yankees news

Yankees ink former top Nationals outfield prospect to minor-league deal

by
blake perkins, yankees

The New York Yankees are still unable to pursue Major League talent due to the lockout, but they have been active in the Minor League category, bringing on several players this past week to bolster their depth.

After the Yankees signed Ender Inciarte to a contract, they recently brought in former top outfield prospect from the Washington Nationals, Blake Perkins.

Perkins is 25-years-old and was once considered the No. 11 Prospect in Washington’s farm system back in 2018, but he has since struggled to develop into a prominent player.

The versatile outfielder is known for his defensive efficiency and patience at the plate but lacks power and slugging ability, which is something the Yankees hyperfocus on with their players.

Here’s a look at Blake Perkins’s scouting report from 2019:

Drawing multiple comparisons to major league outfielder Jon Jay, Perkins best fits the profile of a fourth outfielder if he can make a significant improvement at the plate. He’s a glove-first player, a plus defender in center field with mature instincts, excellent routs and an above-average arm. He controls the strike zone well, as evidenced by his 15 percent walk rate, but his 22 percent strikeout rate indicates that he needs to make more contact in order to take advantage of his above-average speed. He has no power.

This past season, Perkins featured with Northwest Arkansas, a Kansas City Royals affiliate. Over 72 games, he hit .202 with seven homers and 30 RBIs. Historically, he’s a lackluster offense threat, but his great arm strength in centerfield and solid defense make him at the very least a serviceable player.

It is highly unlikely Perkins ever features for the Yankees but given their injury issues the past few seasons, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pop up in the future. Nonetheless, the Bombers have a few prospects of their own they want to elevate, including Estevan Florial, who’s due to a legitimate opportunity in the bigs.

The Yankees have a truly special talent rising through the minor league system

by
anthony volpe, yankees

One of the main reasons the New York Yankees are potentially looking to find a stop-gap solution at shortstop is the presence of young infielder Anthony Volpe in their minor league system.

General manager Brian Cashman and the coaching staff have gushed about his qualities as an offensive threat, but he’s also a solid defensive player with elevating attributes.

MiLB.com awarded Anthony Volpe as the best shortstop in the Yankees’ minor-league system, which was expected despite the presence of Oswald Peraza.

However, the way Volpe was described should prick a few ears:

Volpe, 20, had the type of season that really makes a club ponder its own future.

Given how great he’s played, passing on an option that Carlos Correa will likely be the case if the Yankees believe Volpe will be ready to make the jump in no more than two years.

Correa wouldn’t enjoy the idea of moving from shortstop. If you’re paying a player over 10 seasons, you don’t have much flexibility in the matter.

However, it seems the Cashman is quite confident Volpe will make a successful transition in the coming years. This past season, he slashed .294/.423/.604 with 27 homers, 33 stolen bases, 86 RBIs, 35 doubles, 113 runs scored, and 170 wRC+.

“I think the biggest thing for me was to see how he impacted the game every single night in every way,” Renegades manager Dan Fiorito said. “With the bat — his consistency, his sense of timing, his feel for the barrel, his ability to drive the baseball to all fields was the first thing that stood out, and the power numbers this year were certainly there.”

Not only has Volpe displayed incredible hitting, but also elite bass running abilities, something the Yankees have lacked within their batting order. Having a player who can hit for power but also display incredible athleticism is rare, which makes the minor-league prospect that much more excited. For that matter, it also brews a bit of excitement with Jasson Dominguez.

The question is, do they have enough faith in him to pass on an elite shortstop on the free-agent market? If there was ever an opportunity to upgrade the SS spot, the market this year provides that solution, and passing on it in hopes of Volpe developing into a top player is risky.

Do you think they should stick with their confidence in Volpe and sign a stopgap or go for a big gun like Carlos Correa? Comment here!

