Spring Training News And Notes: 3/14/14

Yanks fell 7-3 to the Twins yesterday in their final game before the weekend split series.

- David Phelps was so-so in his followup to his great last start.  He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk in 4 IP, and struck out 4.  It was the type of inefficient outing that's always been a problem for him.

- Manny Banuelos struggled again, getting charged with 4 ER in less than an inning's work.  His spring ERA is now 63.00.  Dellin Betances, on the other hand, was brilliant, working 1.2 scoreless innings and getting out of a bases loaded jam.

- Hiroki Kuroda and Shawn Kelley threw bullpens in the morning.

- Brendan Ryan and Tyler Austin continued to progress in their efforts to return from injuries.  Ryan hit and took grounders and Austin had his first live BP session of the spring.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 3/14/14

Just a quick note, the final post in the "2014 Storylines" series was supposed to be this afternoon, but I've been getting my ass kicked by a cold for the last few days.  I'll try to get it written sometime tomorrow, so check back for that.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, SJK of NoMaas commented on the Ichiro situation and advised against trading him in a salary dump only move.  As little use as I have for Ichiro, I'm inclined to agree.  Move him only if you can get something of equal value back.

- On Tuesday, el duque of It Is High... predicted the inevitable Spring Training trade and didn't sound too optimistic about the possible return.

- SG of RLYW broke down the numbers to project Brian Roberts' 2014 season.  Not a lot of value there, as you'd probably expect.

- On Wednesday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog elaborated on the idea of Francisco Cervelli becoming a legit trade chip and used some historical comps to see what the future might hold for him elsewhere.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud talked to Slade Heathcott about his rehab from knee surgery and the changes he's trying to make to his approach.  Real good insight into Heathcott's mindset for this season.

- Jonathan Aron of Yanks Go Yard released Part I of his top 10 base stealers in Yankee history list.

- On Thursday, Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA analyzed CC Sabathia's early mechanical struggles, complete with awesome layered gif showing the resulting command inconsistencies.

- Mike Axisa of RAB previewed his breakout prospect candidates for 2014.

- On Friday, Andrew Mearns of Pinstripe Alley explained why trading Francisco Cervelli for Gordon Beckham would be a bad idea.

- Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits attempted to put the Dellin Betances hype in the proper perspective and reminded everyone that there are better options available.

This week's jam is "Armatage Shanks" by Green Day.  Hadn't heard this one in a long time until it popped up on my iPod earlier this week.  Green Day wasn't half bad back in the day before they got too into wearing eyeliner.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Over/Under: 2014 Statistical Predictions

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

I've got a pretty bad cold going right now, so I wanted to keep this as simple as possible.  There are a lot of high expectations for new players this year and just as many uncertain expectations for some of the holdovers.  I want to set an over/under line for some of the more important players on the roster to gauge what kind of seasons people are expecting from them.  Let's get into it.

CC Sabathia- Over/Under 4.00 ERA

The big fella came in at 4.78 last year, a full run over his career ERA coming into the season.  It wasn't only the first time he'd posted an ERA over 4.00 since 2005, it was the first time he'd posted an ERA over 3.50 since 2005.  The hope was that another season removed from elbow surgery would get CC back on the right track, but so far his early ST results have left some to start wringing their hands over his velocity.  I'm going to be optimistic here and take the under, just barely.  Something like 3.97.

Would You Trade Francisco Cervelli?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The trade winds continue to swirl around Yankeeland, and there is a new player at the eye of the storm.  Francisco Cervelli has reportedly been scouted by a few teams already this spring and more reports came out earlier in the week that interest in him was increasing.  On the heels of his 2-HR day on Wednesday and yesterday's announcement that he and Brian McCann would be switching roles this weekend, the speculation that he cold be on the move soon is rapidly growing.

The 28-year-old Cervelli is a prototypical backup catcher.  He can hit some, he can get on base some, and his overall defensive makeup is anywhere from solid to above-average depending on what scouting report you're reading.  What's held him back from generating a larger production sample is a combination of bad luck injuries and worse luck Triple-A demotions, but he has a reputation as a great teammate and clubhouse guy.  He's hitting .500/.556/1.125 in 18 PA this spring with 3 HR, 4 RBI, and 6 R scored, and he's also thrown out 3 attempted base stealers.

