yankees news

Yankees: Good news and bad news in Opening Day loss to Toronto

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new york yankees, nyy, gerrit cole

The New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day Thursday afternoon, but in one swift 10th-inning, they blew the tied game and secured their first loss of the 2021 season. It only fitted that the Yankees experienced boo’s for the first time with fans in the stands in over a year.

Luckily, they have a long campaign ahead that isn’t stained by a 60 game regular season schedule. They will be experiencing a full 162 games this season, giving the Bombers a bit more room to work with in terms of win-loss ratio. It is always exciting to think how positive they can start the season and how many wins they can string together before finally picking up a loss, but it didn’t take them very long to do so this year. Nonetheless, the Yankees are still favorites to be a World Series contending team, and one poor performance shouldn’t steal any confidence from fans.

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

The Yankees had plenty of positives to work within the loss, but the negatives are represented by 13 total strikeouts, with a majority coming from Aaron Judge (2), Aaron Hicks (3), and Giancarlo Stanton (3), Gleyber Torres (2), and Gio Urshela (2). Their first six batters accumulated 12 of the 13 strikeouts, indicating a massive cold streak in the middle of their batting order.

However, catcher Gary Sanchez had himself a positive start to the season, slapping a two-run homer to left field, traveling 407 feet. He picked up two hits, two RBIs, and a walk in the loss. After a tumultuous 2020 campaign, Sanchez is bouncing back to open the year strong, which is exactly what he needed to get his confidence levels up.

As for the Yankees pitching, Gerrit Cole lasted 5.1 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He did strike out eight batters, securing a 3.38 ERA which should be good enough for a potent Yankee offense to provide him with some run support.

Overall, the Yankee pitching was adequate. It was their offenses that proved to be detrimental. Luckily, the Yankees will take on the Blue Jays once again on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 PM, presenting them with an opportunity to right their wrongs. Unfortunately, their awful end to spring training carried over into the regular season, but eventually, their offense will take hold.

Yankees News: Brian Cashman questions Gary Sanchez’s spring training performance

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees offered catcher Gary Sanchez one more opportunity to prove that he can be their long-term solution at the position. In fact, they gave him a slight raise, signing him to a one-year, $6.35 million extension this past off-season. General manager Brian Cashman believes that he can be the future, but Sanchez has taken consecutive steps backward the past few seasons. In 2020, Sanchez hit .147 with 10 homers and 24 RBIs. He logged a career-high 36% strikeout rate and negative WAR for the first time.

However, Sanchez believes his spring training has gone well, especially on the defensive side of the ball where his fundamentals are being shifted.

“I definitely felt more comfortable in the new position having my right knee down. I felt better moving, reacting, flexibility. There’s a combination of things that I’m very happy with. It’s been a lot of work.”

Offensively, Sanchez started out strong but fell back down to earth, currently sitting with a .200 average, three homers, and four RBIs. He’s doing a bit better in terms of making contact but has struck out in nearly 45% of his at-bats, a terrible number.

“Offensively, I started very well getting the results I wanted right out of the gate,” Sanchez said. “There were some ups and downs the rest of the camp, but that’s OK. It’s something that I’m going to work on. What we’re looking for is consistency and we have an opportunity once the regular season starts to have that contact consistency.”

What should the Yankees expect from him in 2021?

We know Sanchez is capable of performing at a high-level, considering he hit .278 with 33 homers in 2017. Nonetheless, that was over three years ago, and the Yankees haven’t seen that production from him since. The closest he came was in 2019 when he recorded a .232 average with 34 HRs, which would be welcomed by Cashman moving forward.

“On the offensive side, you saw more results early in camp, less results late in camp,” GM Brian Cashman said. “On the defensive side, he’s definitely worked his tail off and we’re getting a lot of positive reviews from our catching coach. His receiving has been improved, but then you’re going to collapse all that into it’s March and February and what do you make of it?”

Cashman makes a great point, what do you make of two months of work when you need an entire season of production and efficiency? Sanchez has shown that he can’t be relied on, which is why the Yankees utilized Kyle Higashiosaka last postseason predominately, going as far as making him Gerrit Cole’s primary catcher.