Yankees: Clint Frazier details ‘serious’ mental health problems last season

by
New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees ex-outfielder Clint Frazier has finally come out and discussed his last and final season with the Yankees. He admitted that mental stress affected his play. The once magical player with a quick bat went from a bright future to one of the Yankees’ most disappointing players while being immature and mysteriously having health issues.

Weeks after the Yankees parted ways with Clint Frazier and days after Frazier had more snarky comments about the Yankees, throwing the club under the bus, he has opened up and has explained his side of the story.

First, we should go back to 2018 when Frazier started the season on this disabled list due to a head-first concussion suffered during spring training when he crashed into an outfield wall. Then, fast forward to 2021, the Yankees got a scare in spring training when Clint Frazier slammed into the left-field wall going after a Willi Castro homer in the bottom of the fourth at Joker Marchant Stadium. I point out these two incidents because they may have something to do with his 2021 struggles.

Frazier’s time with the Yankees has been a roller coaster ride, taking him from being a heralded future Yankee star to being released by the Yankees and signing with the Chicago Cubs. Frazier’s ability to hit with his quick bat mainly was never a question, but his defense in the outfield dogged him throughout his Yankee career, causing him to be riding on the Yankee’s shuttle more than he should have been. His defensive abilities went from sub-par to sound, even to being considered for a Gold Glove Award and back down to questionable at best.

Frazier’s lack of maturity also dogged him throughout his time with the Yankees. Frazier refused to talk to reporters after one poor game in the outfield. After poor play and being sent down to Scranton on one occasion, Clint had some not-so-nice things to say about the team, even going to the point of scrubbing images and any mention of the Yankees from his social media accounts.

In 2021, Frazier played in only 66 games, batting .186. Frazier removed himself from a game on June 30, 2021, complaining of dizziness, and two days later was placed on the Yankees’ injured list. He underwent neurological testing in July and was sent on a minor league rehab assignment in August; there, he suffered another setback complaining of vision issues. These mysterious, undiagnosed health issues would lead him to sit out the remainder of the season. Some analysts believed he might never play the game again. On November 19, he was designated for assignment and released on November 23. A week later, he signed a one-year contract with the Cubs.

More recently, Frazier had some parting shots for the Yankees but said during an appearance on Barstool’s Short Porch podcast that it wasn’t until recently that he faced struggles with his mental health. It affected his quality of life, and he knew he needed to take it seriously.

“I was severely symptomatic with some of these past issues that I was having,” Frazier said. “I was like, ‘We gotta pick the pace up. I need help. I need serious f—in help.’’

As the 2021 season progressed, Yankee fans were confused and perplexed with the health issues affecting Frazier. It was first diagnosed as vertigo, then dizziness, vision problems, and depth perception problems; with most ruled out, it left fans and the Yankees wondering what exactly was going on. Frazier now admits it may have just been stress affecting his play.

“When people were all over me for diving, I was just trying to catch the ball,” Frazier said. “I thought the ball was right here, and it was right there.”

He also admitted that feeling these symptoms prior to spring training, he never revealed them to the Yankee training staff. He said the team was never aware that he was “fighting for my life.” When the season started, those feelings came back, and even the crowd noise or lights affected his play.

“I showed up to spring training and started to feel better, and then it kind of, like, came back because I had an instance where I bumped the wall again,” he said. “I went into the whole season feeling that exact way.”

Frazier admitted not having a diagnosis for his problems made things even worse. But, he said, regardless of me leaving the Yankees, I had cordial relations with manager Aaron Boone and felt he was friends with GM Brian Cashman, who “always had my back.” In closing, he said he hoped to have face-to-face conversations with some when he returned to the stadium with the Cubs.

The New York Yankees and their fans wish Clint nothing but the best with the Cubs. 

Yankees make a depth outfield signing, but certainly not the one they need

by
ender inciarte, yankees

News for the New York Yankees is slow, for obvious reasons. The Players Union and team owners are preparing to meet and discuss about core economic values in January, but a prolonged lockout seems like it’s all be guaranteed. With that being the case, we can expect plenty of irrelevant storylines, gossip, trade prospects, and mock deals, which are always fun until they’re not.

