA.

Kluber will face the lefty Bruce Zimmermann who is 1-2, with an ERA of 4.57 this season. It’s difficult to know what to expect from Zimmermann as he had two good starts to start the season but has lost his last two outings. He has gone 5 innings or more in three of his four starts.

Game three, Wednesday 7:05 pm:

Game three will see Domingo German back on the mound for his third start of the season. German is a bit of a puzzle. The 18-4 winner during 2019, sat out, the end of that season, and all of 2020 serving a suspension for breaking the MLB domestic violence policy. He came into spring training a big question mark but ended up being the Yankee’s best pitcher. But, in his first game of the regular season, he was lit up for 3 runs in 3 innings and was sent down to Scranton to figure it out. In his first game back, in Cleveland, he gave up 3 runs in the first inning but then pitched well keeping the team in the game that they ended up winning. The Orioles have not announced a starter for this game.

Game four, Thursday 1:05 pm:

Game four will be started by the Yankees’ Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.57. He fell 1/3 of an inning short of winning his last outing and was visibly irritated when he was taken out of the game. He has been the Yankee’s second-best pitcher so far in the season. He has gone six innings in two of his starts. A problem that has dogged him this season is giving up the long ball. In four starts he has given up 4 homers.

The Orioles will start the right-hander Jorge Lopez. Lopez is 1-3 with an elevated ERA of 8.15. Lopez like Montgomery is prone to giving up the long ball. He has allowed 6 homers in his four starts.

Yankees make long-awaited starting rotation decision, but what does it mean?

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

The New York Yankees have already established they will roll with a five-man rotation on Opening Day next week. With that being the case, the Yankees needed to send one player down to Triple-A, and they elected SP Deivi Garcia. What does this mean?

Well, it guarantees that Domingo German will win the fifth spot in the rotation, and he deserved it based on an absolutely stellar spring. At 28 years old, German served an 81 game suspension last year, missing all of 2020 and the final portions of the 2019 campaign. The Yankees desperately missed him during the post-season, but they offered him a second opportunity to show he deserves to be with the team and that he’s overcome his personal challenges. In fact, he recently married his girlfriend, and maybe that has spurred an absolute dominant past few weeks.

German finished the spring with a 0.00 ERA over 9.0 innings. He allowed five hits, zero runs allowed, one walk, and struck out 13 batters. Overall, he was utterly fantastic, despite García giving it his best — it wasn’t enough at this point in time considering how great German looked. That doesn’t mean Garcia won’t play an integral part in 2021, especially since injuries arise during an entire 162 game season. Garcia will be the first-choice pitcher to get called up if needed.

The Yankees will use Deivi soon, as Aaron Boone conveyed:

“My message to him I tried to convey was, ‘Stay ready, we’re gonna need you,’ ” manager Aaron Boone said. “ ‘Make sure you handle your business down there.’ ”

“He has shown himself to be a guy with a lot of promise, not only for the future, but to help us this year,’’ Boone said.

Unfortunately, a tough outing against the Toronto Blue Jays this past week sealed the deal for Garcia, as he allowed seven hits and four earned runs over just 3.0 innings. An unfortunate ending to his spring, but he proved at 21 years old that he can compete with the best of them and that he will likely be featuring in the starting rotation very soon.

New York Yankees News: Deivi Garcia demoted, Cole on illegal substances and more

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees have removed one question from fan’s minds about who would be the anchor of the starting pitching rotation. It’s not going to be Deivi Garcia; he has been demoted to Scranton Wilkes/Barre. Garcia was considered an option for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Although he was a consideration, with Domingo German being the best pitcher in spring training, it was doubtful that Garcia would make the 26 man roster and that fifth spot would go to German. With Garcia’s demotion, Domingo German now has a lock to anchor the rotation.

