The latest on the Yankees:
- New York’s second base battle is likely down to Gleyber Torres, Tyler Wade and Danny Espinosa, as Jace Peterson and Ronald Torreyes haven’t gotten enough reps this spring to realistically end up with the job, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com posits. Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated he could wait until the end of spring to name a starter. The 23-year-old Wade dealt with an injury scare to his left wrist Saturday, but it seems he avoided any serious issues, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relays.
- Concussed young outfielder Clint Frazier isn’t recovering as quickly as hoped (via Hoch). Frazier, who suffered the injury Feb. 24, revealed Saturday the concussion is “affecting my driving,” and he’s even “calling my cats the wrong names at times. But they look the same, so it’s hard.” Added Frazier, 23, “I’m not reacting as quickly to things.” But Frazier’s statements came after some light baseball activities, when Yankees general manager Brian Cashman “said symptoms are particularly heightened,” Marc Carig of The Athletic writes (subscription required). “It probably puts him at a disadvantage, to be honest,” Cashman contended.
- While Frazier looked like a long shot to earn a spot on the outfielder-loaded Yankees even before his injury, that’s not the case for center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who will make the team if healthy. But Ellsbury isn’t a certainty for Opening Day because of a right oblique injury, according to Cashman (via Hoch). Injury troubles aren’t anything new for Ellsbury, who sat out a combined 115 games during a disappointing first three years with the Yankees (including 50 in 2017). When healthy, Ellsbury is likely the Yankees’ No. 5 outfielder, behind Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks. That’s despite having upward of $68MM left on his contract.
- No real surprise, but the Yankees are opening the season with left-hander Jordan Montgomery as their fifth starter, Boone announced Friday (per George A. King III of the New York Post). As was the case last year, Montgomery will slot in after Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray and C.C. Sabathia. That means right-hander Chad Green, whom the Yankees were considering for a starting role, will continue as a reliever. Green was utterly dominant out of the bullpen in 2017, when he recorded a 1.83 ERA with 13.43 K/9 and 2.22 BB/9 over 69 innings. Montgomery wasn’t nearly that effective, but he was quite respectable as a rookie nonetheless, with a 3.88 ERA and 8.34 K/9 against 2.95 BB/9 across 155 1/3 frames.
this might sound stupid, but can Clint Frazier make a transition to second?
You are correct. It does sound stupid. The streak continues. 🙂
He played the infield up until a handful of years ago when he got drafted, so no it’s not stupid. Look at what the Yankees did with Alfonso Soriano 17 years ago.
The Yankees, great for us fans but bad for Frazier, are loaded with young talent. Frazier is gonna have to wait his time until A) Either Gardner or Ellsbury are off the roster B) A-aron Hicks sucks again C) He gets traded for pitching. Nothing less of him being Judgean in AAA will change that
Frazier was an OF in high school and in the minors…..It was also the Nationals who moved Soriano from 2B the OF. Soriano never played an OF inning until he went to the Nats in 2006. LOL
Frazier was drafted in 2013 and has yet to log one inning at an infield position. Not sure what you’re referencing. To move him to 2nd where you have a potential star like Torres and potential depth options like Wade, Estrada and others makes ZERO sense.
Soriano’s natural position was as a middle infielder. He moved to the OF because he could no longer play the IF effectively. Really not getting your logic here dude.
Chris, I agree but hopefully the Yankees flip Ellsbury mid-season he bounce back.
It’s truly crazy how ellsbury has $68mm left to get paid and it’s fully guaranteed.. dude is not gonna play and making ridiculous money
Cut bait.
Dusty Baker made him switch when he was traded to the Nationals in 2006. It was more like they already had a 2nd baseman and needed an outfielder. Granted he was never an elite defender at 2nd but the switch was more because the Nationals lacked outfield depth. They had Jose Vidro at 2nd and he wasn’t much of an upgrade defensively. That was a bad team. Worked out for him though, Cubs signed him for a big contract the following year to play the outfield in Wrigley.
It’s always easier for a player to transition from the infield to the outfield, then the other way around.