However, the Yankees did land a player recently via the transaction wire that went under the radar. According to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, the Bombers signed Ender Indiarte to a minor-league deal, replacing a few weaker depth pieces that have since been let go this offseason.

Inciarte was once a respectable player, but at 31-years-old, his best service comes in the form of depth and last-resort situations. The veteran outfielder started off his career in Arizona with the Diamondbacks, posting intriguing numbers, including a .278 average in 2014 and .303 in 2015.

Arizona proceeded to send him to Atlanta, where he’s stayed since this most recent campaign, earning a Championship with the Braves. Bringing players over from successful teams is always ideal, whether they bring reserve talent or leadership mentalities.

What Ender Inciarte brings to the Yankees:

Inciarte only featured in 52 games this past season, posting a .215 average with two homers. He’s far from slugger and his best days are undoubtedly behind him, but he can serve as a valuable defender and decent enough hitter where he wouldn’t represent an automatic out. Ender was once a base-stealing monster, but his services in that department have simmered to single-digits.

This isn’t the big signing the Yankees imagined at this point in the off-season, but these are the depth pieces that eventually supplement injuries and make an impact. Considering Ender featured in 52 games for Champions this past year, we can expect to see him with the team in 2022 given he can make it through Spring Training.

Yankees News and Rumors: Does first baseman Anthony Rizzo know something we don’t?

by
anthony rizzo, yankees

The New York Yankees finished the 2021 season with Anthony Rizzo manning first base after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. The lifelong Cub made the transition successfully from Chicago to New York with ease, saying he loved playing in the Bronx. He started out with a bang at the plate but quickly cooled off, although his stellar defense at first base continued. At the end of the season, he became a free agent for the first time in his life, leaving the Yankees without an everyday first baseman.

Before the MLB imposed lock-out, the Yankees did little to improve the team with several holes to patch up if they want to build a championship team for 2022. The Yankees made it known immediately after the World Series that their number one priority was getting a star-like shortstop to replace the failed experiment with Gleyber Torres, the everyday second baseman. They also acknowledged that they needed to address not having a valid number two starting pitcher, with the exit of Corey Kluber, a first baseman, and help in center field to back up the often unhealthy Aaron Hicks. 

The Yankees have options at first base; they held over former first baseman Luke Voit putting him on the 40 man roster. They also are considering Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman, among others, including bringing back Anthony Rizzo, but in the usual manner, the Yankees have been tight-lipped about any pending moves. General Manager had stated that they had contacted Rizzo’s agent, although it is unclear if ongoing talks before the lock-out had advanced.

Rizzo has a history of freely buying homes and selling them, most recently selling a Parkland, Florida $2.5 million mansion in favor of an upgraded $4.5 upscale property in Fort Lauderdale. The two homes are just 30 minutes apart. But now news has surfaced (unverified) that the superstar first baseman has purchased a new home in southeast Connecticut. Rizzo has made it clear he wants to stay playing in New York. Does he know something we don’t?

During a recent podcast, Rizzo had this to say about living in New York:

“Our time in New York was great. We loved it,” Rizzo said. “We lived in the Upper West Side. Lived near (Central Park). Took Kevin (his dog) to the park pretty much every day in the morning, a nice stroll through Central Park. Got to basically live in the city for two or three months and enjoy New York City for those two or three months and then playing baseball for the Yankees, it was a good time. We really enjoyed it …”

“You put that uniform on for the first time, it’s definitely special. … There’s only a few jerseys around this league that when you put them on, it’s different, and the Yankees are definitely one of them.”

“It was great,” Rizzo told “The Compound Podcast” with Ian Happ. “You go from playing at Wrigley Field and the Cubs to New York (and) Yankee Stadium. What more can you ask for?”

