A few items on the Bronx Bombers…
- Flamethrowing Yankees reliever Dellin Betances’ fastball has clocked in from the high 80s to the low 90s this week, a far cry from the 98 mph mean he posted in 2018. However, a slow start to the spring is neither a first nor a concern for Betances, whose fastball has helped him deliver elite production across five major league seasons. “I won’t be all the way until May,’’ Betances said of his velo (via George A. King III of the New York Post). “I have done this already. It’s always been a topic. Whenever Dellin Betances is throwing 88 to 90 everybody freaks out and panics.’’ While the soon-to-be 31-year-old Betances isn’t worried about his early 2019 velocity drop, it’s worth monitoring given that he’s in his last season of team control. Betances will be in line for a lucrative contract in free agency next winter if his heater returns to normal and he enjoys another strong season, though the Yankees could extend the right-hander before then.
- Center fielder Aaron Hicks – shelved since March 1 with discomfort in his back – has been receiving treatment and will see a doctor Monday, according to manager Aaron Boone (via James Wagner of the New York Times). Boone noted Hicks isn’t experiencing a ton of discomfort, but the Yankees want to take a cautious approach with the 29-year-old, Wagner relays. New York just signed Hicks to a seven-year, $70MM extension on Feb. 25.
- Meanwhile, fellow outfielder Clint Frazier seems ticketed for Triple-A to start the season, Boone suggested this week (per King). “He needs to play every day,’’ Boone said of Frazier, who wouldn’t get everyday playing time in New York with the established quartet of Hicks, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner blocking him. Boone added the Yankees do expect the 24-year-old Frazier to make a big league impact in 2019, which he wasn’t able to do last season during a concussion-limited campaign. Frazier totaled just 41 plate appearances with the Yankees last season, when he slashed an outstanding .311/.389/.574 in 216 PAs at the minors’ highest level.
Hope Yanks extends Dellin and Didi to team-friendly pacts
and why would he do that a year before free agency in an already crowded bullpen?
Idk about team friendly but 3 years 30 mill betances should eat that up asap cause free agency isnt what it use to be.
Why is that? Jeurys familia had no issues getting that same guarantee and I wouldn’t say he’s any better than Betances. The market for relievers is great. The only guy with an issue is the guy who came out asking for 100 million dollars this offseason
Dellin smart? Watched and learned? Then go for free agent, sell services to contender spender early, and get 3/35 in November. Then sit content, watch other free agent struggle for deal.
What does any of this even mean.
But his love for baseball is universal
And unlike others, Ejemp2006 doesn’t troll.
I just deleted that X. I didnt feel the need to insult the guy. It is the truth but some stones are best left unturned.
Do you keep a naughty and nice list with the screen names of everyone that comments on your irrelevant your posts?
Familia does have extensive closer experience which Betances does not… that does count for something. However, you are right, he should have no problem getting at least the same 3 year $30 mil deal if he acts fast and doesn’t over play his cards.
“You are 60 days in, and get ppl banned.”
Please explain what this means?
The TV show “60 Days In.” People don’t like you and get banned. Worded it horribly, but it wasnt meant to be a shot at you by any means.
Over the past 5 years Betances has been the far superior reliever. Even with saves being considered.
Forget stats. Doesnt have “closer’s mentality.” I’ve seen best and worst of Dellin’s repertoire: 80’s curve, and 100 MPH fastball.
Maybe best Setup man in baseball. Not 9th.
No worries YakAttack.
Joe Kelly just got 3/25m and think Betences has a better track record. believe he’s not going to take a cheap offer myself and wasn’t he upset at arbitration offer and results just last season somewhat publicly?
So X, how is Betances lack of velocity in spring different from Fulmers? Did the Yanks hang onto him too long?
X said “but love”…
Worded it badly? So you no speaka engrish very well
Re Cowboysoldier – Ejemp’s comment is perfectly understandable. As the saying goes, “Never mock someone with an accent – it means they learned another language.” And Ejemp, who I believe is a native Korean speaker, writes in English with humor and verve. I would like to be as witty in Spanish as Ejemp is in English.
How in the world do you know he’s a “native Korean speaker”?
I think 3-4 years at $10-$12 mil would be fair. By fWAR he’s been the best reliever since 2014 with a `15/9 IP K rate and a 2.22/2.26 ERA/FIP.
