NY Yankees

The New York Yankees Should Be Worried About Aaron Judge

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge is the face of the New York Yankees. Gleyber Torres is giving him a run for his money, but the team is all about Judge right now. That being said, they ought to be concerned for him.

He’s Injury Prone

Yes, taking a pitch on the wrist is not exactly his fault, but that makes all four seasons of his career where he’s been dogged by injury.

His rookie season was cut short by a lat injury. He played less than 30 games after getting called up in July (I was there, and yes, the home run was THAT majestic). They shut him down to help preserve him.

Yes, he played a full season in 2017. But he was bothered by injury most of the second half of the season. His offense took a nosedive after June, and he needed to remove debris from his throwing shoulder surgically.

2018, yes, the wrist, as mentioned earlier.

Then he missed 60 games due to ANOTHER lat injury in 2019.

Our Fragile Outfield

I’ve documented Hick’s injury history. Giancarlo Stanton has been hampered by various soft muscle injuries throughout his career, due to his size and physiology. Aaron Judge is taller than Stanton and has similar physiology to Stanton. Think about it… all of our outfielders last year played just barely half a season each, paving the way for Brett Gardner’s offensive juggernaut of a season.

We saw last year that we can get by without Stanton, even though he improves our lineup twenty fold. Someone will replace Hicks regularly throughout his current 7-year contract. We won’t miss him as much as others think we will. But Judge needs to stay healthy for 120+ games a season. He can be better than Mike Trout. But he hasn’t been able to prove just what he’s completely capable of yet. What if that 2017 season is the best we ever see of Judge. It’s too much of a risk.

The New York Yankees’ top priority for 2020 is to ensure Aaron Judge stays healthy for an entire season.

New York Yankees: Josh Hader Update

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New York Yankees, Josha Hader

The New York Yankees have been talking with the Milwaukee Brewers for weeks on a trade for star reliever Josh Hader. I recently spoke with some sources close to the situation in Milwaukee, and they seem to believe that Hader is going to be traded this offseason.

So why are the Yankees so interested in Hader? The simple answer is control. Josh Hader would come with four years of team control, which would give the Yankees a ton of flexibility. Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, and Tommy Kahnle would all hit free agency before Josh Hader. The Yankees are looking at this as an opportunity to secure arguably the best reliever in baseball who would also give them coverage if they were to lose any of those arms in free agency. The Yankees are also looking at this as a way to secure the most dominant paper roster in recent memory. If the Yankees would acquire Hader from the Brewers, they would arguably have the best lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen in all of baseball.

The Yankees Really Want Josh Hader

The Yankees do not need Josh Hader. The Yankees want Josh Hader. Sources told Empire Sports Media yesterday that the Yankees were aggressive in their push for Josh Hader. The same sources also believe that Milwaukee will deal him before Spring Training. Dan Federico reported of another “Informed” opinion that believes Josh Hader will end up in New York.

According to Jon Heyman, The Yankees have reportedly floated the idea of making Miguel Andujar the centerpiece of this deal. Andujar is coming off a lost season due to injury, but in his first full season back in 2018, he should have won the Rookie of the Year award in the American League when he set the Yankees franchise rookie record for doubles in a season at 47 (Baseball-Reference). The ole saying goes, “Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.” Well, I can tell you in this circumstance, there is a lot of smoke around Josh Hader and the New York Yankees. Time will tell if Josh Hader does get dealt, but if the news breaks that the star lefty is leaving Milwaukee, don’t be shocked if he’s heading to a barbershop close to Times Square.

New York Yankees: Luis Severino’s New Weapon

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

It’s funny to me how one injury-plagued season has totally changed the world’s perception of New York Yankees starter, Luis Severino. I have seen a lot of people compare the best rotations in baseball, and they talk about Severino as if he was a middle of the rotation kind of arm. Let’s rewind to his previous two seasons before his injury season of 2019. Combining his stats from 2017 and 2018, Luis Severino had a record of 33-14 with a 3.17 ERA (Baseball-Reference). In both of those seasons, he finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting for the American League. Luis Severino when healthy is an ace, and he is going to continue to get better.

 

Last year was a bump in the road for Sevy where injuries caused him to only make three starts where he went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. There is an expectation that Severino is going to be fully healthy going into 2020 and I fully expect his numbers to be on par with his 2017 and 2018 seasons. However, there is something, better yet, someone who will assist in taking Severino to the next level in 2020. That someone is Gerrit Cole.

