Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 2/7/14

I might be the worst person in the world at filling out tax returns.  I bring it up because I'm planning on doing them this weekend and every year it's the same routine.  I forget where I left my previous year's tax forms, I don't remember my IRS website login for the e-file stuff, I always fill something out wrong the first go-round that doesn't get caught until the end when I try to submit, and I butcher the form for Wisconsin state tax return.  It's like a yearly version of "Groundhog Day" for my own personal stupidity.  You'd think that as a single guy in his late-20s it would be a cakewalk and I'd have it figured out by now but no.  Not even close.  This is probably why I'm a cube monkey making exactly 0 dollars from blogging.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Matt Seybold of IIATMS/TYA did some serious number crunching on starting rotation spot performance to determine where Masahiro Tanaka should be slotted into the Yankee rotation and if the order of the rotation even matters at all.

- Reminder, the IIATMS/TYA weekly podcast is in full effect and definitely something you should be checking out on the reg.  This week's one was especially good.

- On Tuesday, Jason Cohen of Pinstripe Alley broke down the ST competition for the backup catcher spot.  I agree that Cervelli is the odds-on favorite, but it wouldn't shock me if Romine or Murphy stole the job.

- On Wednesday, Chad Jennings of LoHud mused on the problems that have crept up on some of the bigger Yankee FA signings to turn them from long-term to short-term risks.

- Andrew Marchand of ESPN NY profiled A-ball pitching prospect Luis Severino, including a few good chunks of scouting reports and comments from Yankee personnel.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits examined Dean Anna's Triple-A success in the Pacific Coast League to see if it will translate to any kind of above-average Major League production.

- On Thursday, Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes interviewed 2013 draft pick Cale Coshow, a big right-hander who could turn into a relief prospect in the next year or 2.

- Gavin Ewbank of Yanks Go Yard suggested the idea of signing the recently released Brett Wallace as first base insurance for Teix.  Maybe not a bad idea if the Swing Doctor Long can fix him.

- Mike Axisa of RAB made a case for signing Ivan Nova to an extension now to potentially save some money by comparing him to other pitchers who signed deals before their arb-eligible years were up.

- On Friday, Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily pegged the High-A Tampa Yankees as the most exciting team to watch in the farm system in 2014.

- Vizzini of NoMaas did a side-by-side comparison of last year's lineup to this year's to forecast the team offensive output this season.

Going with a little NIN this Friday because it's been a while since they were in the rotation.  Still salty that I sat through the entirety of the Grammys just to watch their ending performance with Queens get cut short.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Tanaka Introductory Presser Set For Tuesday

Yankees announce @t_masahiro18 will be introduced in a press conference @ Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, 2/11 at 1pm, airing live on @YESNetwork
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) February 7, 2014

This was the last major offseason happening that needed to happen and we finally got confirmation this morning of when it will be happening.  If you thought the McCann, Ellsbury, and Beltran press conferences were something, you ain't seen nothing yet.  It's going to be an absolute zoo at The Stadium on Tuesday and I can't wait to try to sneaky watch it at the office.

P.S.- Via Andrew Marchand, here's an interesting little note from Cash during his ESPN Radio appearance.  He said the Yankees are looking at Tanaka as a "solid, consistent, number 3 starter."  Yeah, sure.  Keep trying to lower that bar, Cash.

High Praise For McCann

John Harper of the Daily News wrote a profile piece on new catcher Brian McCann yesterday, and the comparison made between McCann and another former Yankee catcher was the standout quote of the article:

"'Mr. Steinbrenner told me the story the day we were in New York for the press conference,' Howie McCann, Brian’s father, was saying on Wednesday. 'He said everyone there agreed they needed a catcher, and then Gene Michael stood up and said, ‘We want McCann because he reminds me of Thurman Munson, he has that same demeanor, that same toughness.’"

Considering the long and storied history of Yankee catchers, being compared to Thurman Munson is about the highest compliment you can receive.  Part of what people liked about the McCann signing was his reputation as a clubhouse leader and everything in Harper's article makes it sound like he's going to be a good one for this team.  With guys like Andy and Mo retired, and with the current captain not far behind, the Yankee clubhouse is a little lighter on vocal leadership than it's been in years past.  A modern day version of Munson behind the plate will go a long way in ensuring that the team's high standards don't slip as its last links to the most recent glory days move on.