Joey V's Random Thoughts: March 2019

Ok everyone, I know that you have been dying to hear my thoughts about the upcoming Yankee season . . . . . . . riiiiiiight . . . . . . but nevertheless, I'm going to give them to you.

People have lots of opinions on lots of things and I certainly have mine, that's for sure. I'm taking a VERY positive approach to this season of Yankee baseball and this post is going to take you player by player, through why I think this is going to be a great great season.

Now of course, you never know what's going to happen. After all, look at the Washington Nationals last year! You can also say to look at the Oakland Athletics last year. Every year, there are surprises, disappointments, etc. But I'm ready to rock for what has the potential of being a very special season as well as many to come. Here we go:

Let's start by looking at the current 40-man roster: (As of March 28, 2019)

Pitchers

Albert Abreu
Domingo Acevedo
Chance Adams
Dellin Betances
Zack Britton
Luis Cessa
Aroldis Chapman
Domingo German
Chad Green
J.A. Happ
Joe Harvey
Ben Heller
JOnathan Holder
Tommy Kahnle
Jonathan Loaisiga
Jordan Montgomery
Adam Ottavino
James Paxton
CC Sabathia
Luis Severino
Masahiro Tanaka
Stephen Tarpley

Catchers:

Kyle Higashioka
Austin Romine
Gary Sanchez

Infielders:

Miguel Andujar
Greg Bird
Thairo Estrada
Didi Gregorious
DJ Lemahieu
Gleyber Torres
Troy Tulowitzki
Luke Voit
Tyler Wade

Outfielders:

Jacoby Ellsbury
Clint Frazier
Brett Gardner
Aaron Hicks
Aaron Judge
Mike Tauchman
Giancarlo Stanton

Nice list, I'd say! Team won 100 games last year but then got waxed by the Red Sox in the playoffs. Red Sox were pretty unstoppable last year. Tip of the cap to them. Not this year, though! Yankees are comin' atcha!

So let's go one man at a time through what I expect the opening day roster to be, and talk about how happy I am with this team.