Anthony Rizzo came to New York in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo has spent his entire major league career with the Cubs, where he was one of the most beloved players on the team. He played a big part in the Cub’s first World Series win in 107 years. The eleven-year veteran player has a 36.8 WAR with 244 home runs and a career batting average of .269. During his Yankee debut, he walked, had two hits, and hit his 15th home run of the season.

Rizzo turned 32 last season. He is a native of Parkland, Florida, and attended the same school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 draft by the Boston Red Sox. Rizzo’s minor league career started at 17 in 2007 in the rookie class with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox. He was an immediate success.

In December of 2010, Rizzo was traded to the San Diego Padres. After not making the team in spring training to start the 2011 season, he was assigned to the Tucson Padres. Rizzo was called up to the majors after hitting .365 with an OPS of 1.159 and 16 home runs and 63 RBI in 200 at-bats over 52 games in Tucson. He hit his first major league home run on June 11, 2011.

During the winter of 2012, he was scheduled to be the Padres starting first baseman because of his excellent play, but the Padres acquired Yonder Alonso, who ended up getting the job. Shortly thereafter, Rizzo was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

Rizzo started the 2012 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. His results with the Cubs were the same as with the Padres. He batted .342 with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs. The Cubs promoted him to the big team, where it was hoped he could help the teams’ struggling offense. He became the first player in Cubs history to have three game-winning RBIs in his first five games. In July, he was named Rookie of the month. He ended his first season with the Cubs with a .285 batting average and 15 home runs.

In 2013, Rizzo cemented himself as a great player and fan favorite. Fans learned that not only was he a good player but a really nice person. In 2014, he earned his first All-Star game and came in 10th in the MVP voting. He would be an All-Star for the next three years and an MVP candidate for the next five years. He was also a Silver Slugger and a four-time Gold Glover. In 2016, he helped the Chicago Cubs win their first World Series in over 107 years, the longest World Series drought in baseball history.

He was an integral part of the last three victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the team to their first World Series appearance since 1945. He would have 5 RBIs in the World Series and would score 7 runs that led the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series win since 1908. That year he would also win the Esurance MLB Award for the best media personality. He also won the defensive award saving 11 runs for the Cubs and led all first baseman getting him his first Fielding Bible Award. He was also nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award. He also got his third MLBPAA Cubs Heart and Hustle Award.

On September 2, 2017, Rizzo became the fourth Cubs player to hit at least 30 home runs, 30 doubles, and 100 RBIs in three or more seasons. For the season, he batted .273/.392/.507 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. Unfortunately, he also led the major leagues getting bonked 24 times. On October 27, Rizzo was named the 2017 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for his charity’s work to find a cure for childhood cancer. Of winning the award, Rizzo said, “This is amazing. The greatest award you can win. It will go front and center in front of anything I’ve ever done.” In 2018 he had another 101 RBIs. In 2019 he had the highest batting average of his career (.293) with 27 home runs.

The shortened 2020 season was a disappointing season for Rizzo, as it was for many players. He hit only .222 on the season. But he still got the equivalent of 23 home runs and earned his fourth Gold Glove Award at first base. This season he has bounced back with 14 home runs for the Cubs and a batting average of .248. The Cubs offered Rizzo a five-year $70 million extension earlier in the season, which he refused.

With the extension refusal and becoming a free agent in 2022, the Chicago Cubs made the difficult decision to let loose of their long-time favorite player and trade him to the New York Yankees. Anthony Rizzo is probably not the player he was in his prime, but he could help the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009. The Cubs were so appreciative of Rizzos’ time with the Cub, and for the man he is, they produced a short video honoring and thanking him.

With the Yankees last season he hit 249 while hitting 8 home runs in just 49 games. Not only does Rizzo produce at the plate, but he also gives the Yankees defense at first base that they have not seen since Mark Teixeira. However, questions still are unanswered as to if he will return in pinstripes. Although the home purchase in Connecticut can’t be verified, Rizzo has said he sold his home in Chicago.