Cole’s Impact on Severino

In the past few seasons, there was a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Luis Severino to become the pure ace of the Yankee staff. While he has the stuff to do it, I’m not sure New York Yankees fans ever looked at him the way they are already looking at Gerrit Cole. Now, Severino doesn’t have to be the ace of the staff for the Yankees with Gerrit Cole on the team. The pressure of an ace now belongs on the shoulders of Gerrit Cole. How can this benefit Severino?

 

Luis Severino can go into 2020 loose knowing he doesn’t have to be the ace coming off of an injury season. He can relax and focus on getting his mechanics sharpened. I also expect new pitching Coach Matt Blake to play a key role in Severino’s development this season. But, I also expect the new ace of the staff to play the biggest role in Severino making another jump forward. Gerrit Cole is a natural leader and he loves to share knowledge. He also shares a lot of similarities with the flame thrower from the Dominican Republic and I think he will be able to see that. Both righties have explosive fastballs with knee-buckling off-speed pitches.

 

While Sevy seems to stick to the fastball-slider-changeup pitch mix, Cole features four to five pitches, but they do share a similar mix. I think it is going to do absolute wonders for Severino to learn from a similar pitcher who is at the top of the sport. Gerrit Cole is coming from a situation in Houston where he was part of arguably the best 1-2 pitching punch in baseball. If both guys stay healthy, I think the same could be said for the 1-2 punch he will be a part of in 2020.

Let’s Get Bold

I personally think that Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino will make up the most dominant 1-2 punch in baseball over the next five seasons. Yes, Washington has Scherzer and Strasburg, but Scherzer is continuing to age and Strasburg’s health is always in question. I think Severino is going to continue to get better, and I think Gerrit Cole still has room to get better as a pitcher. I think having each other will bring out a little healthy competition and we will see both guys improve over the next several years. The Yankees might very well have two pitchers who will be fixtures in the top 5 of Cy Young voting for the next five years. That only bodes well for the New York Yankees and their dreams of getting to 30 championships as Gerrit Cole alluded to following his Yankees introduction.

The New York Yankees Catcher Conundrum Continues

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New York Yankees, Zach Britton

The New York Yankees are in a precarious situation regarding their catcher position. Yes, Gary Sanchez is a boon for the team and will be the everyday catcher for the foreseeable future. Kyle Higashioka is a career minor league catcher, who’s a lackluster offensive player, is going to be our backup, even with the prospect of him filling in as the everyday catcher for a couple of weeks at a time. Of course, the Yankees are expecting Sanchez to stay healthy for 140 games, but we need to be prepared for this eventuality.

Why the Yankees WON’T Go After a Free Agent Catcher

Let’s remember, the Yankees are at the final tier of the luxury tax. Anyone they sign is going to be an extra 42.5% tax added on to that player’s salary.

The Yankees are ALL IN on Higashioka. If they weren’t they’d have resigned Austin Romine. Why? Because he’d cost less money than Romine (Maldonado signed for $7 million over two years, Romine signed for $4 million). The Yankees like the power potential they’ve seen from Higashioka. In Higashioka’s 146 at-bats, he has 24 hits, 6 of which are home runs, 7 are doubles. Not bad, but 24-146 is pretty awful all things considered.

Why The Yankees SHOULD Go After Another Catcher

Security, for obvious reasons. They don’t have the greatest of depth at this position. It’s essentially just Sanchez and Higashioka. They did resign Erik Kratz to a minor league deal, but a 40-year-old backup catcher isn’t the greatest insurance policy in the world, right? And, again, Higashioka’s offensive shortcomings make the prospect of Sanchez going down for an extended period all the less appealing.

There are some other catchers who the Yankees could acquire by the trade deadline that would be a greater insurance policy than Erik Kratz. Former Yankees Brian McCann, Chris Stewart, Russell Martin, and Fransisco Cervelli are all free agents on the backend of their careers. A minor-league deal for any of them isn’t a terrible option. And with Yankee fans clamoring for another lefty bat, Brian McCann would make the most sense and appease fan’s concerns.

So, there are options for the New York Yankees next season in the unlikely situation that the Yankees lose both Sanchez AND Higashioka.

Why the New York Yankees are heavy favorites for the 2020 World Series

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

The 2020 New York Yankees, as currently constructed are one of the most dangerous teams in baseball. How? Here’s how.