Right Field - AARON JUDGE! - Ok, so let's start off with the 2017 Rookie of the Year. The Judge & The Jury . . . . Aaron Judge! He busted on the scene in 2017 after a pretty horrifying start to the career in 2016 in August/September. I think he struck out 42 out of his 84 at-bats that summer. EEK. But since then, Aaron Judge has become something special. His first full year ended with something like 52 homers and 114 RBI. Last year, he followed up with a solid 1st half, and then missed about 50-55 games due to injury. Was not smacking the cover off the ball in the end of the season when he came back, but still finished with solid numbers. Considering they won 100 games last year, and Judge missed 1/3 of the season - I'd say it's safe to say that they are going to get MORE out of Judge this year than last year. I'm not a "WAR" guy, but I'd say that's worth a couple wins!
Center Field - AARON HICKS - (This part of the blog was written weeks before the season) Today, Hicks signed a 7-year, $70 Million contract extension. This effectively takes them officially out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes and I'm ok with this. Obviously, Harper is one of the best, but looking long term, they are going to have to pay some of their own guys in the near future, and having Stanton AND Harper (or Machado) could have made that tough. Hicks - at $10,000,000/year - believe it or not is a steal. Remember, they got Gardner for 4 years and $52 mill a while ago. I think that Hicks is really figuring it out and is also quite a defender. He "hit it to the sticks" a career high 27 times last year. Batting average could use a little work and hopefully it will come up 20-30 points of so. We'll see. That being said, Very fair contract for someone who will hold down the fort in center for the next 7 years. For all of those who pine for the days of 1996-2000 when not everyone on the team was a superstar - and everyone wants to talk about the Scott Brosius's of the world, that's what Hicks is. Solid player, not a superstar, but a hard-ass worker. Now I think that Hicks is a "Cashman guy." He traded for him, he believed in him and so far, he keeps getting better. Cashman really doubled down today with this contract - in terms of committing long term - and I think it will pay off. Dollars per pound - this will be a good signing.
Left Field - BRETT GARDNER- Well, he is listed as top of the depth chart, but I'm not sure I expect him to play TOO much. Gotta figure that Stanton will play there whenever Sanchez is the DH - maybe 20 games, and whenever anyone else need to DH - say another 15 games. Clint Frazier who is probably likely to make the team will hopefully come along and eventually take the spot away from Gardner for the most part (say 50 games to be conservative) and that leaves about 77 games for Gardner to play, which may be on the high side, but may be just about right - starting half the games. This was a signing that goes against the grain of "Analytics" because it was totally a "Veteran leadership" move. They like him in the clubhouse. He and CC are the longest standing Yankees and they brought them both back on team friendly AND player friendly deals, in my opinion. They wanted to be and the Yankees like what they have to offer. I'm cool with it, as long as they realize that the idea is to try to find the replacement for Gardner. He is no longer the long-term answer and hopefully Clint Frazier will be. If not, then they'll have to go elsewhere next year. I think Gardner is a perfect and comfortable insurance policy on Frazier and someone who will have some hot streaks and Gardy will still go Yardy 12-15 times, even in limited work while playing a nice left field. I mean, it's also possible that they keep working on Stanton in left field and he eventually takes more time out there, but I'm not sure. The way people talk, that's not necessarily a thing. I'm just not sure that Stanton is a full time DH at this point in his career, just because of a potential switch from Right Field to Left Field. We'll see.
DH, Left Field & Occasional Right Field - GIANCARLO STANTON - My goodness, talk about a guy who gets NO love. Some call him the most over-rated player. I call him now one of the most under-rated. Everyone talks about his TERRIBLE season from this past year. 38 homeruns and 100 RBI. I heard people say on the radio today how if Bryce Harper played for the Phillies, that he'd be a 40 homerun guy, as if that was some ridiculous feat. Stanton almost broke 40, ON A "BAD" YEAR!!!!! I know he struck out a lot, and he looked bad doing it. I know that it seems that everyone figured him out and was able to make him look terrible with whatever breaking pitch it is that he can't hit. (I'm not good about understanding pitching and stuff like that, in terms of knowing what pitch is coming next and recognizing what type of pitch it is by the movement on it.) And they say that he was a compiler of numbers and none of it happened when it was important. Remember when he carried the Yankees the first 3-4 weeks that Judge was out? I think that was just a preview of whats' coming in the next 8-9 years - however long he is under contract for, what until 2053? Oh wait, that's Bobby Bonilla and the Mets . . . . . . Anyway, I'll take 38/100 on a bad year. That's for sure. Can't wait to see a good year! Look past those two 5-strikeout games. Look past the terrible strikeout in the playoffs. Many say that it "takes time to get used to playing in New York." Give Stanton the benefit of the doubt. In his "getting used to it" year, he hit 38 freaking homeruns and drove in 100 runs. I predict 45-50 this year, and 110 RBI. Mark my words. I mean, I am publishing this, so I'll go back over it at the end of the season and laugh at myself for all the things I get wrong - but you better give me credit for what I'm right about. Oh and by the way, I heard this recommended homerun call for Stanton early last year, but clearly John Sterling didn't use it: "Giancarlo Stanton . . . . DROPS THE MIC" Still think that would have been the best!