Yankees might have a secret ingredient with new pitching coach hire

by
New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Boone

After an inconsistent year with the starting rotation, the New York Yankees are looking to bolster the unit this off-season via free agency or trade. They still have quality arms to utilize during the 2021–22 season, including Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Jameson Taillon, and the return of Luis Severino. I’d be remiss not to mention Domingo German signing a short-term extension to stick with the team, but the Yankees desperately need more support, and they’re going to have to spend to get it.

General manager Brian Cashman had $25 million on the table for Justin Verlander over one season, but he elected to stick with a Houston Astros on a two-year, $50 million deal with a player option for the second year.

However, the Yankees aren’t only focused on adding players, they also elevated a fantastic young coach to the Major League roster after spending time in the minor-league system.

Desi Druschel is being elevated from the team’s minor-league manager of pitch development to an assistant pitching coach under Aaron Boone’s revised staff.

Druschel will join Matt Blake and Mike Harkey as the team’s primary pitching coaches, and given his work ethic and knowledge, it is entirely possible he becomes a secret ingredient for their success moving forward.

Brendan Kuty of NJ.com spoke to Rick Heller, the University of Iowa head baseball coach, regarding the elevation of Desi Druschel to a top pitching role within the Yankees’ organization:

“His work ethic is off the charts,” Heller said. “An elite level. He’s brilliant. He’s got savvy. He’s going to constantly keep pushing the envelop to learn more and be on the cutting edge that’s out there with his job.

“He’s constantly searching for something that is going to help his team and help the players get better, the best way possible. He’s never going to sit back and just think he knows it all. That’s the beauty of what Desi does. He’s constantly trying to learn and get better.”

Heller’s comments describe a forward-thinking coach that is on the cutting edge of technology and modern knowledge of pitching. Whether it be velocity or spin rate, Desi is clearly ready to take the leap to the Major League system or he can make a significant impact on a group of players with immense potential.

However, Cashman is still likely to bring in another quality arm to bolster the rotation, giving the trio of coaches even more talent to work with.

Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo makes bold claim about baseballs from 2021

by
anthony rizzo, yankees

The New York Yankees and the other MLB teams were surprised when MLB changed the baseball that was in play mid-season. Understandably the baseball is the most important piece of equipment in the game. It affects the pitcher, as does the hitter.

Over the last several seasons, the ball has changed from year to year. Players were both surprised and disturbed that it was changed mid-season during 2021. It appears that keeping the ball the same is not a priority for MLB. It should be something to be discussed during the present CBA talks for a new contract. In just the last few years, we have gone from an ordinary ball to a juiced ball and then to a dead ball in 2021.

Take a look at these numbers:

  • 2014: 0.86 home runs and 4.07 runs per team per game (lowest-scoring season since 1981)
  • 2019: 1.39 home runs and 4.83 runs per team per game (most prolific home run season ever)
  • 2020: A juiced ball that saw more home runs than in the past decade.
  • 2021: MLB introduced the dead ball, the results were noticeable. There were 873 home runs in 2021 compared to the last 162 game season with 1,144 in 2019.

Changes in the ball shift the game beyond what most fans realize. Launch angle changes, defense, and offense also both change. In 2014, the league slugged .386, but that has increased to 4.35, a 58 point increase over the past five years. Another problem for pitchers and hitters alike is the MLB is not always transparent with these ball changes. They did announce before the 2021 season that there would be very minor changes to the ball, it deadened it for 2021. The result was fewer home runs, but then they changed the ball again mid-season leading to more home runs in the second half.

The deadened ball was a boon to pitchers but didn’t please hitters as fewer balls traveled over the fences. Just a minor change in the ball can keep it from going just a few extra feet, resulting in fewer home runs in all parks. One player that commented on the change was the Yankees’ first baseman, Anthony Rizzo.

Free-agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo claimed during a podcast appearance this week that he noticed the change in the baseball last season that MLB used. 