At the end of the day, this is Sanchez’s last opportunity to lock in a long-term extension, and if this spring is any indication of what’s to come, I’m not feeling too confident in his abilities.

Did the Yankees stumble upon an unknown bullpen gem?

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The New York Yankees have been pleasantly surprised by their pitching this spring; especially they’re starting rotation we’re just taking form weeks before the start of the regular season.

Despite a few injuries, specifically to Clarke Schmidt and Zack Britton, the Yankees seem to be in stellar shape as Opening Day nears. They will eventually gain both back and Luis Severino during the summer. The team earned a well-deserved break on Thursday, winning eight consecutive games leading up to a Friday contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. They recently overcame Philadelphia 4-2, with Domingo German posting six strikeouts and allowing zero runs over four innings.

However, while the big guys normally gain all the attention and media headlines, one low-key bullpen arm has looked phenomenal this spring. While he only has a small 6.1 inning sample size under his belt, he’s struck out 13 batters and allowed just four hits, not giving up a run. Of course, this player is Lucas Luetge, and surprisingly, he hasn’t featured in the MLB since 2015 with the Seattle Mariners.

The last time Luetge enjoyed more than 30 innings in a given season was in 2013 with Seattle, when he hosted a 4.86 ERA and a dismal 6.57 strikeouts per nine. For whatever reason, the 34-year-old relief arm has laid on the heat in his six appearances.

With Britton requiring surgery to remove a chipped bone in his elbow, it is possible the Yankees elevate Luetge to the active roster in the next few weeks, allowing him to transfer some of his spring production over to the regular season. This will be the first time in five years he’s pitched at the MLB level, and what a story would be.

On Wednesday afternoon, though, Lucas took an additional step forward, being called upon to shut down the Phillies in their final at-bats. He struck out two batters, bringing his spring total to 15 and sample size to  7.1 scoreless innings.

The Yankees might have found a gem in this unknown pitcher, and hopefully, he can make an impact when the games really matter.

Yankees News: Teammates rally around Gary Sanchez in what could be an ‘AL MVP’ season

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees are hoping catcher Gary Sanchez returns to his old self, and what a fantastic story it would be if he did. Sanchez struggled immensely over the past few seasons, especially in 2020 when he recorded a .147 average with a career-high 36% strikeout rate. While he has hit double-digit home runs for five years straight, his numbers in other categories have dragged him down.

His defense has fallen off as new coaches have tried to implement different fundamentals, and his confidence at the plate has dwindled. However, this spring training has given him a bit more motivation and self-assurance, as he’s hitting .286 with three homers and four RBIs over 21 at-bats. Clearly, Sanchez didn’t lose his ability to hit homers, and that is what the Yankees are banking on for the 2021 season.

Fellow slugger Aaron Judge had extremely optimistic words for the 28-year-old catcher who signed a one-year, $6.35 million deal with the Yankees for this upcoming season.

“Gary is going to have a special year,” Judge predicted said. “The changes I’ve seen him make, the improvements on both sides of the baseball, Gary is a guy that can go out there and win an AL MVP.”

Sanchez understands that most of his struggles are mental, working with the team physician to overcome his personal struggles. When Sanchez is locked in and playing at the top of his game, there is no debate whether he is one of the better catchers in baseball.

“You get to the point where you’re not producing the results you want, and then at some point you start wanting to get two hits in one at bat,” Sanchez said on Tuesday.

Even skipper Aaron Boone commented on Gary’s situation, noting that being in a slump can sometimes compound as you try to make up for lost production. It was clear that Sanchez tried to make more out of his at-bats, trying too hard to hit home runs instead of making simple contact. That ultimately led to his 36% strikeout rate, an increase of 11% from his 2018 season, which was also considered a down year.

“At his lowest, I do think he’s very confident in what he’s capable of doing and his ability. That said, I think there have been moments last year where he was probably pressing. You want to make up for some of the struggles you’ve had, and that can snowball on you a little bit.