They are going to end up trading Frazier, it’s for the best because unless he can start playing center the Yankees aren’t going to have a spot for him. Be great if they could swing a pitcher for him, I think he’s a little over hyped. The longer they sit on him though the lower his value.
Who is going to take Ellsbury, he has absolute zero value. He’s a replacement player with a MVP players contract. At this point they only have 2 options, they can either outright release him or try to trade him to another team with like 80-90% of the amount remaining on his salary.
They shouldn’t have ever signed him, I know why they did but it was always for a stupid reason that never made any sense.
Incredibly stupid, he’d be just as far relatively speaking , down the pecking order as he is now.
Frazier would have to absolutely annihilate the ball at some level before making a drastic decision like that. As it is, he hasn’t proved that his bat would be any better than the selection of infield candidates the yanks already have.
Can’t see Frazier playing any infield positions. I also think those are saved for the two rookies. I really think Frazier is used as trade bait during this years deadline.
I’m still holding out hope that the Yankees start the season with: Andujar 3B, Drury 2B and Wade as the utility infielder. Torres opens the season in Triple A to work off the rust of missing so much time before they call him up. We’ll see.
I have no idea how drastic of an injury Wade suffered in todays game, but if its bad then expect Torreyes to be the utility man, much like he was last year. But im excited to see how much Wade will progress as much as you. I think it would be the best move to start Andujar at 3B this year and Drury at 2B until Torres is ready. What to do with Wade and Torreyes now becomes the problem.
He doesn’t even need to get any tests. He’s fine thankfully. He will be playing on Monday
Yankee fans – I’m from Boston and I’m wondering about how you feel about your infield depth compared to last year. I know you have several young players and traded for Drury, but Castro / Headley / Frazier all made very real contributions last year no? And they essentially let all of them walk for nothing? I know they weren’t stars, but they were solid average MLB veterans and I wonder if the young guys will not be able to live up to their standard both on the field and in the clubhouse.
Granted, I know they got (drum roll…) Stanton!!! On top of what they had last year. But it felt to me like the Red Sox were their equal in the second half after our Nunez / devers additions, and I think a healthy price + Martinez should cancel out the addition of Stanton.
The climate in Boston is that the Yankees far surpassed the Red Sox this offseason, but I don’t see why unless that was already the case last year and the Red Sox success was mostly smoke and mirrors?
Yankee fans – don’t take the bait!!!!!
Our depth last year was very limited. Castro could only play 2B and Headley/Frazier played 3B or 1B. All three were roughly league average while with the Yankees. The exciting part of 2018 is what will our prospects bring this year. Will Torres live up to the bill? Is Andujar going to hit consistently? Does Clint Frazier take the next step? Severino and Montgomery.
The ceiling for the Yankees is arguably higher than any other team, but also I’m not going to lie and say some regression may occur or potentials not hit.
As far as the Red Sox and Yankees go, it’s going to be a race. The Red Sox offense even with JD does not scare me. The starting pitching is scary. Sale, Price, Pomeranz, Porcello, Wright/Rodriguez. The problem with their pitching is that many of their pitchers really could be average. Porcello has had just one excellent season so he’s a lot close to mid rotation depth than an ace. Pomeranz had a great season last night but again, last year was the first year he really put it all together. Price had injury issues, but I strongly believe he will bounce back. Wright is a knuckleball pitcher, he may have a great year or get shelled. Rodriguez just can’t stay healthy.
Finally, I think Chris Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He should maybe try to induce contact more to lower the pitches he throws, but overall I’d expect another 5+ WAR season from him.
Two things I would say in response are:
1. Pomeranz actually had identical ERA’s in 2016 and 2017 on the year as a whole. Granted 2016 he was much better in the first half than second half… but exactly a 3.32 ERA both years with similar strikeout / walk / inning totals.
2: The Red Sox offense, it’s not going to be great because of JD. If it’s going to be great it’s going to be because Mookie / Hanley / Bogarts / Bradley bouncing back to 2016 form. Look at what those 4 players did in 2016 compared to 2017! It’s absolutely startling.