In a world where well-rounded catchers are hard to find, Cervelli is a very attractive option to teams looking to improve their depth and possibly upgrade at the starting catcher spot, like the White Sox.  He's under team control through 2016 and because of the missed time he hasn't accumulated as many of the standard bumps and bruises that come with the position.  The Yankees have a pair of capable backup options waiting behind him, so for the right return Cervelli should definitely be available.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/13/14

It was split squad city yesterday as the Yanks played 2 games, 1 against the Orioles and 1 against the Phillies.

- Ivan Nova got the start against the Phillies and was up and down in a 6-2 loss.  He threw 5 innings, gave up 3 ER on 9 hits, didn't walk anybody and struck out 6.

- Michael Pineda made his first start of the year against the O's and looked good again.  He went 2.2 scoreless innings before reaching his pitch count (48), gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and K'd 5.  Fastball was 89-92 again and the slider looked good, but he's still shaking off the rust.

- Joe announced the full travel squad to Panana, including a change at catcher as Francisco Cervelli will travel and Brian McCann will stay behind to catch Tanaka.  Some are speculating that this could mean a trade involving Cervelli is in the works.

- He also announced next week's rotation: Kuroda Monday, Pineda Tuesday, Nova Wednesday, Phelps Thursday, Sabathia Friday.

- Jose Campos and Bryan Mitchell were both cut and assigned to MiL camp yesterday.  ST roster is down to 59.

2014 Storylines: Bridging The Gap

(Where do we go from here, Hal?  Courtesy of the AP)

Championship or bust.  That's the mentality in Yankeeland.  It's a mentality that has served them incredibly well during the Steinbrenner Family Era.  Say what you want about the methods, but it's hard to argue with the results.  Consistent postseason appearances, a bunch of division titles and AL pennants, and more than a fair share of championships.  These aren't things that every other team in MLB can lay claim to over the last 40 years.

Last season, the Yankees deviated from that mentality.  Concern over dollars and cents overrode the desire to win, and a haphazardly thrown together plan to get the team payroll below the luxury tax threshold was the main focus.  The on-field results predictably suffered as a result and the Yankees were completely shut out of the postseason for only the second time since 1994.  Jarred by those results, the front office returned to their old ways this past offseason, spending big on the free agent market and reloading the team for another playoff run.

While it was an impressive spending spree, the overall strategy this offseason doesn't appear to be a full return to the "championship or bust" ways of the past.  Instead, it comes off as a more tactful strategy, one designed to straddle the line between championship contention and rebuild and bridge the gap between the last 5-year generation of Yankee teams and the next generation.

Would You Trade David Phelps?

(Courtesy of the AP)

As the ups and downs of Spring Training continue to play out across MLB, it looks more and more like the Yankees are going to make a trade at some point.  Their needs are obvious and they've been connected to multiple teams by multiple different reports.  By now, it's more a question of "when" than "if" and the more important question than that could actually be the "who", as in who the Yankees are most likely to give up in a deal.

Their most attractive piece right now is probably David Phelps.  He's fresh off his best ST outing of the year (a 5-inning, 3-hit, no-run performance on Sunday), he's a lock to make the roster as either a starter or reliever, and the general feeling is that he still has room to reach his ceiling in either role.  There's a lot to like about Phelps.  He's only 27, he's shown flashes of brilliance in both roles while displaying the flexibility to move from one to other relatively seamlessly, he's been worth almost 2 total fWAR in 2 partial seasons, and in his second pre-arbitration year he's under team control through 2018.

Selfishly as a Yankee fan, I wouldn't be keen on the idea of trading Phelps for someone like Didi Gregorius.  But if the Mariners were willing to talk about Nick Franklin (we already know they're keeping tabs on Phelps), I'd be very open to that and I have to think Cash would be as well.  That's not a deal that's going to happen straight up, but Phelps + somebody for Franklin is still a solid move to make from the Yankees' side.  They've shown no interest in dangling Phelps, so a deal looks like a longshot right now.  If something happens to Brian Roberts though, that could change quickly.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/12/14

The Yanks were back in action yesterday afternoon and played to another tie, this time 7-7 to the Tigers.  Dodged another rainout and got everybody their ABs.  That's all that matters.

- Hiroki Kuroda was yesterday's starter and he was awful.  10 H and 6 ER allowed in 3.2 innings.  He was up in the zone with his stuff all day and got smacked around.  It happens.

- The offensive star was Francisco Cervelli, who hit 2 home runs in his 2 plate appearances.  He's now got 3 for the spring and leads the team in SLG.