“I would take the balls this year and feel on them and be like, ‘Man, this seems harder,'” Rizzo said on Compound Podcast, hosted by his former Chicago Cubs teammate Ian Happ, per NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty. “And then you take some of them, and you’re like, ‘Feel how soft this is compared to what they were.’ It’s crazy.” Happ, agreed with Rizzo. He added: “They started flying in the middle of the year and you’re like, what’s going on?”

Commissioner Rob Manfred has been criticized for many things during his tenure, and this was just another one. Manfred and MLB have experienced some controversy over how the baseballs are made or weighted for years now. The league even investigated in 2019 when they commissioned their look into the subject. They found that the ball was not intentionally changed, and instead, it credited the change to hitter behavior, causing more home runs. Since then, we learned the ball was fiddled with, making it travel further.

Fans, pitchers, and hitters all believe the ball should not be tinkered with from year to year and that in no case should it be changed during the season. MLB and the players union should decide on a ball and stick with it. After originally saying there wasn’t a change in the ball, this season finally admitted that the ball changed but not on purpose. Due to the pandemic, there was a shortage of balls, and MLB had to change suppliers.

Rizzo, who played for the Cubs and Yankees this past season, is now a free agent. He has let it be known that he would like to stay in New York, but the Yankees have made no decision on who will be the starting first baseman this coming season. They did retain Luke Voit, leaving him as an option.

New York Yankees Bio: Aaron Judge, the man, and the myth

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

New York Yankee superstar Aaron Judge has been in the news a lot this week, as he tied the knot in Hawaii this past weekend. But, also in the news is whether the Yankees will extend him a mega-contract keeping him a Yankee for life.

The slugger Aaron Judge burst onto the Major League scene in 2017. He played in 155 games, getting 52 home runs and hitting .284 with 114 RBIs. He was heralded at the new Yankee Star, the new Mickey Mantle. He was a Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and came in second in the MVP voting. However, he was never the same again with all of those accolades until this past season.

From 2018 to 2020, Judge was riddled with a myriad of injuries keeping him off the field and from performing. During those three years, he played only an average of 80 games a season. His home runs were gone, and his strikeouts stood out. He never could regain his 2017 form.

Fast forward to the 2021 season; a new healthy Aaron Judge appeared on the stage at Yankee Stadium. He was the most dependable and consistent player all of last season. He hit some runs, singles, doubles, and got on base. His .383 OBP is the best since 2017. Plain and simple, he carried the Yankees on his back even during the horrid first half of the season.

Judge ended the season hitting .287 with 39 home runs while playing in a career-high 148 games. 

Here is some useful information to get you to know the man Aaron Judge. On April 27, 1992, Wayne and Patty Judge adopted an African American biracial baby a day after he was born; that baby was Aaron Judge. When Judge was old enough to understand, his parents told him, he was adopted.

Growing up in California, Judge was a San Francisco Giants fan. Judge attended Linden High School, where he was a three-sport star. He played as a pitcher and first baseman for the baseball team, a wide receiver for the football team, and a basketball team center. He set a school record for touchdowns (17) in football and led the basketball team in points per game (18.2). In addition, he was part of the Linden High School team that made the California Interscholastic Federation Division III playoffs in baseball.

You can imagine with this sports record that Judge was heavily recruited by teams like Notre Dame, Stanford, and ULCA as a tight end, but Judge wanted to play baseball. He was selected in the 2010 draft by Oakland but wanted to attend college instead. He played for Fresno State, where he was named a Freshman All-American. In 2012 he won the TD Ameritrade College home run, Derby. During the summer of 2012, he played for the Brewster White Caps of the Cape Cod League.

This is where I may have seen him play. He was drafted #1 by the New York Yankees. In his junior year with Fresno, he led the team in home runs, doubles, and RBI’s. In 2013 the Yankees selected him in the draft, and he signed with the Yankees for a 1.8 million signing bonus. He joined the team but was injured in running drills that kept him out of the season.