Core Chemistry

Look at who made up the New York Yankees during the 98-01 teams. Jeter, Knoblauch, O’Neil, Martinez, Williams, Posada, Brocious, Soriano, Pettite, Cone, and Rivera. From 17 to now, we have Sanchez, Severino, Chapman, Torres, Judge, Gardner, Stanton, Andujar, Voit, Urshela, Tanaka, German, and DJ. There has to be something to be said for a core unit that’s been there for multiple seasons. They know how to play together, they know how to win, and they know how to have fun.

This Lineup Will Make You Salivate

Think about it. We’ll look at the slash lines of each hitter for the (potential) lineup, including home runs, RBI’s, and walk totals during the 2019 (or 2018 in case of injury) seasons:

DJ LeMahieu (.327/.375/.518, 26 HR’s, 102 RBI’s [both career highs], and 46 walks)

Aaron Judge (.272/.381/.540, 27 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, 64 walks)

Gleyber Torres (.278/.337/.535, 38 HR’s, 90 RBI’s [both career highs], 48 walks)

Gary Sanchez (.232/.316/.525, 34 HR’s [career high], 77 RBI’s, 40 walks)

Giancarlo Stanton (.266/.343/.509, 38 HR’s, 100 RBI’s, 70 walks [2018 stats])

Luke Voit (.263/.378/.464, 21 HR’s, 62 RBI’s, 71 walks [all career highs])

Gio Urshela (.314/.355/.534, 21 HR’s, 74 RBI’s, 25 walks [all career highs])

Miguel Andujar (.297/.328/.527, 27 HR’s, 92 RBI’s, 25 walks [2018 stats])

Brett Gardner (.251/.325/.503, 28 HR’s, 74 RBI’s [both career highs], 52 walks).

That’s 260 home runs, 726 runs batted in, and 441 walks. This is a team that gets on base, drives runners in, and are above average hitters. Think about it, Gary Sanchez was the only truly below-average hitter, along with a truly average hitter in Brett Gardner, and everyone else was an above-average hitter.

The Starting Rotation Ain’t Bad Too

Gerrit Cole improves every rotation. Because… well, did you SEE his 2019? Paxton is going to hopefully improve on the season he put up last year. Severino can likely return to form next year, and Tanaka can be expected to turn in a great first half of the season. If German isn’t suspended for too long, he has the stuff to be the most dominant number 5 in a rotation.

This is the first team the New York Yankees put up that, on paper, can best the 1998 Yankees.

Who has the best starting pitcher in New York, the Mets or the Yankees?

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Gerrit Cole, the Yankees’ most recent high-profile signing, is taking all the headlines. It shouldn’t be a surprise, as he put pen to paper to a nine-year, $324 million contract. But who’s the true king of New York, he or the Mets’ Jacob deGrom?

The case for DeGrom, the New York Mets’ undisputed ace

When it comes to run prevention, Jacob deGrom has virtually no peers in the Major Leagues. He had a mind-boggling 1.70 ERA in 2018 and a 2.43 mark in 2019, when fly balls were leaving parks at alarming rates.

The most telling stat about deGrom, who has been New York’s undisputed ace the last two seasons, is WAR. In the last two years, he has a fantastic 16.0 fWAR, the highest mark among starting pitchers. It isn’t particularly close, as Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole, the second and third-ranked hurlers, have 14.0 and 13.4, respectively.

Mets’ fans have the pleasure to enjoy arguably the best pitcher of the league. He won the Cy Young award in 2018 and 2019. This season, he had a healthy 11.25 K/9 and 1.94 BB/9. His 2.67 FIP was slightly worse than last year’s insane 1.99 mark. He is a beast.

The case for Cole, the New York Yankees’ newest workhorse

Whereas deGrom is known for his run prevention skill, Cole makes his living with the strikeout. It’s not like the Mets’ ace doesn’t strike people out, or that the new Yankee workhorse has high eras. It’s just that each pitcher has something that defines them.

The New York Yankees’ recent free agent acquisition had a 13.82 K/9. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, the number isn’t associated with a high-powered reliever. Cole can miss bats with his heater, changeup, curveball, and slider.