As I predicted, Garcia’s performance in the game against the Blue Jays sealed the deal. He was just terrible; he had no command of his pitches, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs while walking two in just three innings of work. He certainly did himself no favors in the competition for the anchor job. Now just two days later, the Yankees have responded with the demotion. However, for Deivi fans, not to worry. It will be a long 162 game season after a short 60 game season last year. The New York Yankees are going to need plenty of pitchers to get through the season. You can be sure you will see Garcia on the mound at some point.

Gerrit Cole says to leave it alone

Angels visiting clubhouse manager Brian “Bubba” Hawkins sued MLB and the Los Angels for defamation. The suit involved the use of unauthorized substances on baseballs. The suit was dismissed this past January. But during a hearing Yankee ace, Gerrit Cole’s name was mentioned. It was brought out that Cole allegedly texted Hawkins about supplying with an unknown substance that could be used on baseballs. As far as this writer knows, Cole has never been contacted by authorities.

Last night at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Cole faced the Toronto Blue Jays and pitched brilliantly for 5.2 innings, not allowing a run and giving up only 2 hits while striking out 5. After the game, he was questioned about the unknown substances:

“Probably not a whole lot of good is going to come from diving into that, so, {you} should just leave it alone.”

Cole also wasn’t interested in talking about the league’s plan to more closely watch what pitchers are putting on balls by using clubhouse monitors and advanced technology to see who might be cheating and what they’re using. He said that he had no thoughts on that.  Cole will be the Yankees Opening Day starter at Yankee Stadium when he will again face the Toronto Blue Jays next Thursday, April 1.

Yankees 26 man roster becoming clearer

The New York Yankees are coming down to the wire on weeding out the players that will not be needed on the 26 man roster. Some have already been reassigned; the most recent announcement was the demotion of Deivi Garcia. Garcia joins fellow pitchers Kyle Barraclough and Asher Wojciechowski. Most likely following them will be Nestor Cortes Jr., Luis Garcia, and Nick Goody. Jhoulys Chacin pitches today against the Blue Jays; how he performs will determine his fate. It is still very up in the air on the remainder, Michael King, Lucas Luetge, Tyler Lyons, and Nick Nelson.

As far as position players are concerned, Socrates Brito and Ryan LaMarre have already been reassigned. The situation for hitters is far less clear. Rob Brantly and Andrew Velazquez will probably be the next to go. As of today, the situation with Jay Bruce, Darren Dietrich is unclear but not looking good. As far as looking good, that seems to be reserved right now for Mike Tauchman and Tyler Wade, even though Wade made back-to-back throwing errors last night.

The biggest question in the last ten days was whether Jay Bruce or Mike Tauchman would survive the cuts. While Bruce started the spring hot, he has cooled as Tauchman has shown his worth in the same time period. Although many thought the Yankees would move on from Tyler Wade, that is not likely with his speed and ability to play at so many positions.

The last New York Yankee game of the spring will be on Monday against Detroit. Corey Kluber will pitch Sunday’s game against the Phillies. Opening Day will be Thursday, April 1, against the Toronto Blue Jays with Gerrit Cole on the mound. Most likely, on Wednesday, the final 26 man roster will be announced.

 

New York Yankees: Good news and bad news following defeat to Toronto

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, and it wasn’t a pretty performance for Deivi Garcia, the team’s 21-year-old starting pitcher. Falling 5-0, the Yankees are now 13-8 this spring but seem to be in good spirits and health as they inch closer toward the regular season.

While their offense has struggled in recent days, striking out 13 times against Toronto and recording six hits, they have posted an inadequate number of runs.

I don’t expect their lack of run support to carry into the regular season, as spring is often used for ironing out any kinks and shaking off the rust.

Good news and bad news for the New York Yankees:

As stated above, García had a tumultuous outing, lasting 3.0 innings and giving up seven hits, four earned runs, and two homers. While he does host a 3.86 ERA this spring, Wednesday was absolutely his worst performance and will quickly be forgotten about. For the most part, Garcia has been solid this spring and has even completed for the fifth spot in the rotation, but it seems as if Domingo German has the slot all about secured.