So what have we learned about that superstar Aaron Judge? Obviously, he’s a star baseball player, but he also loves football especially watching the playoff games. He loves his friends and fellow players; he instead praises a fellow player than talk about himself. He loves dogs and is a big fan of children that love baseball. He is more profound than many may think. His Twitter header carries the Corinthians “For we live by faith, not by sight.” His very first post reads as follows: 

Christian. Faith, Family, then Baseball. “If what you did yesterday still seems big today, then you haven’t done anything today!”

Judge loves children. He makes every attempt to greet them to sign baseballs and give them his gloves, bat, or cap. He frequently pulls them from the stands so their parents can get a photo of their child with the Yankee star. Many would feel that doing this was a chore but watching Judge, you can tell he loves it, even seeking out young Yankee fans in away parks. It is not uncommon to see him play catch with young New York Yankee fans when there is a play pause. 

Apparently, Aaron Judge is a one-and-done kind of guy, as he culminated a more than ten-year relationship with his high school sweetheart, Samantha Bracksieck, and this weekend, he sealed the deal with a passionate kiss after the pair made their vows. This is even more exciting because the pair managed to keep the impending nuptials mostly secret. Bracksieck was shown months ago with what appeared to be an engagement ring, indicating that an upcoming wedding might be in the books.

The two were married on Saturday, December 11, 2021. It was said to be an intimate wedding with only family and a few of the closest friends in attendance at the Montage Kapalua Bay resort in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. The nuptials were enjoyed oceanside with views of other Hawaiian islands. John J. Judge is Aaron’s older brother. They have different blood in their genes, but that doesn’t prevent them from being two peas in a pod. John and Aaron are very close! John is an educator, as are Aarons’ parents. Simply put, this hulk of a man is a softy and of high moral values that cherish being a Yankee and all that that involves.

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

Yankees could sign Hideki Matsui replica in free agency

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Seiya Suzuki, yankees

The New York Yankees are focused on finding a short-stop free agent this off-season, but another name has bubbled to the surface and could be a solution in the outfield.

Suppose the Bombers were looking for an exact replica of Hideki Matsui. In that case, they might have found a player with his potential in Seiyu Suzuki, who is looking to make a move to Major League baseball after spending his career in Japan with the Hiroshima Carps.

The Yankees and Boston Red Sox were two teams “aggresively” pursuing Suzuki before the lockout, and with a 30-day window to strike a deal with a Major League team, that timeline was put on hold as the owners and Players Union battles it out to compromise on several important issues.

However, when things open back up, Suzuki will be a hot commodity on the open market, expected to sign a five-year, $55 million contract, potentially even more.

Looking at Suzuki’s style of play, his preferred position is right field, currently housed by Aaron Judge. Judge is on the brink of a monster contract extension himself, but Suzuki could make the transition to centerfield unless the Yankees are willing to transition Judge away from his strongest spot.

Looking at the Japanese star’s metrics, they closely compare to Matsui’s back in the day at 26-years-old.

Hideki Matsui’s age 26 season in Japan: .316/.438/.654/1.092 with 42 homers.

Seiya Suzuki’s age 26 seasons in Japan: .317/.433/.639/1.072with 38 homers.

It really can’t get closer between Matsui and Suzuki, who is only about four homers short of exactly replicating Hideki’s numbers.

Given the success the Yankees have had with Japanese players in the past, notably Masahiro Tanaka, Matsui, and Ichiro Suzuki, making a run at the Hiroshima outfielder could be in their best interest.

Ultimately, it comes down to how much general manager Brian Cashman is going to spend this off-season, having already committed to upgrading the shortstop position and adding a starting pitcher to pair with Gerrit Cole.

Whether it be Trevor Story or Carlos Correa, either will cost upwards of $20 million per season to acquire, and a starting pitcher could hover in the same price range. Unless the team is keen on trading for a shortstop that will cost far less, expect Hal Steinbrenner to open up his checkbook after the lockout, which is hard to believe after the Yankees remained quiet prior to the league shutting down.