The Mets‘ deGrom won the WAR battle in 2018 9.0 to 6.0, but Cole took it back in 2019, 7.4 to 7.0 thanks to a season for the ages with the Houston Astros. He was unbeaten for months, he had a 2.50 ERA in the American League, and he pitched 212.1 innings. Cole issued few walks (2.03 BB/9) and won 20 games. His 326 strikeouts and 0.895 WHIP are impressive marks.

He was an absolute monster in the postseason. The Tampa Bay Rays could only muster a meager run in 15.2 innings, with three walks and 25 punchouts. He had a scoreless seven-inning performance against the Yankees, and a 3.86 ERA in the World Series.

Verdict

While Gerrit Cole has more than enough merits to be the king of New York, he will have to earn that on the mound. For now, Jacob deGrom wins this hypothetical race with the slightest of margins, thanks to his otherworldly run prevention skills and his WAR advantage.

New York is in for an exciting 2020 season, and both the Mets and the Yankees’ rotations will be anchored by these two phenomenal hurlers.

How The New York Yankees and Mets Can Help Each Other

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New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

The New York Yankees are looking to unload payroll for 2020. The New York Mets are looking to do something similar. Yankees fans think we need a better back up catcher than Kyle Higashioka. I agree with that because Higashioka isn’t that great of a catcher, but he’s out of options, and the Yankees brass seem high on him. The Mets want Starling Marte and want to stay under the $208 million luxury tax threshold, so moving a couple of contracts helps them. 

Why not work out trading JA Happ to the Mets for Wilson Ramos?

A .280 hitter with 17 HRs and 80ish RBI’s? Why wouldn’t the Yankees want that? The Mets will be looking to shop Brandon Nimmo and Jed Lowrie. So if they move both, why not move Ramos to the Yankees in exchange for Happ?

Their salaries aren’t that different, so if the Mets move enough salary, acquiring Happ isn’t the worst option in the world. We’re talking a $6 million difference. If the Yankees include a little bit of cash, let’s say $3 million, trading for Happ seems like a no brainer.

How This Helps Both Teams

The New York Yankees, realistically, don’t need J.A. Happ. Yes, there’s the whole Domingo German possible suspension happening, but Happ’s less than lackluster 2019 is enough to move him off the team. And Higgy, well, we’re talking a career .250 hitter in the MINOR leagues, with a fielding percentage not much better than Gary Sanchez who so many fans deem to be “The worst defensive catcher ever.” Ramos is a more than acceptable playerto fill in for Sanchez, who will spend some time on the IL this season.

Fransico Alvarez should make a splash as the Mets backup catcher for next season. Happ provides depth to a very thin Mets starting rotation, and with a notably larger park in Citi Field than Yankee stadium, Happ will have an opportunity to show that he still has something left in the tank. Considering Matz’s injury problems, Happ would see some time. 

Brian, Brodie, it’s time to make a call.

A 10 Part Breakdown of the New York Yankees Depth: Center Field

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Do the New York Yankees need starting pitchers for 2020? They need upgrades and help, but they don’t NEED a starter. Do the Yankees need a starting shortstop? No, but it would be smarter to resign Didi Gregorius. Do the Yankees need a center fielder for 2020?

Short Answer: Yes

Aaron Hicks is going to perpetually be on the IL the remainder of his career. He averages between 80 and 90 games a season. And now, he’s basically lost for the season. It’ll be a miracle if he can actually come back and play any games before the end of 2020 considering how slow he was coming back from a back injury. It could be a situation like Zack Wheeler, who took 2 and a half years to recover from Tommy John surgery. So you need a center fielder for the entirety of 2020. Just to be safe.

Now, do the Yankees need to pay for a center fielder?

Short Answer: No. Long Answer: No, But They Should

Mike Tauchman is on the roster and has experience playing center field. He doesn’t have much though, only 22 games. For someone who’s only been in the majors since 2017, it’s not a bad idea to bring Brett Gardner back. It would be smarter to have Gardner and Tauchman platoon in center, providing defensive days off to Judge and Stanton from time to time. Gardner’s veteran presence is invaluable, and he more than justified a one year contract based on his performance last year. So, if Hicks can come back before the end of the year, you have Gardner as the 5th outfielder on the bench. 

And considering how much the Yankees are offering Gerrit Cole, signing Gardner isn’t going to set you back in relation to the luxury tax.

You need to better develop Tauchman as it will possibly take longer than anticipated for Estevan Florial to reach the big club. He has yet to play for the Staten Island Yankees. So for Tauchy to have Gardy’s help next season… it’s the only way you can go if you’re the New York Yankees.