The rest of the Yankee pitching looked good, despite the team announcing they reassigned pitchers Kyle Barraclough and Asher Wojciechowski to minor league camp.

The better news, relief arm Justin Wilson received positive injury feedback. After MRIs were taken on Tuesday, the team announced that Wilson will undergo regular rehabilitation programming, despite fears it could be something more serious. He simply has a minor shoulder issue that should resolve itself with a few days of rest and light workouts.

Per the Yankees:

Upon review of the MRI taken yesterday as well as comparing it to a pre-signing MRI there was nothing actionable from those images. LHP Justin Wilson will be treated for his symptom of tightness of his left shoulder and has been given an oral anti-inflammatory medication. He will continue to receive treatment over the next several days before resuming a throwing program.

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from Yankees loss to the Blue Jays

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees were at home at George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday, facing the Toronto Blue Jays that many writers feel will be the Yankees’ most competitive opponent in the regular season. If yesterday was any indication the Yankees are going to have their hands full dealing with the Blue Jay’s lineup. The Blue Jays have a young and talented lineup. The Jay’s biggest problem getting to a postseason playoff is that they have little pitching.

Deivi Garcia does himself few favors

Going into yesterday’s game, Deivi Garcia had the fourth-best ERA of the starting rotation and was considered an option for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Although he was a consideration, with Domingo German being the best pitcher in spring training, it was doubtful that Garcia would make the 26 man roster and that fifth spot would go to German.

Although he will get another start in what remains of spring training, he will likely start the season in the minors after yesterday’s performance. Yesterday he was just terrible, he had no command of his pitches giving up 7 hits and 4 runs while walking two in just three innings of work. He certainly did himself no favors in the competition for the anchor job. But for Deivi Garcia fans, not to worry, the Yankees will need a lot of help as all the pitchers adjust to a 162 game season. Garcia is still expected to play a major role pitching for the Yankees in 2021 as the season progresses.

Yankee bullpen shines in Jays game

With the start of the regular season just eight days away, the New York Yankee pitching situation had been upbeat. Domingo German has been near perfect; Jameson Taillon and Jordan Mongomery are not far behind German. Gerrit Cole and Corey Kluber are not yet up to what the Yankees would like to see but are very adequate to start the season and are healthy. One of the brightest spots for Yankee pitching is that the bullpen has shined for the most part.

Yesterday was no exception. After Deivi Garcia blew the game for the Yankees, the bullpen did their job. The Yankee’s workhorse Luis Cessa pitched two innings of relief and gave up just one run while striking out three Jays in two innings of work. The rest of the bullpen didn’t give up a run in the next four innings. The work of Lucas Luetge, Addison Russ, Kyle Barraclough, and Albert Abreu was stellar.

Blue Jays have pitching problems to solve

The Blue Jays acquired Kirbie Yates and Robbie Ray during the offseason, but now it appears neither will be ready to start the regular season. Added to that, Nate Pearson is likely not to be available either as he rehabs from a groin injury. This is a takeaway from yesterday’s Toronto shut out of the Yankees because many baseball executives and baseball writers think that one of the Yankees’ major opponents this season will be the Toronto Blue Jays.

Before spring training, the Blue Jays spent more money than any of its East rivals. But that is because they spent the most in franchise history to obtain the services of George Springer. They also acquired Kirby Yates and Robbie Ray to strengthen their pitching staff. The Jays’ biggest problem is that Yates, after Tommy John surgery, will miss the entire year. Ray will likely not be available at the start of the season after a minor bruise to his elbow and will need time to recover, and then will have to be built up. Nate Pearson, who has missed most of the spring training from a groin injury, has reinjured it and could miss the regular season’s first month.

The Blue Jays do have some options but may go to the trade market to help out. Trent Thornton that won yesterday’s game against the New York Yankees, was previously thought to start in the minors but may now provide significant help in the starting rotation. Other than Yates, the Blue Jays will be in better shape after a week or two. But even a loss of one or two games could be major in an East race that is expected to be tight between the Yankees, Jays, and Rays.