Sanchez has always been boosted by his teammates, even when he was facing himself in the mirror. The 2021 season is his final opportunity to prove his worth for the Yankees and hopefully lock in the long-term extension, but he needs to live up to his potential. It is now or never for Sanchez, and there’s no question his teammates are 100% behind him.

“I’ve always had really good support from my teammates,” he said. “That’s something that I can never say anything bad about. They’ve always been there for me.”

Yankees News: Gio Urshela shines at new position, Gerrit Cole struggling through spring

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New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

The New York Yankees took on the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon, securing a 7-4 win. Sitting at 11-4, the Yankees are coasting through spring training impressively, and their pitching is mostly to thank.

However, their offense has been adequate as well, with Clint Frazier acting as the star of the show against Detroit. He picked up three hits, two RBIs, and a home run in the fifth inning, which traveled an impressive 425 feet. Fellow outfielder Mike Tauchman also launched a homer to left-center, driving in a run in the process.

The Yankees tested their best defender at SS:

One interesting note from the contest was Gio Urshela featuring at shortstop. It seems that whatever Urshela features in the infield, he dominates, and skipper Aaron Boone attested to that after the game.

“Hit it to him and you’re out,” Boone said. “Not a lot to necessarily judge on, but handled the two plays flawlessly like you would expect.”

Gio predominantly plays third base but filled in at SS, showing off his defensive proficiency yet again. He has played SS in the past, but over very small sample sizes, with his last appearance at the position coming in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays. It is good to know that if Gleyber Torres were to suffer an injury or the Yankees needed to supplement the position, Urshela could do it with ease.

“I felt really good,” Urshela said after the win over Detroit on Tuesday. “Better than I thought. I had two ground balls and I felt really comfortable.”

Gerrit Cole continues to struggle as spring continues:

Cole always seems to struggle in the spring and then wakes up with his head on fire as soon as the regular season begins. He currently has a 4.50 ERA, allowing two earned runs over 4.0 innings. That was before his outing against Detroit on Tuesday, in which he lasted 3.2 innings and gave up two runs, which were both homers.

While he did strike out five batters, it seems as if he might be testing a couple of different pitches and fundamentals. He seems to utilize this time to perfect some details, going into the regular season with reliance on his stronger pitches.

There’s no reason to be worried about Cole, who consistently is one of the better starters in the MLB. Nonetheless, the Yankees have enjoyed their starting rotation’s success lately, especially with Domingo German and Deivi Garcia providing fantastic performances.

Yankees: Good news and bad news in Domingo German-lead win over Phillies

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

The New York Yankees took on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday afternoon, featuring Michael Kay and John Sterling in the booth for the first time in nearly two decades. To be quite honest, that duo might’ve been the best thing about this game, aside from Domingo German all but locking in the fifth spot in the starting rotation with another stellar performance.

With a 4-2 win over Philadelphia, the Yankees are now 10-4 this spring, showcasing a much-improved pitching rotation and solid bullpen. While losing Zack Britton is problematic, they should get him back within the first few weeks following Opening Day on April 1. He requires surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, with a six-week recovery timetable.

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

Let’s start with the bad news, which primarily revolves around injuries. Depth piece Miguel Andujar will likely miss a few weeks and end up at the alternate side once spring training concludes. With Gio Urshela showing off his defensive efficiency against Philadelphia, Miggy is quickly losing ground in his quest to earn a depth spot on the active roster. He’ll be a first-choice call-up in case of injury or fatigue-related reasons, but the Yankees might even consider trading him later on the season for pitching support if need be.

Specific to the contest on Tuesday, the Yankees racked up 10 strikeouts, with DJ LeMahieu picking up two. There’s nothing to worry about with DJ, as he’ll bounce back with a four-hit performance after struggling the day before. As for the Yankee pitching staff, Michael King allowed one run and two hits over 3.0 innings, a solid sample size of work that indicated a step in the right direction. Nestor Cortes has allowed two hits and one run to finish the game, but the Yankees had already secured a comfortable lead.