Yes. Definitely don’t forget. All four of those players are absolutely 100% guaranteed to bounce back completely. Not one of them is done. None of them will refers slightly. Nope. For all of them, it will be a complete return to exactly their 2016 performances.
#sarcasm
Or a continue slide away from their peak. There’s no 100% guarantee here and the pitching has holes that inevitably will develop as spring turns to summer.
Price is overrated…except for his salary.
The players aren’t 100% guaranteed to bounce back, but 2016 they had a healthy dangerous power hitter in Ortiz, who could protect them.
In 2017 they didn’t have that power hitter
In 2018 they once again have that power hitter in Martinez(who had a higher OPS then Stanton in 2017) who can protect them. Now it would be naive to say that all 4 of those players will return to 2016 numbers but there is a high chance that at least 2 of them will, and my best bets are going to be Mookie and a healthy Xander.
But there are a lot of question marks with both teams
Bos
Can Mookie, Xander, Hanley, JBJ find their 2016 forms.
Will Devers and Benny continue the success from their 2017 campaigns?
What type of year can be expected of Pedroia?
Can JDM stay healthy?
Can Sale stay consistent?
Price stay healthy?
Porcello pitch closer to 16 then 17?
Pomeranz pitch a full season?
Will Smith and Thornburg pitch well out of the BP?
NY
How will the 2B/3B pos players perform?
Will Bird ever live up to the Hype (or play a full season)?
Does Sanchez fix his defensive woes to allow that 3 headed monster to play?
What Aaron Judge will we see? 2017 1st half? Or the second half?
Will CC be productive?
Tanaka be consistent?
Severino 2017 a fluke? Or will he go back to his 2016 numbers?
Sooo many questions on both teams that both sides of the coin are going to say their team is going to win and be better
The Red Sox finished ahead of the Yankees last year.
And the questions you posed about the two teams are very different. The Yankees are operating way above the mean, and the Red Sox are operating way below it. Regression towards the mean is going to a major theme for the AL East this year.
The majority of those “what-if’s” for Boston actually happened last year or are about players they didn’t even have. So even if worst comes to worst and all that happens, they’re still a 93 win team.
The questions you pose for the Yankees basically translate to will the guys who over performed last season maintain that level and will the injury prone guys who stayed healthy last season do it again?
And for the most part, their concerns are for greater. The Yanks were far healthier than Boston last year, and Tanaka, Bird, and Sabathia are more injury prone than pretty much everybody on Boston’s roster. Look at Judge’s BABIP, strikeout rate, minor league numbers, and what pitchers did against him once they figured out what he can’t hit. He’ll regress big time. Didi, Gardner, and Severino all had career years. Are they suddenly better players, or can you expect regression?
“and they essentially let them walk for nothing” you try to sound serious but come across uninformed and lacking.
Lacking what? Frazier walks for $17m over 2 years to the Mets, Castro was a throwing for Stanton just to even out the money, Headley they gave away a pitching prospect just to get rid of the money (I forget his name).
All of that is factual no?
Thanks for playing.
What
Trolls
Andujar/Drury and Wade/Torres will be better hitters than Headley/Castro/Frazier. Remember, we should have a healthy Bird starting the season. We had Carter last year for how many months? Healthy Didi who started last season on the DL.
As for the SP, we will have a full year of Gray as well as the best and deepest bullpen in MLB.
Redsox fans should be concerned with Price’s elbow issue and whether he can really pitch in Fenway. And now Pomeranz has a strained forearm? Yikes.
Or does Price WANT to pitch in Fenway. I will sit on top of the green monster with him on the mound facing the yankees. You will recognize me as I will be wearing a batting helmet with the NY logo. For Sox fans up there without protection it could be a dangerous place when the Yankees are at bat.
if Red Sox fans should be concerned with Price’s elbow, Yankee fans should be absolutely terrified of Tanaka’s elbow and Sabathia’s knee.
It was smoke and mirrors. The Redsox are a second place team. Maybe a wild card, but I doubt it.
The Sox better worry about their rotation !