New York Yankees Recap: Deivi Garcia bombs out big time in Jays shutout of the Yankees

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees were back at home at George M. Steinbrenner Field today to play the Toronto Blue Jays. The starting Yankee pitcher was Deivi Garcia, and the start for the Jays was Trent Thornton. Like most spring training games in Florida, it was a nice day for a ball game. The game-time temperature was 78 degrees, and the game was played under partly sunny skies. The Jays shut out the Yankees 5-0.

At the top of the first, Deivi Garcia, who had an ERA of 1.64 in his last four starts, took the Yankees’ mound. Semien struck out on five pitches. Grichuk flew out to center, and Bichette homered over Aaron Judge’s head at the wall. Hernandez walked, Guerrero Jr. struck out, but the Jay’s picked up a run. At the bottom, Thornton stuck out DJ LeMahieu. Aaron Judge cracked a long single to center. Aaron Hicks lined out to center, and Giancarlo Stanton singled with Judge going to third, but Gleyber Torres flew out to end the inning. Jays 1 Yankees 0.

At the top of the second, Tellez singled off Garcia. Davis ripped on to the left for a single, moving Tellez to second. McGuire popped out to Judge. Valera popped out to Hicks. Semien singled driving in Tellez in for another Jay’s run. Crichuk ground out to end the half. Garcia was definitely having command problems, seldom hitting what Sanchez was calling for; he was continually high. At the bottom, Jay Bruce was out swinging. Gio Urshela flew out to the far-right. Gary Sanchez got a long single to right. Brett Gardner, with one on, lined out to second and a quick inning for Thornton. Jays 2 Yankees 0.

Deivi out for a third inning; his first pitch was a passed ball by Sanchez. Bichette singled just past LeMahieu. Hernandez homered driving in Bichette. Guerrero Jr. singled. Tellez ground out, and Davis hit into a double play to allow Garcia, while still struggling mightily, to get out of the inning, giving up just two runs. At the bottom, LeMahieu ground out to short. Aaron Judge struck out, and Hicks, who has a great eye, walked. Stanton was out at first when Thornton covered.  Jays 4 Yankees 0.

Garcia continued to get his work in allowing a leadoff walk to McGuire, and the Yankees had seen enough, pulling Garcia out of the game in favor of  Luis Cessa. Cessa got Valera to line out, Semien to strike out swinging, and Crichuk to line out to third, a quick 1-2-3 inning for Cessa. Gleyber Torres flew out to second, giving the new Jay’s pitcher Ricardson a quick out. Bruce struck out. Urshela ground out to the hot corner. Jays 4 Yankees 0.

Bo Bichette got his second home run of the game leading off the fifth inning. Warmoth struck out. Guerrero Jr. lined out to Gio. Tellez struck out, ending four and a half. Gary Sachez singled down the left-field line. Gardner had a hard-hit single to left. Judge struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lucas Luetge on the mound for the sixth allowed Davis to walk. McGuire lined out. Davis tried to steal but got in a rundown that DJ won. Valera flew out to Hicks. Aaron Hicks walked again to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Stanton struck out, and Gleyber Torres lined to Lopez, who made an excellent rolling-over catch. Thairo Estrada struck out to end the inning. Jays 5 Yankees 0.

Lopez lined out at the top of the seventh against Luetge. Crichuk struck out, and Addison Russ replaced Luetge; Russ lined out Groshans to end the half. A.J. Cole faced Urshela and struck him out. Sanchez had back-to-back strikeouts. Gardner doubled to far-right on the 10th pitch at-bat.  Chris Gittens struck out to end the quick seventh inning. Jays 5 Yankees 0.

Kyle Barraclough on the mound for the New York Yankees in the eighth. Warmoth struck out, Martinez struck out looking. Tellez lined out for a quick 1-2-3 inning for Barraclough. At the bottom, Brito lined out, Florial popped out, and Gary Stanton struck out for a very fast eight for both pitchers.