Extra Outfielder - CLINT FRAZIER - This is make-or-break year for Red Thunder. (which by the way, he HATES that nickname and wants it to go away!) He came with a lot of hype. Remember how we got him? In the trade for Andrew Miller. He was a big piece in that trade. They also got Justus Sheffield and the Indians got a great end of season for Andrew Miller and then an Andrew Miller who was on and off the DL (Now, the "IL.") and eventually left for St. Louis. The Yankees turned Sheffield into James Paxton and now are looking to see what they get out of Clint Frazier. I'd say they are ahead on the deal for themselves - Miller would be gone and instead they have a few years coming of Paxton + a "wild card" in Clint. He could end up not being a major piece to the team. These head injuries can really screw with a dude. He was a highly touted prospect and still has the opportunity to become something pretty big, if things come together. I'd THINK the hope is that he comes along, plays well and becomes the left fielder, relegating Gardner to bench duty by the end of the year, and the left fielder of the future is here. That being said, he could flake out and the yanks will be fine with what they have and the real "problem" will be next year, since they will not have found their left fielder of the future. (Which I'm still not convinced that it can't be Stanton, just sayin' . . . . . . . So if he can stay on the field, we'll see. Could be nothing, could really fly. We'll see how this one turns out. March 30 update - Clint Frazier did not make the team out of spring training. That being said, I still expect to see him later in the year. If not, he will fizzle into baseball oblivion as someone who unfortunately didn't pan out. We'll see. I'm staying positive and hoping for the best for him.
Roving Outfielder - MICHAEL TAUCHMAN - (This is a March 30 addition, as he was traded for after I wrote the position players in. He was an emergency grab due to Aaron Hicks being on the shelf, Clint Frazier not being ready for MLB yet and Jacoby Ellsbury's round robin of injuries that seemingly will not stop happening. I don't expect to see all that much of him, since the Yankees bench is deep and they can play Stanton in Left Field, but he's a pro from what I hear. I'd be shocked if he's still here by the all-star break.
3rd Base - MIGUEL ANDUJAR - So we are on to the infield and this is a very interesting one to me. Miguel Andujar - the guy who everyone is just begging to run out of town. My goodness, people are seriously impatient and have some seriously ridiculous expectations. People were itching to sign Manny Machado and trade Andujar. People were itching to trade Andujar for Nolan Arenado. All everyone was worried about was getting rid of him. Getting rid of a young, controllable and over-achieving rookie player who came up a year ahead of schedule and was almost the rookie of the year, if it weren't for the first legitimate 2-way player since Babe Ruth: Shohei Ohtani. The kid was unreal this year at the plate. He was less than stellar in the field. Sure. I'm not going to spout numbers about errors and stuff like that because that doesn't tell the whole story. I'm sure to those who watched every single inning of every single game, and really know their baseball, they may see some stuff that can be improved. Of course. My eyes are not that advanced. But c'mon - this is a guy who was NOT READY TO COME UP LAST YEAR. They traded for Brandon Drury because they needed to give Miggy another year to hone his craft. Then all he does is hit 27 homeruns, 92 RBI and hit .297!! And everyone wants to get rid of him because they are just so sure that he will never amount to anything in the future. I'm sorry - $550,000/year for the next 3 years and then say $8 million, $13 million and $18 million in arbitration - if things go well for him? Then maybe a big 5 year - $100 million contract at that point if he turns out to be all that. (We could only be so lucky!) Or $30 million/year for the next 10 years? I know it's not "my money" but if you can have a not yet ripe Andujar for 550k, why would I want them to pay 30 mil for Machado and be stuck with him 10 years from now? If Andujar never improves and does exactly what he did last year for the next 10 years, I'd be able to "get Miggy with it!" I think the 92 runs he drives in will make up for the couple of runs his defense gives up worse than his replacement, per dollar. That being said, again, he was never scheduled to be in the majors last year. Give the kid a chance. My goodness. Remember - for a couple years - everyone was running Daniel Murphy out of town until he went to the Nationals. Suddenly, no one cared about him being a bad defender or being a "man without a position." All they saw was hit batting stats and everyone complained that the Mets let him go. Suddenly, everyone claims they never wanted to get rid of him. Appreciate that Andujar put up numbers a year early, way beyond expected and he should get better in the field. All we ever say is that we need "home-grown Yankees . . " "like the Core Four" and what not. Well, here's a shot at a legit home-grown that will be cheap for a near future. I'm ready for a huge sophomore season for my boy Miggy.