Man I am truly shocked how little buzz surrounds Brandon Drury, he is only a year older than Frazier and has hit for serious power in his 2 year utility role with AZ. 68 doubles and 31 HR’s in his first 1,000 at bats…Send him to Queens please.
I get the hype is high around Andujar and Torres so that prob over shadows Drury. Overall I’m jealous of your guys crazy good youth smh…
In Arizona***(!)
Much different hitting environment.
2017 / avg / obp/ slugging / ops
Home – .302 / .369 / .528 / .897
Away – .236 / .266 / .373 / .640
Or if you prefer counting stats, with 20 more plate appearances on the road…
Career – 2B / 3B / HR
Home – 45 / 2 / 19
Away – 26 / 1 / 12
Yankee Stadium is an even better hitters park.
Actually it isn’t. Chase Field was 3rd in runs scored and Yankee Stadium was 14th.
It depends on your swing. Drury profiles just as good, if not better in Yankee stadium.
Couldn’t agree more. Andujar has been killing it this spring, and deserves a shot in the bigs. Torres has made the conversation easy thus far by struggling in ST. Hopefully the Yanks make the right call and keep him down in AAA to start the season until he forces their hand.
Why waste having Wade playing the utility role when you have Torreyes? He’s proven to be an excellent utility guy. Yes, he lacks power but all you need from him is 10-12 AB a week, if that. He can produce a decent batting average and solid defense. Wade is a legit prospect. If he doesn’t win the 2B position then he should start the season out at AAA where he can play everyday.. His 2017 debut shows he can probably benefit with a start in AAA to work on whatever improvements the coaching staff feels are needed. This puts the Yanks in a good position because if he excels in AAA then he will be the 1st call up should a non-1b infielder go down but it can also help build his trade value. If Andujar and Drury excel at their position and Torres appears ready for a callup then the Yanks could conceivably have several trade chips in Drury, Wade, Frazier and hopefully Estrada to use without doing any damage to the mlb roster.Using Wade in the utility role when you already have Drury and Torreyes is a waste of a prospect’s value.
Hate to see such a promising young player affected by concussion symptoms. Justin Morneau was never the same after his. You obviously hope the worst case scenario doesn’t happen to Frazier.
I have suspicions that hes not accurately treating his concussion. If i were him i would have stopped all activities for at least a week or two. But hes been working out, driving, and who knows what, and that only aggravates symptoms.
Man, Pirates made the right choice to not settle for Frazier.
It was a concussion brought on by activity. It’s not a disease that would’ve occurred had he been playing in Pittsburgh,
Neil Walker really should have that job. He’s better than Drury.
Walker was looking for a multi year deal and has a history of injuries too. Drury is 7 years younger and has 4 years of control and will be making league minimum.
I’m not saying Drury is better right now, but he’s far more likely to be better for a 4 year period than Walker will be for a 2 year period
Agree 100% MB. Walker wasn’t going to be more than a utility guy after one of the kids takes over at 2b and doubt he was going to settle for nunez money (4m) on any multi year deal.
NY going to stick under the cap this year? Drury the best bet and plenty of team control, just like u said with cap room to spare for mid summer additions this way.
Bringing in Walker would be a little heavy handed with building up these young guys
“subscription required” to read about a mans concussion. What a world.
How dare people do work and ask to be paid for it.
Torreyes did nothing but hit last year when he started. i wish he’d get more respect.
happy 311 day weekend, by the way.
Nothing but hit singles unfortunately
He couldn’t get on base outside of a single. Great guy, strong personality but not as valuable as you may think. Also, the base running blunder in the postseason was horrible.
I agree. By no means do I think he should be a starter on a team with playoff aspirations but in the role of a utility guy (who plays sporadically to rest the starters) he’s all that you need. He’s also still pretty young (25) and had a very solid minor league career as a bat to the ball contact hitter (.298/.353/.409 w/ a .762 OPS. I’m content with him being a utility player for the Yanks and even think age, experience and coaching might even coax a bit more offensive production, if not just a better approach to hitting that might improve his walk rate.