At the top of the ninth, New York Yankee’s prospect Alberto Abreu was on the mound for the Yankees, he flew out Cullen, lined out Adams, and Urena struck out. During the last three innings, Yankee pitching mowed through Jay’s hitters. With last licks for the Yankees, Amburgey walked and took second on a wild pitch. Estrada ground out to short. Hoy Jun  Park struck out swinging, and Max McDowell was hit by a pitch, taking first. Oswald Peraza struck out to end the game and give the 5-0 shutout to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The winning pitcher was Trent Thornton and the loser Deivi Garcia for his second loss of the spring. Game time 2 hours 52 minutes.

 

 

 

New York Yankees News Roundup: All the news in one place

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New York Yankees, Mike Ford

Yankee Stadium restrictions eased

At the start of spring training for the New York Yankees, they had expectations that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo would allow fans in the stands at 10% capacity as he did for the Buffalo Bills. The Yankees can now look forward to a 20% capacity as Cuomo has eased Yankee Stadium restrictions and the Mets’ Citi Field.

The new Yankee Stadium plan allows 11,000 fans through the gates as ticket holders and buyers for the Yankee concessions. Fans will be placed in pods of different sizes with 6 feet between the pods. Cuomo also said that the capacity would likely increase as the season progresses if COVID continues under control. Yankee own Hal Steinbrenner had this to say:

“This will be a very special year in the Bronx, and we will continue to work together with the State of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City of New York, Major League Baseball, and other health and safety experts to utilize the best and most responsible practices in our facility.”

Cuts made, more on the way

Opening Day for the regular season at Yankee Stadium is less than two weeks away, and the Yankees have to cut players, lot’s of them. They have already started with many yet to come, probably daily. There are about 70 players on the training fields in Tampa, 40 of them on the roster; that number has to be pared down to 26 before opening day. The Yankees are allowed a 6 man travel squad that does not count for the 26 man roster.

The New York Yankees announced the club had optioned the first baseman Mike Ford and infielder Thairo Estrada, along with right-handers Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Those are probably the easiest cuts to be made, as none of those players have performed well in spring training.

Garcia in and out of a jam

Although Deivi García did not give up any runs, he did get himself into an immediate jam in his most recent start but showed an impressive escape act. In the first inning, he had no command of his pitches; he walked the bases loaded. He walked more batters on Friday than in his other three starts combined — but in a way, it was a significant showing. García has to keep the ball rolling to keep pace with Domingo Germán for the fifth starting spot. What was impressive is that he did work his way out of the jam; at the same time, that may have been more luck than skill. All baseball fans know that walks usually come back to bit you in the butt.

Boone happy with Judge’s spring

Aaron Judge is off to a pretty slow start this spring training, one that has not seen the slugger hit a single home run. He is also batting just .250. But Yankee manager Aaron Boone is not worried; he’s just happy that Judge is healthy. He stated that  Judge was able to go through the offseason healthy and get in these reps now, something Judge missed during the first spring training phase from last season. Boone sighted that the Yankee star has been able to build himself up and is “ready for nine full innings right out of the gate.

Judge started last season hot, hitting 9 home runs in his first 18 games. Unfortunately for the New York Yankees, Judge was only healthy enough to play in 28 of the 60 games. Now he is totally healthy and has to improve his timing, and John Sterling will again be saying, ” it was a Judgingly shot, and it’s Judgement day.”

Aaron Hicks solidly in that 3rd spot

Aaron Hicks seems to have found a permanent spot in the Yankee lineup behind DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge. That’s the third spot in the lineup. Here’s why it’s important. Number one is that he is a switch hitter with power. In his last healthy year, he hit 27 home runs. In the short season last year, he hit 6. Another reason is that if DJ LeMahieu is a hitting machine, Hicks is a walking machine. He has a sharp eye and is the Yankees’ most patient hitter at the plate. Manager Aaron Boone had this to say:

“When I played, the three-hitter was the best hitter on the team,” Boone said. “It’s kind of evolved over the last several years. Since I’ve been here, over the last three or four years, you really think more closely and intimately about how you put the lineup together and where certain skill sets match up the best. It’s something that’s evolved steadily over the last 10 years.”