Shortstop - TROY TULOWITZKI - Well, well, well . . . . . . Troy Tulowitski is a Yankee. Imagine that 4-5 years ago! Sounds like a dream come true. Too bad it's 2019 and he was released by the Blue Jays who are still going to pay him an insane amount of money, to play for the Yankees! That being said, great move for the Yankees. Personally, I think a move like that solidifies the fact that they see Didi as a huge part of the future of the team and found a legitimate fill-in for him this year. Boone said that Tulo will play 7 of 10 days, at best, assuming health. Fill in the other days with Gleyber Torres and put Lemahiu at 2nd on those days. This is of course until they need to ease Didi back into the lineup, slowly - which will likely happen right around the time Tulo is exhausted and old and needs to play less anyway. Upside - HUGE. Who knows - maybe a 2nd wind for Troy. Downside - if he's terrible, they can use Gleyber at short and DJ at 2nd and Tulo becomes a waste on the bench who plays when the other guys need a blow. They can't trade him - that's part of the deal. I think the risk/reward is in the positive and they are paying him league minimum. The one thing I hate about it is that he is limited - not really able to play any other positions and in the event that he sucks, he will be a complete waste of a roster spot. I happen to want to think positively. I say he starts 81 games this year, hits 11 homers and drives in 43 runs. bats .270 and plays a solid shortstop. If he does that while holding down the fort for Didi, I think it's a victory for everyone. Of course, he may pull a muscle in Spring Training and go on the Jacoby Ellsbury recovery plan or find out that his heel problem did not "heel" very well and he can't play 7 games in 10 days. We'll see! MARCH 30 UPDATE - I saw John STerling after the game today. I missed his HR call because I saw it live. I tried to run to the bathroom to hear the homerun call since they play the radio in there, but missed it . . . .not enough of a delay. I told Sterling this story after the game and he laughed and said that he should tell people that his calls make people go to the bathroom. :-) Regardless, he told me his call was "Tulo-HIT-ski!" Yup - I got my own live homerun call right from Sterling's mouth. Killer!
Shortstop #2 - DIDI GREGORIOUS***NOT ON THE ACTIVE ROSTER*** Sir Didi is injured and will be out until June . . .. or July . . . . maybe August. . . . . who the heck knows. Last year - HUGE April, rough May/June - ended off with solid power numbers and a slightly sub-par batting average while being contagiously awesome in the clubhouse and publicly. I'm not going to make believe I know what goes on in behind closed doors, but from everything I hear, he's an incredibly guy to have around the team. He's great to the fans, has a ton of personality and reminds everyone that it is supposed to be FUN to play baseball. He is in a contract year and hopefully all he has to do is come back and show that he can play again, and sign himself a decent contract for 4-5 years - you think 5 years and $75 million would be fair? with a mutual option for $13 million year 6 and a $2 million buyout? I'd sign up for that - as long as he is ok for August and September. I can't really make predictions for his season but I do know that I am glad he is a Yankee and I would bet that he is not the type of guy who will rehab in Tampa for the next 4 months. He'll be around and doing everything he can to lift the spirits and efforts of the team.
2nd Base - GLEYBER TORRES - So speaking of Rookie of the year consideration - 2016 - Gary Sanchez (2nd), 2017 - Aaron Judge (1st), 2018 - Miguel Andujar (2nd) AND Gleyber Torres (3rd)!!! This guy, as opposed to Miggy, was a little behind schedule because he slid into home poorly a few years ago. They set him back a little bit. But he came up and did everything he was supposed to do. They traded away Starlin Castro for Stanton, paving the way for Torres to get up here without having to ditch Didi - which I love. Nice to have a 2nd baseman who can easily slide over to Shortstop if needed, by the way. The concern people have is that he will go through the "Sophomore slump." Of course, that is always a concern. But then again, it's also a concern that I may oversleep my alarm and be late to work. But I don't avoid getting a job because of that and my bosses don't stop hiring people because they may oversleep. So i'm not going to expect less of Gleyber because other people MAY have had a sophomore slump. The idea is that players who are good will improve their first bunch of years, head into their prime and then crush it from 26-30 before father time (who is undefeated) starts to take over. So I have to assume that Gleyber will get better. How? Well, I think last year he got a little tired. It was a long season and he never went through that much baseball in 1 place before. It started to show and he tailed off a little. Earlier in the year, he seemed a shoe-in for Rookie of the year (of course, that was while everyone assumed Ohtani was not going to be able to keep it up.) I can't hold it against him for hitting a wall. He had a great rookie campaign and assuming he conditions himself to run through that wall this year, he should take a step forward in 2019. We'll see if I'm right, sometime around "Gleyber Day Weekend."
1st Base - LUKE VOIT/GREG BIRD - Cool Hand Luke and the Birdman of New York . . . . . This one is tough, but surprise surprise - I can put a positive spin on it, believe it or not! I have Luke Voit making the 25-man roster, leaving Greg Bird in the dust. So let's start with Voit. This is another situation of people being Jaded as can be. Came to the Yankees in return for . . . . . was it Chasen Shreve? Oh yea - and Giovanny Gallegos! Was a nobody with the Cardinals - was basically blocked for most of his career there from 1st base, and was traded to the Yankees as they moved Tyler Austin out of town to Minnesota. . . . . . really a nice series of smooth moves to overhaul the 40-man roster and give some freedom with options/etc to the minors - and end up with Luke Voit, in the end - who may be a diamond in the rough. He lit the league on fire when he came up the 2nd time - after a short and failed time up, then a demotion to Scranton, before he came up for good. So he comes up late in the year and does what he does. Suddenly people are throwing names out there like KEVIN MAAS (1990) and SHANE SPENCER (1998). Here's the problem . . . . . . . He had the strong run at the end of last year. Why in God's name do we just assume that because he came up late in the season and did well that he's destined to suck and never amount to anything else in the future? That is the most asinine thing I have ever heard of. Ya know who had a KILLER August and September in 2016? Gary Sanchez. And what did he do in 2017? He crushed it again. (Now, i know he was terrible in 2018, but we'll talk about him later) Think about it - there are 2 cases that Yankee fans talk bout of people who kill it for 1-2 months and then suck from there on our. Maas and Spencer. 