Because nobody wants to be a free agent this year or next year until a new CBA is signed? And who in that crowded bullpen is going to push him out?
Isn’t that what Hicks and Arenado just did?
I recall him being very upset after arb hearings a couple years ago. Wonder if he’s still mad.
@Cliff Burton Welcome back from the dead.
They’ve smoothed that over since then by giving him what he wanted the last two arb cases. He’s stated he has no beef and wants to stay in NY.
Betances is going to Red Sox.
Stop it.
If I’m in Delins position, I would test the FA market since he’s the only premier reliever next yr..
I hope they extend them to player friendly pacts. Hal has enough money.
The only person freaking out about Betances’ velocity is Keith Law, and he freaks out about so many things — real and imagined.
Lol true. He needs to stick to Boston.
Oh my gawd hes throwing 88 to 92 in SPRING! SPRING!
Yeah, not that big of a deal. I’d rather go out during spring training work on mechanics and getting a good feel for your stuff rather than coming out hurling heat and tearing your shoulder up and needing surgery.
Sign of a pro.
True. They were saying the same thing about Dellin last year. Sportswriters are like ducks. Every day a duck wakes up to a whole new world.
I think it’s always a good practice not to give away the division before they play the season. Last yr they all thought the Redsox would not make the play offs. How did that turn out?
Only Yankees fan thought that. I never heard a person in actual day to day talk think that Boston wasn’t the bast team in the east.
Odd revisionist history: when I the Yankees got Stanton, they became the consensus World Series pick.
They also were a more valuable team than Boston in 2018.
Sometimes, when teams are both that good, it comes down to who gets what breaks and when.
Who stays healthy, xactly.
That hogwash some NYY fans have been using all winter of injuries being the reason they lost the division doesn’t hold water and always was a poor excuse.
Pedroia missed the entire season and the best starting pitcher in the AL missed 2 months in Chris Sale. Steven Wright, another valuable swing man who was very good when healthy was also on the disabled list more than he was healthy with the same knee injury/knee reconstruction as Pedroia.
NY had Ellsbury out for the season, which has been a career habit of his headlining their list of DL people and was he really even missed?
When we have a fully flooded offense and then you see Shane Robinson filling in for RF in the midst of a division race. When we had 12 different starting pitchers to fill in for injuries then I think we can say there’s an injury bug to the season.
I remember the year started with an OF shortage, due to injuries lol.
And this yr the. Pick the Redsox third. I hope they. Prove wrong again.
I’m sorry who thought the Red Sox weren’t gonna make the playoffs last year?
The hosts on MLB signed on with them only in sept.
This yr I think Tampa Bay is going to be strong, as maybe Toronto too. The Redsox have 5 top starters if they all stay healthy. The Evil Empire have weak starters n who knows what will happen with injuries, considering CC has major heart problems, Sev has a bad shoulder, and then the supposed strong bullpen can’t help if the starters give away the game early…..just saying!
Toronto will be lucky to win 70 games. Yankees and Sox will be tops with Tampa being very strong all year. Sox hopefully being East winners.
I got the Orioles taking it this year
This guys knows what’s up. O’s take the division by storm led by an MVP season from Chris Davis. So obvious.
Lock it up, heard it here first.
Red Sox 5 top starters? Lmao!!
With all that said, I will bet the Yanks take the division this season. No one would have bet the Red Sox winning 108 games last season.
Who are these 5 top starters the Sox have? I love how you point out the weakesses of the Yanks starter but say nothing about the issues for Eovaldi, Sale and Rodriguez.
Btw..there were 43 starting pitchers with a 2,5 fWAR last year. Yanks have 5 of them.
I’m just curious why you just listed Sale. He’s the best pitcher in either rotation
Yankees fan thinking.