There was far more to be happy about in the win, with Domingo German lasting 4.0 innings, allowing three hits, zero runs, and picking up six strikeouts along the way. Over three outings this spring, German has an incredibly impressive 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 9.0 innings. It is clear that he is ready to take on a starting spot in the rotation, and he’s not letting his second chance pass him by.

Slugger Giancarlo Stanton was specifically a star in this contest, earning two hits and hitting the three hardest balls of the day. In the seventh-inning, Stanton launched a single to centerfield, driving in two runs and giving the Yankees the lead.

Yankees could leave Mike Tauchman behind with surprise player surging

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have a lively position battle unfolding in the outfield, with a surprise player climbing the depth chart as spring training continues. Heading into the 2021 season, the expectation was that Mike Tauchman would be a lock to make the roster, but he has struggled this spring, just as he did in 2020 when he finished with a .242 average and 23.4% strikeout rate.

Ultimately, Tauchman is a solid defensive player that is extremely inconsistent on offense, and the Yankees might be looking to add a slugger in case Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton are forced to miss any time.

Mike spoke to reporters after Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished with one hit over three at-bats and was thrown out attempting to steal a base. His demise this spring opens up the door for Jay Bruce, a slugger who has exceeded expectations this spring.

“A really good way to make myself crazy is worry about that,” Tauchman said after a tough outing on Sunday. “There’s certain things that I’m trying to get done in spring training. It didn’t go well today, I got thrown out, but going first to third, going gap to gap for balls, being aggressive with leadoffs, trying to see a lot of pitches, stuff like that. That’s infinitely more important to me than worrying about some competition or whatever.”

What does Jay Bruce offer the Yankees?

Bruce offers the Yankees an entirely different makeup compared to Tauchman. Last season, he hit just .198 but is historically a double-digit home run hitter every year. In 2019, he slammed 26 homers and collected 59 RBIs. He strikes out a very similar amount to Tauchman, but that extra slugging ability gives him a push, especially since the Yankees view the long ball as a run producer.

There is a possibility that the Yankees roll into the season with Tauchman and Bruce on the roster, but with the retention of Brett Gardner, that reality seems a bit more unlikely. Bruce is currently hitting .333 this spring with two homers and three RBIs. Luckily for Tauchman, Bruce struck out twice over three at-bats against Toronto, giving him a bit more time to make up lost ground.

Yankees: Pitching coach Matt Blakes’ comments on Deivi Garcia will get you excited

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

The New York Yankees have an exciting position battle brewing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. With the return of Domingo German, youth players like Deivi Garcia and Michael King will have to work even harder to earn live action in 2021.

However, they are up to the task, especially Garcia, who played in six games last season during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Garcia struggled a bit but showed flashes of dominance in specific outings. He finished with a 4.98 ERA over 34.1 innings pitched, and I fully expect him to play even more moving forward.

Pitching coach Matt Blake raved about Garcia and what he’s capable of doing on the mound at just 21 years old.

“When you think about a 21-year-old and the way he carries himself out there, it is really impressive,” the pitching coach said. “Just the game skills that he has for how young he is, the ability to slow the game down, to make the big pitches, to add and subtract. Those are definitely advanced for a guy who’s 21 years old.”

While German is expected to earn the fifth spot in the rotation based on his previous experience and development, I wouldn’t rule out García giving him a run for his money. Blake might have tipped his hand that German has a slight advantage, but he was unwilling to make a definitive claim on any specific pitcher earning the spot.

“We haven’t gotten far enough into camp yet,” he said. “But, obviously, you know Deivi and German have both looked really good. Mike King looked good the other day. So, I think we’re going to have a lot of horses in the race assuming we stay healthy. So, that’s a good problem.”

“I think there are some things just from a development standpoint that we want to make sure that Deivi and Mike and Nelson and some of these guys kind of get to,” Blake said. “Obviously, German, having his 2019 performance, he’s established himself at the major-league level.