2 PLAYERS! If he comes back this year and does nothing, then we can put him on the list. But I can not for the life of me understand what he has done that makes everyone assume that he will suck this year. Because Shane Spencer did it 20 years ago? or Because Kevin Maas did it 29 years ago? How about the fact that all we've seen is Voit be awesome. Maybe he'll stay awesome! Now - - - - - - - Greg Bird - they don't have room on the 25-man roster for both, so here's what I have to say. It would be a total drag if Greg Bird were to officially become the next Shane Spencer or Kevin Maas . . . . . . I mean if you think about it, he's really a better candidate for that title. Greg Bird has one last shot right now, in Spring Training, to prove himself. If he doesn't, the job is Voit's. But if, just consider, Bird shows signs of what he was supposed to be and actually makes this team over Voit, then that means he is killing it, and they can only be good news for the Yankees. My money is on Voit, but if Bird makes the team over Voit, then there is something good in store for this team AND then they'll have a pretty solid trade chip in the other one. MARCH 30 UPDATE - They both made the team due to injuries. I can actually see this lasting awhile, since injuries are a part of the game. Would not be shocked to see them both up here most of the season IF Bird can get some hits.
2nd Base & Roving Infielder - DJ LEMAHIEU - So I don't truly know a ton about Lemahieu. I can only really say what I have heard from people I trust, whether they be sports radio hosts, analysts, MLB people and friends who know a ton more than me that I typically agree with. I did not really think he was a necessary addition based on his initial comments. I think I heard him saying that he was not really experienced playing anywhere other than 2nd base, and we have Gleyber Torres, so what gives? A back-up 2nd basemen? But Boone has other thoughts. Look at it this way. Give Torres a day off a week (1.5 days off in a 10 day span.) Then consider that Boone said Tulo will be scheduled to play 7 of 10 days, if he is healthy. That's 3 days out of 10 where Gleyber moves to SS and DJ plays 2nd. Then rotate that DH spot around because let's face it, Stanton is gonna play some LF and the Yankees can go with the hot bat, so let's say he DH's 10 games or so, that's another 1/2 day out of 10. THEN it turns out that he took a lot of reps at 1st. Now assuming that the world is healthy, there may not be room for both Bird AND Voit, so DJ gets a game a week at 1B. We just found 96 starts for DJ Lemahieu already, without even trying. Not to forget injuries, hot hand, defensive replacements, yadda yadda yadda - sounds like it will be easy to get him about 400 at-bats. He is supposed to be a good "Bat to ball" guy - on a team that is notorious for striking out too much. We'll see. I mean, no offense to Tyler Wade, but if you can get DJ as a replacement for Tyler Wade, I'd to it every day and twice on Sunday. Of course, at $10+ Million? Hey - it's not my money. What do I care?
Catcher - GARY SANCHEZ - Oh My . . . . . . the Gary Sanchez Debate. I'll tell you what, it's true. That Gary IS Scary! In my opinion, Sanchez is going to KILL IT this year. What Am I basing this on? Have I any insider info? Nope. Am I going to pretend to see something that I and only I have figured out? heck no! Was I a fly on the wall in his doctor's office and saw all the scans to confirm that he has a 100% clear bill of health? Did I talk to his shrink to find out what was up in his head? no sir-ee Bob! It's called "A HUNCH!" Everyone is all over him for his defense. I can think of some other not so hot New York City defenders at the position when they came up - Hip Hip . . . . JORGE! And of course, the savior, Mike PIazza - I don't remember him winning a bunch of gold gloves (I don't think . . . . . ) He has a cannon for an arm - this is not Rube Baker from Major League II. Dude can throw a guy out. He's a little of a butcher behind the plate. What does that mean - well, I don't know for sure but I think he can get better. If it's such a liability, then I have to trust the coaches to work with him. The bottom line is that he can flat out hit. Last year was not exactly a good year for him at the plate. Let's go backward though - 2017 - CRUSHED IT. 2016 - was almost rookie of the year, and he was only up for 2 months!!! (and this is while Aaron Judge was striking out 42 out of 84 plate appearances during his debut.) If he can get close to what he's capable at the plate, I can deal with what he does behind it. I think the reward far outweighs the pain. The RBIs will far outweigh the passed balls. No contest. Sanchez is going for 35 and 90 this year and then I can tell everyone "I told you so." His defense - it just has to be better. A little better. Show some progress and I can defend it.