In terms of Suzuki, he recently unfollowed the Boston Red Sox on Instagram, so it could be a hint that he prefers to wear pinstripes instead of joining a Boston team that had even more success last season. The team’s relationships with Matsui and Tanaka may even prove to be an advantage in their pursuit of Seiya.

WATCH an incredible video of Yankees’ Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig hit batting practice in color

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babe ruth, lou gehrig, yankees

The New York Yankees have had some of the best players ever to play the game of baseball, including Yankee greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Today, we have colorized footage of the two at batting practice as a special treat.

 

Babe Ruth

George Herman “Babe” Ruth, born in 1895, is the greatest baseball player to have ever to play the game. He also started one of the greatest rivalries in all of the sports. He would go on to hit 714 home runs, 2,213 RBI’s, over 2,000 bases on balls, with a slugging percentage of .690 and an OPS of 1.164, two records that still stand today. He was not only a great baseball player but still today stands as one of America’s greatest sports icons in American culture.

So goes the story of the real Babe Ruth that few know about. Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland. With his father working long hours in his saloon and his mother often in poor health, Little George (as he was known) spent his days unsupervised on the waterfront streets and docks, committing petty theft and vandalism. Hanging out in his father’s bar, he stole money from the till drained the last drops from old beer glasses, and developed a taste for chewing tobacco. He was only six years old.

At the age of 18, he played ball for St. Marys, a school he spent much of his childhood. In the summer of 1913, he was allowed to pitch with local amateur and semipro teams on weekends. Impressed with his play, a Baltimore scout Jack Dunn signed Ruth to his minor-league Baltimore Orioles club the following February. The Orioles, short on money, sold the young Ruth to the Boston Red Sox. Again short of money, the Red Sox sold Ruth to the New York Yankees in what has been called the worst sale in baseball history.

While Babe Ruth was with the Yankees, he broke every record in baseball. As a result, he became an American Icon and a part of American culture. In his fifteen years with the Yankees alone, hit scored nearly 2,000 runs and 2,000 RBI’s. He also hit 659 home runs.

On August 16, 1948, the “Babe” passed away. Three days later, a requiem mass and funeral for the Babe was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Six thousand mourners bowed their heads as Cardinal Spellman made a special prayer at the end of the solemn 1-hour service. Seventy-five thousand people waited outside the Cathedral in the pouring rain to say goodbye to the greatest baseball player of all time.

Lou Gehrig

New York Yankees’ legend and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig would have been 118 years old this year, born on June 19, 1903. Gehrig played 17 years in the Major Leagues, all of them being with the New York Yankees. In those 17 years, Gehrig racked up seven All-Star games (the first one ever being in 1933, and Gehrig made the midsummer classic every year to finish his career) and was named MVP two times in 1927 and 1936, and was a six-time World Series Champion.

Gehrig is most known for his incredible consecutive games streak of 2,130. Although Cal Ripken would break that record years later, Gehrig is remembered as an MLB great who ended his career when he delivered his famous “Luckiest Man” speech on July 4, 1939.

The team’s captain for four years, Gehrig, holds a career .340 batting average with 493 home runs and 1,995 runs batted in. He led the league in batting average five times, the highest being .478 in 1936. He also led the league in most RBIs five times, the highest being 173 in 1927.

Lou was known for many years as the Yankees’ “Iron Horse.” Gehrig was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) on June 19, 1939, which is also his birthday. ALS is now known commonly as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” since he was a national figure and won the hearts of many. Unfortunately, he passed away on June 2, 1941, two years after his famed speech.

Unlike today and social media, there is not a lot of video of these two greats playing the game. But in this rare video that has been colorized, we see these two Yankee legends take batting practice. Ruth is number three, and Gehrig is number four. Back then, Yankees numbers were assigned by where they hit in the batting lineup. Although the date of the footage is unknown, they played together from 1923 to 1934.