The Yankees have something special in Deivi:

Garcia has some of the nastiest curve out of the Yankees youth prospects, and at 21, I believe he is a long-term solution instead of a trade piece. Plenty of teams inquired about his availability, and general manager Brian Cashman fended off the intruders with ease.
Garcia is capable of being an ace in the MLB, and the Yankees realize that at such a young age. Primarily utilizing a fastball 60% of the time, he also incorporates a changeup, curveball, and slider. His diverse array of pitches makes him difficult to hit, and he’s gained compliments from the likes of Pedro Martinez because of it.
Garcia has a bright future ahead of him, and Domingo shouldn’t feel comfortable with his standing on the team because Deivi is close behind.

Yankees: Good news and bad news in victory over Baltimore

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

There’s just something about New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres and the Baltimore Orioles, he simply seems to be their kryptonite.

On Tuesday, the Yankees face off against Baltimore in their third spring training game of the off-season, and Torres produced two hits on two at-bats, scoring a run in the third inning. Torres has started spring training strong, with a .750 BA, despite a small sample size.

The 4–2 win was filled with positives for the Bombers, with the only negative coming from Jordan Montgomery in the first inning.

Good and bad news for the New York Yankees:

The Yankees posted a three-run third inning, which put Baltimore out of reach for the remainder of the contest. Sluggers Luke Voit and Mike Ford both earned an RBI and left fielder Clint Frazier also recorded an RBI, singling to left and driving in DJ LeMahieu in the 1st. It’s nice to see Fraizer get on the board early, especially with skipper Aaron Boone instilling his confidence in the Yankees’ new starter at the position.

Clint has taken over for veteran Brett Gardner, who is still confident he can earn consistent reps in the OF. Gardner offers plenty of value as a depth piece, especially if injuries and inconsistencies arise.

To add to the positives, the bullpen was phenomenal, as Luis Garcia logged two strikeouts and one walk over his sole inning of work. The trio of Brooks Krisme, Glenn Otto, and Trevor Lane didn’t allow a run, as Lane struck out three batters to close out the seventh inning.

The only con on the day was Jordan Montgomery, who allowed two hits, two walks, and one earned run in his first appearance of spring training. This is nothing to write home about, considering they have plenty of time to work out the kinks. Even Gerrit Cole struggled in his first action on Monday, so we can move forward expecting Monty to be just fine.

The Yankees are preparing to take on the Blue Jays on Wednesday at 6:35 PM, and new acquisition Corey Kluber will get the ball for the first time in pinstripes. This should be an exciting one to watch.

Yankees News: Outfielder waived and re-assigned, Gary Sanchez returns ‘revived’

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees enjoyed a victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon, by a score of 5-4. Thanks to a home run by Chris Gittens in the fifth inning, the Yankees enjoyed their first win of spring training. While the pitching was a bit inconsistent, new starter Jameson Taillon was impressive in his lone inning of work.

However, the Yankees have already begun making moves as they waved outfielder Greg Allen and reassigned him to the Triple-A roster. He will remain in major league camp but as a minor-league invite. He has spent the last few seasons with the Cleveland Indians, posting a collective .239 average with eight total homers and 57 RBIs. An elevated 31.3% strikeout rate was a bit tumultuous in 2020, but he only played 16 games indicating a small sample size.

Allen has featured in more than 25 games just twice in his career, and during those seasons, he had a high of .257 and four homers. He’s not a slugger by any means but offers a bit of speed and decent contact hitting. He’s more of a defensive player who can provide consistency in that category rather than an offensive threat. The Yankees prefer to have elite offense over defense, which is why Allen will likely spend his days in the minor-leagues or as a depth piece on an alternative squad.

As per the Yankees:

OF Greg Allen has been outrighted off the Major League roster and onto the Triple-A roster. Allen remains in Major League camp.

The Yankees are optimistic that Gary Sanchez can finally return to form in 2021. He launched a mammoth home run against Detroit on Monday, clearing the centerfield wall and traveling 429 feet.

Sanchez has always lead the way with his bat, never recording single-digit homers in his career. After posting a 36% strikeout rate last season, decreasing that number and getting his contact rate up would help his offense return to normal. The coaching staff believes he is in perfect shape and should be far more productive this season, but only time will tell.

“I’ve seen a completely new and revived version of him,” Yankees catching coach Tanner Swanson told NJ Advanced Media.