Backup Catcher - AUSTIN ROMINE - Austin Romine is a professional backup catcher who is competent to step in and play for a month if needed. In fact, he is certainly a better defender than Sanchez, so in that regard, he's an upgrade when he plays in THAT area. He had a good run in 2018 early in the season and was batting well over .300. Everyone got all crazy about how he has to be the starter and we gotta get rid of Sanchez. He ended the season at .244 which was better than Sanchez (LAST YEAR) and all but c'mon - it's .244! Let's be clear, I'm not badmouthing Romine. He's a nice backup catcher. I think he would probably start on a lot of teams - the Mets sure as hell would have been better last year with him! But let's curb all the talk about him being better overall than Sanchez, until Sanchez has another sucky year in 2019. THEN I'll start listening, but . . . . . . . see #12. I'm not expecting that. Can't wait to tell everyone "I told you so!"
#1 Starter - LUIS SEVERINO - So they inked him to a 4 year, $40 million contract and he proceeded to hit the DL immediately. I'm not really all that worried, but I'm no doctor. He had an amazing first half in 2018 and a putred 2nd half. He was a Cy Young Candidate for the first 3 1/2 months. If he can get even close to that for the most part, then that will be awesome. I personally think that the pitching staff is pretty solid with what they have. Maybe no 100% #1 guy to be trusted, since Sevy has been inconsistent, but they have 3 high end #2s in my mind, in Severino, Tanaka and Paxton and a low end #2 in Happ as well as the best #5 anyone has in CC, but we'll get to them later. Severino can go either way, but we know he has it in there. I'm pumped to see what he does when he comes off the Injured List. (My apologies for calling it the "DL" earlier in the post. I'm not fixing it. It's not a typo. I bet there are many that don't know it changed, but it's not the IL, not the DL. GO SEVERINO!
#2 Starter - MASAHIRO TANAKA - Tanaka has been pitching with a partially torn arm for years. He "SHOULD HAVE HAD" Tommy John Surgery year ago. Everyone is waiting for his arm to fall off, but it has not. He has not quite lived up to the contract that he signed, in my opinion, but I have to trust that he'll be solid this year. He always comes through in the big games and has ace stuff. Again - inconsistent at times, but I would not say that Tanaka has been a problem at all for the Yankees. He's still young too. Will his arm fall off - eventually . . . . . everyone's does at some point. RIght now, in Tanaka we trust. (Had a pretty darn good opening day start!)
#3 Starter - JAMES PAXTON - He was a Mariner, so I'd be lying if I tried to say I know everything about him. I know nothing about him except what people say on the radio, because really - who cares about the Mariners? Here's the bottom line - Paxton was one of the trading prizes of the 2018-2019 offseason in MLB. Aside from signing Corbin, he was the guy people wanted. We traded Justus Sheffield for him which may hurt, but Sheffield is still unproven and Paxton is supposed to be something special. Just gotta keep him healthy. For THIS YEAR, Sheffield would be a question mark and Paxton is really not. Let's also think about what they REALLY gave up for Paxton - will make you feel better. 2 years ago, they traded Andrew Miller to Cleveland for Sheffield and Clint Frazier. Miller's contact ran out, he was injured and left for St. Louis. Sheffield is traded for Paxton and Clint Frazier is still an unknown. But bottom line is that the Yankees in the end got Paxton NOW for Andrew Miller TWO YEARS AGO and they have Red Thunder waiting in the wings for a possible job down the line. Good deal if you ask me!
#4 Starter - J.A. HAPP - In case you are not sure, he likes to be called "JAY," not "JAY AY." Got him on a good deal - 2 years, $35 mil or so. For the way he pitched last year, I'll take that! Was killer in August and September. Only had one shot at the post season and the Yankees really wet the bed in that series. I expect him to be serious this year. As the #4 guy, I bet he wins 14-15 games with a 3.67 ERA. I'll take that. Crazy that this is what $17 Million gets, but that's the market now. I dig this signing. Will make them better for the season - hopefully we won't have to see Luis Cessa make a start this year. :-)
#5 Starter - CARSTEN CHARLES SABATHIA - And this is officially the "Swan Song" for Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Sabathia. He announced that he will retire after this season. He said he would have likely retired after 2018 had they won the World Series, but clearly that did not happen. CC is clearly not what he used to be. He has had to change his style over the years. If you are expecting the old CC, then you will be disappointed. But let's be real. Last year, 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA. That's legit stuff for a #5 starter! I defy you to find 5 teams that have a better #5 than the Yankees have in CC. He may only last 5 innings, but with the Yankees bullpen - that's just fine! They are ready for that. Show me a mid-3s ERA again and 150+ innings and I'll take that to the bank in his retirement year. From what I hear, amazing guy in the clubhouse too. I know, I know - I'm not in the clubhouse. How would I know that? Well, when you listen to a lot of sports radio, watch the pre and post game shows, etc, you hear not just the talk show hosts talk, but you hear from the ACTUAL players. They tell stories. They explain WHY he's great "in the clubhouse." Things like renting out a bar or a banquet room in the team hotel to watch the NCAA tournament, or renting out a bowling alley for the team on an off night in a different city, giving the young guys a chance to hang with the older guys in a non-work setting. Doing things for EVERYONE. Making the team a unit and not just a bunch of cliques. We should ALL learn from this.
#6 Starter - Jonathan Loaisiga - I hear that if they need another starter, he'll be the first one up. I believe he's known as the Yankees #2 prospect. Showed some skill last year in the limited chances that he had. Too early to tell, but an experienced guy to take the ball every 5th day if they are in need.