Stanton may play in the outfield

Earlier in the offseason, manager Aaron Boone indicated that Giancarlo Stanton would mostly be the New York Yankee DH. Then in spring training, he changed his turn. He said that Stanton would play in the outfield, both in left field and in right field. But that hasn’t happened. But Boone recently said in a Zoom conference that it would happen, but not during spring training.

With the abundance of outfield depth that the Yankee have, knowing what Stanton’s injury history is, that he may play in the outfield at some point, but at the same time, it will seldom be. Clint Frazier has established himself in left field after being nominated for a Gold Glove. At this point, there is also Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman that can fill in. It seems unlikely that Stanton will be used much.

Cole to start for the Yankees on Sunday

New York Yanke ace Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start for the Yankees when they meet the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday at 1:07 pm, in a game televised by MLBN. Cole will face Tanner Roark at TD Stadium in Dunedin, Florida. Bot Cole and Roark are 2-0 in the spring. Facing Roark, DJ LeMahieu has been the best Yankee hitter with a .500 average off him.

Gerrit Cole for the Yankees has struggled more than most of the pitchers. For instance, Domingo German has pitched nine scoreless innings this spring with 5 hits and only one walk, and more importantly, seems to be doing it with ease. On the other hand, Cole has pitched 7.2 innings so far and has allowed 9 hits, four runs, and 2 homers. For the most part, he doesn’t seem to be doing it easily with a lot of pitches thrown. But one must remember it’s only spring training.

 

 

Yankees’ Deivi Garcia proves one major skill in interesting outing vs Phillies

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees feel very good about their starting rotation, especially with both Deivi Garcia and Domingo German dominating the spring. García earned the start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday evening, 4-1. However, García had an up and down performance but showed off one major skill that is necessary for an MLB starter.

Garcia allowed four walks, including getting himself into a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but managed to strike out Andrew Knapp to get himself out of trouble. García currently hosts a 1.64 ERA this spring with 12 strikeouts and five hits allowed over 11.0 innings.

There is no question that Garcia is capable of being a starter this upcoming season, and the Yankees could elect to go with a six-man rotation, giving Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon a bit more time to heal up following major injuries. I feel as though this is a positive move for skipper Aaron Boone, as he can mitigate fatigue and make sure his two new acquisitions this offseason are 100% healthy before making them more prominent pieces in the rotation.

Garcia can be a phenomenal sixth man, with Domingo German all about locking up the fifth spot in the rotation.

The Yankees bet on German, and he’s paying off:

German has looked absolutely phenomenal the spring, securing a 0.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 9.0 innings. He’s allowed five hits but has revitalized his form following an 81 game suspension due to a domestic violence case. Having two young pitchers making significant leaps is exactly what the Yankees needed, and they always have Luis Severino later in the summer when he makes his return from Tommy John surgery. This starting unit is picking up steam at the right time ahead of the regular season, and this is the most optimistic I felt about them in quite some time.

The reinforcements that Severino provides later on in the season will likely be significant, but García showing off his talents in the spring is what I’m excited about now. Hopefully, he can take care of some of those nagging problems, like excessive walks, allowing four against Philadelphia. He has now walked six batters this spring, but I don’t see that as a significant issue.

New York Yankees Recap: Deivi Garcia and Kyle Barraclough struggle mightily in Yankees loss to the Phillies

by
New York Yankees, Kyle Barraclough

The New York Yankees were at home last evening playing the Philadelphia Phillies. Deivi Garcia started the 6:35 pm meeting in the first inning, and he faced ex-Yankee Ivan Nova. It was a nice night for baseball with a game-time temperature of 62 degrees and a setting sun with light tropical breezes.