Yanks have incredible depth at all positions except C thru the upper levels and the mlb team. Let’s not mess it up. Give the kids and Drury a chance to win the 2b and 3B jobs. Whoever loses out between Wade,Andujar or Torres go back to AAA and let Torreyes remain as the utility guy. Let the rookies play everyday in the majors or AAA.
I’m not sure why torreyes wouldn’t be in our 2018 plans very solid hitter has done well this spring I think honestly a bench position should be guaranteed his I don’t really care for Espinoza and think he’s washed up never really that good to begin with. Obviously wade and Andujar should see playing time and Drury did well today should not be discounted at all.
You would not want to start the clock on Torreyes just to have him ride pine, he will start in AAA where he can play everyday and be called up sometime this year would be my guess, but they won’t save a bench spot for a top prospect just to sit.
I’m sorry I meant Torres*** lol y’all have way too many top prospects!
Watched most of the games so far and Wade has looked really good. Michael Kaye commented that everyone with the team has said how impressed they are with him. He acted so out of sorts with the chances he had last year and it’s so great he’s doing well. Hopefully nothing serious with his wrist cause he could really win the second base job.
Kay
K
caye
Ok
mmkay
Timothy of the Cay.
Ellsbury hurt again? Shocking. Still owed 68 million, and Boras is amazed that teams aren’t paying up for players in their 30’s. Ellsbury will always be example A.
You’re conveniently forgetting that almost all players will perform much better at home than on the road, regardless of the party differences. That’s why park factors have look at all data available and have a myriad of of adjustments.
Simple individual home/ road splits say next to nothing about how the player will do in a different home park.
Cashman should have gone for both Moose and Walker. 1. When you have a championship roster you want vets not rooks that may not be ready. 2. They became very very cheap. 3. By keeping both Torres and Andujar at AAA for this yr and part of next they get an extra 2 years before Arb/FA which will help with the future Lux Tax issues.
Clock already started on Andujar. Debuted last season.
Wade is such a scrub. I get he hits AAA pitching, but he can’t hit a lick MLB pitching.
Seems like a “poor man’s” Danny Espinosa w/o the Power.
You made two posts just to insult the guy. You’re the same guy on one day that says let the kids (Torres and Andujar) play then the next day want them to sign Moose. You’re are all over the place and Wade is no scrub. The people that are working with him know a million times more then yourself. WTF
I gave up on Wade after he hit .155/.222/.224, in 2017. Saying “Yankees know a million times more then yourself” is almost worse argument than: “He’s better than you”
I wanted them to sign Moose to play 3B stopgap 1 year at 3B, which has nothing to do with Wade. I was wrong there. Andunar’s been a beast in ST, and At this point Andunar looks “million times” more impressive than Wade’s anemic 2017 altho, that can change in a hurry.
PS: Don’t put Torres and Wade in the same sentence.
Yea cause a whole 30 games defines what a player will always be. By the way you sang Andujars praises from a few at bats during one of your multi post barrages. Stick with an opinion why don’t you instead of changing with the wind.
Must be something about Wade the Yankees and scouts like and by the way I was throwing some of your logic back at you. I didn’t include them in the same sentence.
Here’s the thread (in question) you’re bringing up. That’s a long time to be holding a grudge for something I said bro… almost month (especially after Moose signed, and it was before B. Drury trade) So, Sue me, I wanted the Moose, and because of Yanks’ 2B depth (due to variety of factors) Trade Wade…. You get too attached.
mlbtraderumors.com/2018/02/al-notes-machado-yanks-…
You’re basing your evaluation of Wade on part of the previous year! I have two words for you….Aaron Judge. Look at what he did after A crummy Part year in 2016. I’ m not saying Wade will do what Judge did but never grade a player on what he did when called up at the end of the year.
In 30 games in his MLB debut, Wade hit .155/.222/.224
What do the Yankees see in this guy?? They have a plethora of options at 2B/SS. (Wade’s position)
They’re trying to mold him into “Ben Zobrist”? He’s no Zobrist. Trade Wade for a PTBNL.
^ this guy knows nothing. 30(!) games as a rookie is a big enough sample size for him to know who’s real and who’s not
I’ve read this guys “xabial” posts over the last couple weeks but these boarder on idiocy. He can’t really be a true Yankees fan.