Closer - AROLDIS CHAPMAN - I remember the first time I saw him pitch as a Yankee. I was in a suite in right field - my old group ticket rep Austin Avery hooked me up. We enjoyed the suite life for the afternoon but when Girardi called for "Chappy," we were NOT going to miss that. My god, the fire graphics around the stadium . . . . . . the fire engine sounds over the speakers . . . . .And then the speed that the ball just left his hand and got to the plate was unimaginable! They to trade him for Gleyber Torres and GET HIM BACK!!??!?!?!?! Genius. I do not think he can keep up the 103 MPH Fastballs. I'm sure there is some coming off of that at this point. But he's a great pitcher. I think the pressure is off with Britton and Betances being there who are also experienced as closers (although Betances was never great in the role for more than a game or 2 at a time.) Anyway, one of the greatest closers in the league. Every team would be lucky to have him. There may be some who are currently "better" or have a better year, but he's been doing it for awhile now and I'll take him!
Set-Up Man - DELLIN BETANCES - He's starting the year on the IL, but he'll be ok. Has been up and down as a Yankee and people have been calling for the Yankees to trade him at multiple times, but patience is a virtue and he really seemed to respond well to Aaron Boone as his new manager next year. He was a killer last year. It's a walk year too, so he's gonna wanna prove something. I think he wants to stay here, so I expect a lot from him this year as he tries to solidify his spot here and make himself some money. His ups have been SOOOOOO great and his downs have been pretty brutal. But to quote things that have been said about Daniel Murphy, he has not been a "net negative!" I think the positive far outweigh the struggles. Looking for Dellin to be Dealin' this year.
Set-Up Man - ZACH BRITTON - The Yanks traded him in the great Orioles fire-sale of 2018. As Mike Draney would say, "Hashtag Birdland, Hashtag Bros before O's" :-) Was not sure what he would be coming off big injuries, but he did well in the pen for the yankees. They resigned him and he basically took the spot of David Robertson. Let's be clear - Britton was THE BEST CLOSER in baseball for a stretch of time, prior to his injuries. And he is one of 2-3 set up men leading to Chapman? YES PLEASE! This is going to be a huge full season addition. So excited for this.
Set-Up Man - ADAM OTTAVINO - This guy is supposed to be the real deal. So much talk abou thim and what he's supposed to be. People were mad because he said he would strike out Babe Ruth 9 times out of 10 or something like that, years ago. He came back and made a commercial making fun of himself. Did you know he grew up in NYC and was a huge Yankee fan? Coming home is a huge trip for him. He's going to be that swing guy - the way Cleveland used Andrew Miller when they traded for him a few years ago. Will do whatever he's asked to do. He just wants to pitch and get people out. If this guy is what everyone says he is, we are in for a treat!
Relief Pitcher - CHAD GREEN - People talked 2 years ago about how he may have been the Yankees best reliever. I think that MAY have been a stretch, but he was lights out for a majority of 2017. He was certainly their most consistent, but unproven as to whether it would continue or not. He was decent in 2018, but far from what he was. I'll take what he did in 2018 to be their #5 reliever in 2019. Still above average. Would love for him to unhittable again. What would be something else!
Relief Pitcher - JONATHAN HOLDER - This guy came out of NOWHERE. I used to think "oh crap, Holder's coming in." Then he suddenly went on this crazy streak last year of appearances without giving up runs. Wait, what? I won't "hold my breath," but if he has turned a corner and is that 2018 version of Holder, that puts this bullpen over the edge, if you ask me. Looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us this year. Disclaimer, he blew the game today, March 30. Not literally a blown save, but gave up 2 9th inning runs that ended up being the difference.)
Relief Pitcher - Tommy Kahnle - This guy was a "throw in" in the David Robertson trade a few years ago. He was a killer back then. Last year, he ended up in Scranton for a long time. Hoping that he bounces back and doesn't suck. Nice guy - signed for me twice without blinking - once in Baltimore at game and once after the game at Yankee stadium outside Gate 6. Likeable guy, but can he still pitch? I hope so.
Relief Pitcher - Luis Cessa - This guy makes me nervous. He's hung around though, so they must see something in him. Not a huge fan, but I don't expect him to be a HUGE part of the team. Just a part of the relief corps - up and down from Scranton, eat up some innings, spot start, good swing guy to have in the arsennal, but if he has to play a big part on the team, that is not good.
Relief Pitcher - Stephen Tarpley - We'll see. Short stints up here last year. The club seems to like him a lot. I think he only made the team this year due to injuries (CC, SEVY & BETANCES all starting on the shelf.) Here's to hoping he takes the next step and shoves Cessa aside. Cessa will get a job somewhere else, he's decent. I would just rather see Tarpley do something. They MUST trust him. They put him on the post season roster and gave him important inning in September 2018. We'll see.
Pitcher Domingo German - This guy could be a real wild card for the Yankees. He showed signs of brilliance,and signs of inexperience last year. Definitely could go either way, but just like my wife's blood type, I will continue to "B Positive" about pretty much everything. Not sure exactly where they see him on this team, but it would be nice if he can be the guy who is the heir apparent to the #5 slot in the rotation when CC retires.