Deivi Garcia on the mound Andrew McCutchen walked, Hoskins forced out to Gio Ursheala,  McCutchen out at second. Harper walked, Segura walked loading the bases. With one out. Hererra flew out, Knapp struck out to let Garcia out of a 20-minute bases-loaded Jam. With Nova on the mound, LeMahieu struck out at the bottom, Aaron Judge ground out on the first pitch. Aaron Hicks ground out for the quick inning for Nova.

Garcia out for the second-faced Matt Joyce. Joyce walked on the seventh pitch, Garcia’s fourth walk in six hitters faced. Williams struck out swinging, ex-Yankee Ronald Torreyes flew out, back to the top of the lineup McCutchen ground out to end the half. Giancarlo Stanton facing Nova, walked. LIke Voit ground into a force-out, Stanton out at second base. Gleyber Torres popped out, and Gio Urshela grounded out for another short half for Nova.

In the third inning, with Hoskins hitting, Deivi Garcia ground out Hoskins. Harper followed with Haper lining out. Segura ground out for the first quick inning for Garcia. At the bottom of the third, Sanchez ground out, Brett Gardner lined out, but back to the top of the lineup DJ LeMahieu, he too lined out. At the bottom of the third closer, Aroldis Chapman took to the mound for some work. Herrera popped out. Knapp ground out to second. Matt Joyce, still in, flew out to Aaron Hicks to end the inning. Chapman looked sharp in the inning.

Ivan Nova, for the fourth inning of work, walked Aaron Judge on seven pitches. Aaron Hicks doubled, moving Judge to third base. Stanton walked the bases full. Luke Voit had a sac fly scoring the first Yankee run. Torres walked, Gio Ursahela ground into a double play ending the half. Darren O’Day got Willams to strikeout and Torreyes to line out. McCutchen ended the half with a strikeout. Yankees 1 Phillies 0.

At the bottom of the fifth, Gary Sanchez lined out. Brett Gardner walked, and LeMahieu struck out. Judge struck out quickly for a quick inning for the Phillies reliever.  In relief, Justin Wilson took care of the Phillies. The game remained at 1-0 through the seventh inning. At the top of the eighth with Luis Garcia on the mound, he allowed Torreyes a single, and he stole second base. Moniak grounded out, and Hall was called out on strikes, Torreyes advanced to third.. Jankowski walked, and the Phillies Garcia struck out, letting the Yankees’ Garcia out of the inning. Yankees 1 Phillies 0.

In the Yankees half of the eighth, Aaron Judge struck out, Greg Allen reached on a Phillies throwing error. Austin Wells replacing Stanton, who was hitless in the game, flew out to Moniak. Voit grounded out to end the eighth inning. With last licks on the line for the Phillies, the New York Yankees brought Kyle Barraclough out to close the game. Matt Vierling walked on five pitches. Logan O’Hoppe while Vierling stole second  O’Hoppe struck out, Cobral walked, two on, one out. Luke Williams walked on his ninth pitch, loading the bases for the Phillies. Barraclough had a wild pitch that scored Vierling for the tied game. Bryson Stott struck out. Barraclough was replaced by Yankee pitcher Reggie McClain who hit Moniak to load the bases again. Darick Hall doubled, allowing three Phillies runs. Phillies 4 Yankees 1.

Travis Jankowski grounded out to end the game. After Deivi Garcia struggled, the Yankees maintained a one-run lead through the ninth inning, but Barraclough and McClain let the game get away, allowing 4 runs to the Phillies. At the Yankees ninth Tyler Wade lined out, Velazquez flew out, and Brantly struck out swinging for the Yankee loss, the first in nine games. The winning pitcher was Sam Coonrad, and the loser was Kyle Barraclough.

The New York  Yankees lost this game because the Yankees’ pitching couldn’t hold the Phillies down when it counted. But the pitching alone can not be blamed for the loss because the Yankee hitting again failed to produce runs. The Yankees hitting has remained mostly silent in the last three games. The Yankees today will face the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees will have Michael King on the mound facing the Orioles Matt Harvey in another home game.