Because the main critique of the Yanks rotation isn’t talent nor lack of previous success. It’s health. And in response to what @[pasha2k stated:
“The Redsox have 5 top starters if they all stay healthy. The Evil Empire have weak starters n who knows what will happen with injuries, considering CC has major heart problems, Sev has a bad shoulder,
….then he is completely dismissing the injury risk of Sale (who missed all but 5 innings in the month of August), Eovaldi (who hasn’t thrown more than 125 innings since 2015), Eduardo Rodriguez (who in his young career has never thrown more than 138 innings in a season)
Factually speaking, the Yanks starting 5 of Severino (5.7 WAR in 191 IP ), Tanaka (2.7 WAR in 156 IP ), Paxton (3.8 WAR in 160 IP ), Happ (3.2 WAR in 177 IP ) and Sabathia (2.5 WAR in 153 IP ) are just as good 1-5 as Sale (6.5 in 158 IP), Price (2.7 in 176), Porcello (2.7 in 191) Eovaldi (2.2 in 110 IP) and Rodriguez (2.3 in 129). Why people scream how fragile the Yanks rotation is health-wise and still ignore the same fragility of the Sox rotation is ignoring the facts completely. Yaks had 5 guys give them 2,5 WAR or better AND pitch at least 150 innings. The Sox have 3.
“and then the supposed strong bullpen can’t help if the starters give away the game early…..just saying!
And I just laugh at the “supposed” strong bullpen as if, at least on paper, it’s not an obvious strength. Last year according to fWAR there were 22 relief pitchers with a 1.5 WAR or better. The Yanks lost Robertson but still have Chapman, Ottavino, Betances and Green as top 20 and Britton as a wild card to go along with Holder who had a good year and finished in the top 30. Red Sox have lost Kimbrel and Kelly and haven’t replaced them at all.
I would say the Sox are just as likely to regress pitching and are vulnerable in 2019.
Does Dellin Betances think that Dellin Betances is Rickey Henderson?
Sargent Downvote doesn’t understand the joke.
Referring to himself in 3rd person
I see what Sargent Downvote did there
Why would Brett Gardner be blocking anyone?
hahahaha my thoughts exactly. like yeah he’s good in the field and all that but damn, .235-.250. below league average bat. yawn.
I’ll never understand why you guys don’t give Gardner any respect. 2.8 WAR last year. He is a dirt dog who gives 100% and is good in the club house.
How exactly would you know he’s “good in the clubhouse”?
That’s what they say about him, the media, coaches and players. You can see he is a leader and good influence with his effort. His numbers are decent. His WAR for 2018 is better than Harper’s. LOL
I can cherry pick “Good clubhouse guy” coming from those sources for a multitude of players, doesn’t mean it’s true. So you’d rather have Brett Gardner than Bryce Harper, now that’s a big lol…
It was said in jest, although for the money and years I would take Gardy, and I am not a Yankee fan. The guy is a solid player who gives 100% Can’t believe you guys can’t see that.
Because they literally crapped the bed accessing their outfield situation signing him.
Go to Yankee game early. Watch pregame stretch and see Gardy is true team leader. Smart young guys crowd around him while he live and breath professionalism. That was probably big reasons for his sign.
They were just being sentimental and cheap.
Because every baseball team needs a bald pissed off farm boy. Or at least that was Cashman’s logic with this signing. He’s not exciting enough for me to bring him back but maybe he proves us wrong
They let betances walk if he does take 3 year 22.5
Doesn’t
Betances is worth more than ottavino. They paid 3 years 27 mil for him.
Hicks. What a bargain!! LOL!!!
It’s still a bargain
He’s cheaper on the DL than Ellsbury. Seriously though, for that money he is, even if he misses half the games and produces.
Hicks is not a bargain if he plays an average of 80 games a year for the next 6 to 7 years due to injury.
Yanks still get insurance money off of Ells. It’s like a free vacation!! I hear Ells is getting braces for his teeth he always wanted… and reading glasses for the first time. Cashman text’d him: “Hey man, no rush.”
Insurance money has nothing to do with the payroll…
Ahhhhhh, another no information click bait for yankee fans. When will mlbtr write a meaningless article about the Indians or Marlins or rockies set up man, their 4th best outfielder and some minor leaguer that will probably be over hyped and traded at the deadline?
Nope, just an occasional article about a yankee.
Did you read the 8 articles before this or the ) articles after it – which include only one player – some of which have been released – not a Yankee? Your jealousy is bright, and a little blinding.
Can the Yanks please trade Frasier for a ham sandwich already? The man needs new threads somewhere else to see his potential.
Why wouldn’t you just send him down to let him develop? That’s what the minors are for. He has had very bad luck health wise.
He’s trolling..
“I won’t be all the way until May … I have done this already. It’s always been a topic.”
He was sitting at 97-98MPH in March during both 2017 and 2018, according to Brooks Baseball.