Well, that's it. I think I got everyone who made the opening day roster + injured guys who WILL be back at some point. As you can see, I have high hopes for this team and expect great things. I know that I am overly positive and that not everything can come true. I made all positive predictions and some people will under perform and under achieve. That being said, it's the beginning of the season. Everyone gets to have a clean slate and everyone can be poised and ready for greatness. I do think this is the year for the Yankees. I have not been this confident since 2009, when I proclaimed to a co-worker that they WILL get to the World Series on opening day. We made a pretty hefty bet - he took the field, and I took the Yankees. I won! Turned those winnings around on my cousin who's a Phillies fan and bet him on the World Series and took that down too. I'm that confident, although I'd never bet straight up on that again, now that sports betting is legal - 1:1 betting in the preseason for World Series odds would be RIDICULOUS! Could the Yanks fall apart and suck? Sure. Look at the Nationals last year. Who knows what injuries may pop up. Will the Red Sox be ridiculous again this year? Maybe (but that bullpen . . . . . ) Houston is locking up all their young guys and are set to be good for a long long time, but that's only really an issue for one series in October. As Randy Quaid said at the beginning of Major League II: This is the year we go ALL THE WAY!

Joey V's Random Thoughts

Saturday, March 30, 2019

2019 Yankee Preview By Joey V