ESM Player of the week

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

by
New York Yankees, James Paxton

Weekly Recap:

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

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

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

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

El Kraken hits 100th career dinger:

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

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

Aaron Judge Heating Up:

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

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

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

Empire Sports Media’s Yankee Players of the Week:

Aaron Judge:

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

James Paxton:

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mentions (In no order):

Didi Gregorius:

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

Gleyber Torres:

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

Mike Ford:

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

New York Yankees Weekly Recap + ESM Yankee Player of the Week for 8/12-8/18

by
New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres

Weekly Recap:

Another strong week is in the books for the New York Yankees, finishing 6-2. They started the week with a four-game series against Baltimore, whom they were 13-2 going into said series. Despite the lowly Orioles scoring at least three runs in every game, the bombers would finish off the birds with a sweep, finishing the season series 17-2, including 16 consecutive victories.

Not only did the Yankees continue their mastery of the Orioles as a team, but so did both Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez. Torres hit three more home runs during both games of the series-opening doubleheader, bringing his dinger total against Baltimore to 13. That ties him with Roger Marris for most home runs by a Yankee against an opponent in a season.

Sanchez launched his 10th home run against the Orioles off Dylan Bundy. That long ball made him and Torres the first Yankee teammates since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to hit double-digit homers against an opponent. The legendary New York Yankees duo each hit 11 dingers against the Boston Red Sox in 1927.

The bombers would not fare as well when they welcomed Cleveland for a four-game set. The Indians got off to a hot start, scorching Yankee pitching to win game one 19-5. The Yankees would win the next two by scores of 3-2 and 6-5 before dropping the finale 8-4, settling for a series split.

Despite the setback, the Yankees are sitting pretty in the A.L. East, leading Tampa Bay by 9.5 games entering Monday.

Injury Update on Voit, Severino, and More:

First baseman Luke Voit is close to returning to the big leagues, having been sent to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre to complete his rehab. Voit has been on the I.L. since July 30 with a sports hernia but has luckily avoided needing surgery, which could have ended his season. He could potentially have surgery in the offseason to correct the issue.

The 28-year-old slugger is batting .278/.392/.493 with 19 home runs and 54 RBI in 94 games. He is expected to play for the Railriders sometime this weekend, most likely Thursday and/or Friday according to Bryan Hoch. While he could come back during the New York Yankees’ nine-game west coast trip, Voit prefers to wait for the next homestand. That homestand starts on August 30 against Oakland, two days ahead of roster expansion.

Meanwhile, Luis Severino threw off the mound at Yankee Stadium for the first time in 2019 on Sunday. The New York Yankees ace threw another bullpen before throwing 15 pitches to three hitters. Despite giving up a single to assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere, Severino was in good spirits about this step forward.

Dellin Betances is not too far behind, throwing a bullpen on Sunday as well. He should be close to throwing to live hitters as both he and Severino head back to Tampa to continue their rehab.

Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is also progressing in his rehab, throwing a two-inning, 35-pitch simulated game on Wednesday in Tampa. He could return late this season, most likely as a long-relief option. The southpaw has been on the 60-day I.L. after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in May of 2018.

Gardner’s bat banging a big no-no, or the new thumbs down?:

After an interesting ejection back on August 9 in Toronto, outfielder Brett Gardner suffered a similar fate eight days later against Cleveland. In both instances, Gardner hit his bat on the dugout ceiling after a questionable called strike three on Cameron Maybin. This time, it was first base umpire Phil Cuzzi who ran over and ejected Gardner, as well as C.C. Sabathia, who started the following day.

This ejection possibly was a result of a meeting between Aaron Boone and MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre. During this meeting, Torre ruled that Gardner did enough to warrant his ejection in Toronto, namely hitting the bat on the dugout ceiling. Gardner has performed the action three times this season, as well as making a similar motion during the Bleacher Creature roll call on Sunday.

Some are starting to believe that the bat banging has become the new “thumbs down” rallying cry, further showing that the Yankees have bought into their role as “f-ing savages.”

And now, with that out of the way, it’s now time for this weeks…

Empire Sports Media Yankee Player of the Week:

Gleyber Torres:

8 games, 10-31 (.323), 6 HR, 11 RBI, 10 Runs Scored, .935 SLG %

The infamous sophomore slump doesn’t seem to apply to Gleyber Torres, especially during the past week. The 22-year-old continued his mastery over Baltimore with three more home runs, giving him 13 against the O’s on the year. He added three more against Cleveland, giving him six on the week.

Coming into Monday, Torres is now batting .282/.347/.533/.880 with 29 home runs and 73 RBI in 114 games. The 22-year-old looks to be a staple in the Yankee lineup for years to come.

Honorable Mentions (Not in any Order):

Domingo German:

Vs. Baltimore (8/13): W, 7.0 Innings, 5 Hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Didi Gregorius:

7 games, 7-28 (.250), 3 HR, 7 RBI, .607 SLG %

Gary Sanchez:

6 games, 7-21 (.333), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 1.107 OPS

D.J. LeMahieu:

6 games, 11-26 (.423), 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 Runs Scored, 1.272 OPS

Gio Urshela:

8 games, 16-35 (.457), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 Runs Scored, 1.057 OPS

New York Yankees Weekly Recap + ESM Yankee Players of the Week 8/5-8/11

by
New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

Weekly Recap:

After coming off a four-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees made short work of the Baltimore Orioles with a sweep at Camden Yards. The bombers outscored the last-place Orioles 32-12 in three games, now sitting at 13-2 against their division rivals. This also includes a perfect 10-0 record at Camden Yards. The last time the Yankees lost to the Orioles was on March 31, the third game of 2019 for both squads.