Why the New York Yankees had to replace Larry Rothschild

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New York Yankees, Larry Rothschild

Much has been made of Larry Rothschild’s dismissal from the New York Yankees. He is heralded as one of the best pitching coaches in baseball, so why would he get the pink slip?

Simple. Because he wasn’t as good as you thought he was.

Look at it from this perspective, in the NFL, when the offense is struggling, the offensive coordinator is first to go over the head coach. So just HOW good was Larry Rothschild in the eight seasons he’s been the Yankees’ pitching coach?

Pitching coaches are meant to help the whole pitching staff, and our team pitching staff was mediocre at best. According to ESPN,  the team ERA for the New York Yankees last season was 4.31. This includes the “best bullpen in baseball.” That put Yankees pitching 14th in baseball. The Mets had a better team ERA than we did. We’re the Yankees! We’re supposed to be the best team in baseball! Our pitchers had the 11th best batting average against, sitting at just shy of .250. Do you know how bad the Cincinnati Reds were? They were the 5th worst team in the National League. Their pitching staff’s BAA was sitting at .235 compared to our .248. Cincinnati finished fourth in all of baseball in this category, and they missed the playoffs! The Yankees’ staff gave up 739 runs, and 691 of those runs were earned runs. The Mets pitching staff gave up fewer runs and fewer earned runs. Our rotation also had a combined WHIP that was tied for the San Francisco Giants, a team that finished 15 games under .500.

What I think is most telling are the number of quality starts, and innings pitched the Yankees staff threw in 2019. Yankees were 18th in baseball in regards to quality starts. Our pitching staff was also 14th in total innings pitched for the season. A common trope about the Yankees when the ALCS ended was, “You can’t expect your team to win when your bullpen is forced to get 15-18 outs a game”. 

Tanaka averaged just shy of 6 innings a game in 2019. Happ, at 161 innings pitched, averaged a half-inning fewer than Tanaka. Paxton, who started two fewer games than Happ, through 11 fewer innings than Happ. German, one of the league leaders in wins, threw 143.

Even with him missing his last 3-5 starts, he still pitched the deepest into games out of the other 3. And we all saw what CC could and couldn’t do. His injuries limited him to 107 innings, limiting him to 4.5 innings pitched per appearance. (baseball-reference.com). This is not a great starting pitching staff.

The more the bullpen needs to be used, the less effective they become. It happened to Ottavino at the worst possible time. Chad Green had to become a starter to figure out what was wrong with him this season? He still finished with an EAR above 4. Tommy Kahnle still had an ERA above 3.50, which isn’t particularly proficient for a relief pitcher. 

Our bullpen has been overworked, and our starting pitchers aren’t getting us deep into games. If you use your eyes, this has been the case for Rothschild as pitching coach for the last 3-5 seasons. I mean, hell, how long did Sonny Grey last per start as a Yankee? Something has to give with our pitching staff as a whole. It had to start with Larry Rothschild. Statistics and eye tests don’t lie. Rothschild had to go. It was time.

New York Yankees Finish West Coast Swing Strong With Sweep Of Mariners

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New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka

After beginning their west coast road trip by being swept by the Athletics, the New York Yankees won a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and swept the Seattle Mariners to head home on a high note.

Starting pitching was problematic against the Athletics, but was great against the Dodgers and the Mariners.

JA Happ and James Paxton had solid starts at each end of the Mariners series, with Masahiro Tanaka pitching a gem in the middle game. He went seven innings and gave up just three hits.

Aaron Judge got hot out west, hitting home runs in six of the nine games away from New York. One of the home runs was the 100th of his career, and teammate Gary Sanchez also hit his 100th career home run. The two hit their 100th home runs in the quickest amount of games in AL history.

Gleyber Torres also played really well on the trip, collecting twelve hits and hitting three dingers.

Baby Bomber Mike Ford played great over the nine games, hitting five home runs. Though he has gotten hot, Luke Voit is just about ready to return to the team and it will place Ford into a back-up role for the remainder of the season.

But in discouraging news, Gio Urshela left the final game of the series against the Mariners with groin tightness. He says that he is okay and wants to play Friday, but we don’t know all the details yet.

All in all, it was a successful road trip for the Yankees. They finished 5-4 and beat the best team in the MLB. Now, they can head home and get revenge against the Oakland Athletics.