Do you remember Kevin Maas? He came up and looked like the 2nd coming of Babe Ruth.. After that he did nothing. You need to give them time
You probably thought the yankees should traded Judge after he struck out in half of his at bats as a rookie too
Nah man. I’ve been following Judge since he was drafted 2013.
He had the lowest floor and highest ceiling out of all his draft peers…
Wade has…? (I hope I’m wrong.. >.<)
He sounds like one of the guys who wanted to trade Severino before last season…
That’s a fair point to make. Sevy had a year where he was obliterated, rebounded, and became borderline Ace. I’m ready to trade Wade after 30 games.
Your point is very well made.
Drury 3b
Espinosa 2b for two months.
Toe util
Wade util
Romine +someone or Ellsy
Aaron Judge had a .179/.263/,345 slash with 50% k rate during his brief call up in 2016. Obviously, he has a higher upside than Wade but I’m so glad Cashman didn’t give up on a young rookie as easy as you do.
Andujar has been killing the ball all spring. Mostly against High A ball players, but still. That proves he is ready for the majors.
I think you’re both right and wrong here
I think you’re wrong if you think hitting High A ballplayers makes a guy ready for the bigs. But I think you’re right saying Andujar is ready for the bigs, and that’s because he played in AA and AAA last year and he hit very well too. I’m not 100% sure if he’s ready defensively, but his bat is certainly well ready.
I don’t understand the hate this guy xabial is showing Wade and the lack of respect others have shown him. The guy rose to be considered by all accounts a really good prospect with a decent showing in the minors with a good glove/bat. So he didn’t set the world on fire in his limited time in the bigs last year but is having a really good ST vs Torreyes whose horrible defensively. Oh and Torres is showing nothing perhaps the TJ surgery is effecting him at the plate.
Torreyes is far from horrible defensively. Most consider him to be solid at 2B and SS and just ok at 3B.
The guy seems so out of his element at times with the glove. I truly think there’s really no room for him much longer.
I think it proves he deserves a SHOT at the majors. His bat really hasn’t been the hold up on him as much as his glove has.
I don’t know if it’s because of their nationality and position but Andujar reminds me a lot of a young Adrian Beltre MINUS the glove work. Just the way he attacks the ball and it flies off his bat. I think Andujar can be a solid .285/.340 hitter with 25 + hr potential. His glove will prove to be solid but never as elite as Beltre’s probably.
Cashman has given Boone some good choices, this team is loaded with young talent. Drury is the thirdbasemen to start for sure,Andujar and Torres go to the minors to start the season. Wade starts at 2nd if he stays healthy and Torreyes fills in if needed. Espinosa still has an outside shot if Boone wants more experience.
I still see the Yankees and Tigers hooking up on a deal at some point this year. Fulmer and Iglesias are both players the Yankees could use and the Tigers in desperate need of young talent on the farm
They don’t need Iglesias. Didi is at SS and I think the Yanks expect Torres to be the 2B of the future. At 3B I think they expect Andujar or Drury to be the long term answers. Iglesias simply muddles the picture further.
My guess is that if all 5 starters can stay relatively healthy (no one ending up on the 60 day DL) then I wouldn’t expect them to acquire a 6th starter mid-season. More likely a bullpen arm or a swing guy.
The BP is something they don’t need to add to with plenty options already and Tate-Adams-Sheffield to name a few that can help. I’d like to see them add a backup Catcher and if they can pry a starter that won’t cost a lot then yea.
True. Doubtful all 5 starters stay healthy and perform up to the standards of a team looking to compete for a WS this year. Hopefully for Yankees fans they will, but odds are slim. Relying on either Andujar or Torres this year is risky. Drury was a good pick up. They are likely set with Drury and Didi, but Iglesias provides a solid, veteran defensive presence who is a free agent next year. He could be a stop gap for Andujar or Torres. I could also see the Tigers as one of the teams that would take on a large chunk of Ellsbury’s contract for the right prospects, assuming he would agree.