From Baltimore, they traveled to Toronto, though did not fare as well against the Blue Jays. Despite winning the opener 12-6, they would drop the next two by scores of 8-2 and 5-4. In the finale, the Yankees would take the lead in the fifth on a Brett Gardner ground-rule double but had to endure a 13-pitch battle between closer Aroldis Chapman and Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to scrape away a 1-0 victory.

On the week, the New York Yankees finished 5-2 as they continue to lock down the A.L. East and look towards October. Here are the division standings entering Monday:

A.L East Standings (As of 8/12):

New York (A.L.): 77-41

Tampa Bay: 69-50, 8.5 Games Back

Boston: 62-58, 16 Games Back

Toronto: 49-72, 29.5 Games Back

Baltimore: 39-78, 37.5 Games Back

Gary Sanchez returns from I.L.:

The New York Yankees’ lineup received reinforcements on Saturday when catcher Gary Sanchez was activated from the 10-day I.L. Sanchez had been on the I.L. since July 24 with a Grade 1 Groin Strain, his third groin injury in the past two seasons. In his two games back last week, Sanchez went 1-for-7, his one hit being a 426-foot solo home run in Toronto.

Injury Updates on Severino, Betances:

Sanchez isn’t the reinforcements the New York Yankees will receive, as both Luis Severino and Dellin Betances are making significant progress in hopes of making their 2019 debuts. While in Toronto, Severino threw a 29-pitch bullpen, reporting that the session was “better than I expected.”

Severino’s session was the first time he has been on a pitcher’s mound since March when he went down with right shoulder inflammation, followed by a Grade 2 Lat Strain. This comes after signing a four-year, $40 million extension that has him under team control until 2022.

Betances meanwhile threw a 20-pitch session, reporting similar results. The four-time all-star went on the I.L. in March with right shoulder impingement. He had initially resumed throwing in early June but soon was shut down again after an MRI revealed a low-level lat strain. Betances was set to be a free agent at the end of the year, but his absence may result in a short term extension.

And now, it is once again time for…

Empire Sports Media’s Yankee Players of the Week:

Gio Urshela:

5 games, 9-20 (.450), 5 HR, 10 RBI, 8 Runs Scored, 1.300 SLG %

Mike Tauchman:

7 games, 10-24 (.417), 5 HR, 10 RBI, 5 BB, 7 Runs Scored, 1.125 SLG %

For the second straight week, ESM presents your CO-Yankees of the Week! This time, the honor goes to Mike “the Sockman” Tauchman, as well as Mean (Woo!) Gio Urshela.

Despite starting the week recovering from a pair of pitches fouled off of both legs in the series finale against Boston, Urshela made up for lost time with back-to-back multi-homer games against Baltimore and Toronto. Entering Monday’s doubleheader against Baltimore, Mean Gio is hitting .323 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI, and a .940 OPS.

The Sockman had a very similar week in terms of production, also hitting five dingers and driving in 10. Entering Monday, Tauchman is batting .300 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, and a .960 OPS.

Honorable Mentions (Not In Order):

Brett Gardner:

6 games, 9-23 (.391), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 5 Runs Scored, 1.243 OPS, 1 Interesting Ejection

Another solid week is in the books for the longest-tenured Yankee, though it came with some fireworks. During game two of the four-game series with Toronto, many in the Yankees dugout were chirping at home plate umpire Chris Segal over questionable strike calls. The result was Segal throwing out a player who wasn’t involved, namely Gardner.

Upon realizing what had happened, the veteran outfielder stormed out of the dugout and had to be restrained by Aaron Boone as he ripped the young umpire.  Gardner did hit his bat into the dugout ceiling but never said a word to Segal before the ejection.

But the ejection itself was not the source of Gardner’s anger, but rather what came of it. After his ejection, Aaron Judge, who was in the midst of a slump, was brought in as a defensive replacement.

“The whole thing is Judgey finally getting a much needed day off,” Gardner said after the Yankees lost 8-2 that day, “He has to go into the game in the fourth inning because of what happened. That makes me madder than anything. The last thing I would do is intentionally get thrown out and him having to come off the bench like that.”

Two days later, Gardner got his revenge thanks to an RBI ground-rule double in the fifth, the only offense for either side in a 1-0 bomber victory.

Masahiro Tanaka:

Vs. Baltimore (8/5): ND, 5.1 Innings, 10 Hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Vs. Toronto (8/11): W, 8.0 Innings, 3 Hits, 4 SO

Despite giving up five earned runs in his previous start against Baltimore, Tanaka Time in Toronto was a good time Yankee fans. Through eight shutout innings, he allowed only three hits and struck out four. For his career, Tanaka is now 13-5 with a 2.69 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 123.2 Innings against Toronto.

James Paxton:

Vs. Baltimore (8/7): W, 6.2 Innings, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Typically when James Paxton had a quality start this year, the offense couldn’t back him up. That wasn’t the case last Wednesday in Baltimore, as the bombers put up 14 runs in a 14-2 victory. That was more than enough for the Big Maple, who would allow only one run and strike out seven through six and two-thirds innings. This start ended up being Paxton’s second straight quality start.

D.J. LeMahieu:

7 games, 9-28 (.321), 1 HR, 5 RBI

Cameron Maybin:

5 games, 8-22 (.364), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 6 Runs Scored, 1.119 OPS