- Jose Campos worked around a leadoff double to work a scoreless frame in his first ST appearance.  Fastball was 90-93.  Back at camp, Dellin Betances threw a sim game in the morning.

- Brendan Ryan's oblique is much better according to him, but Joe said he won't return to game action until next week.  Dean Anna apparently has a stiff neck after his collision with McCann on Tuesday.

- Tyler Austin has progressed to hitting soft toss in the cage.  Slade Heathcott, Nik Turley, and Gary Sanchez were all cut and assigned to MiL camp.

2014 Storylines: Tanakapalooza!

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

The last time the Yankees tried to make a big splash on the international free agent market, they shelled out $46 million to a guy who looked like Droopy Dog and didn't even bother to verify what his pitch mix was.  That experiment predictably went down in flames and they'd been pretty quiet on the international front since then.

This past offseason, when the newest Japanese pitching sensation was available, the Yanks did a complete 180 from the Kei Igawa disaster.  They were in on this pitcher from the start, scouting more of his NPB games than any other MLB team, getting feedback from scouts, coaches, and players who had played with him, and engaging his agent on contract talks almost as soon as possible.  As we came to find out later, they'd actually been following this pitcher for years, preparing for the day when he would be eligible to jump to MLB.  All that due diligence worked to their advantage, and on January 22nd, 2014 the Yankees reaped the benefits by signing 25-year-old Masahiro Tanaka to a 7-year/$155 million deal.

In the 2-ish months that have passed, Tanaka has come to the states, joined the team at Spring Training, and began his transition to playing Major League Baseball.  Nothing he has done so far has been a small deal in the media and it comes as no surprise that everything he will do this season will be a huge deal.

A Tale Of Two Adjusting Pitchers

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It was another tandem activity day for CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka yesterday, in what may or may not be a strategic move by Joe.  Flip-flopping the plan from last Thursday, when Sabathia threw a sim game and Tanaka got the Grapefruit start, it was Tanaka who threw the sim in the morning and Sabathia who took the hill against real competition in the afternoon.  Their results and the manner in which they achieved them could not have been more different and provide a perfect view of 2 divergent pitching career paths.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/11/14

- CC Sabathia (real game) and Masahiro Tanaka (sim game) both pitched yesterday.  Tanaka's outing went pretty well, Sabathia's not so much.  I'll have more on them later today.

- David Robertson, Matt Thornton, Preston Claiborne, and Vidal Nuno were all also throwing sim innings yesterday morning between Tanaka's innings.

- Scary moment during the game when Dean Anna and Brian McCann collided on an infield pop-up.  It started when Anna tripped on McCann's mask, but thankfully both guys were fine.

- Brendan Ryan swung a broomstick yesterday and felt no pain, so he could be back in the lineup today.

- Joe announced some of the players who will be heading to Panama this weekend.  Derek Jeter, McCann, Brett Gardner, Alfonso Soriano, and Carlos Beltran are the main regulars making the trip.

2014 Storylines: Platoon City

(Kelly Johnson, king of the platoon possibilities.  Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

As baseball continues to evolve and become more specialized, platoons have become a common part of most team's lineups.  Rather than plug 1 player with a skill or 2 and a weakness or 2, or a substantial hitting split, into a full-time role, teams have learned that it's more valuable to split those roles up among 2 players to cover for their combined weaknesses and lessen the negative effect of that hitting split.  The Red Sox and the Rays are 2 teams that have utilized the platoon strategy to great success recently, and it's no coincidence that they've been 2 of the best teams in the American League.

The Yankees' strategy when it comes to platoons has been more reactionary over the past few seasons.  Rather than proactively attempt to build a lineup that includes 1 or 2 platoons, their attempts at utilizing them usually come as a response to injuries to their everyday starters.  That's a dangerous strategy to employ when the core of your lineup is as old as the Yankees' has been, and their failure to adequately prepare for the injury situations that have arisen in part led to the carousel of suck we saw at third base and shortstop in 2013.

The strategy has taken a small step forward with this season's roster construction, although it hasn't fully made the leap to completely proactive.  The Yankees enter the 2014 season with an array of platoon situations, some born out of injury-related necessity and some out of proactive strategy.  The effectiveness of these various platoons will be a season-long factor in determining how good this team can be.

Beltran's Foot- Something Or Nothing?

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The off day yesterday gave everybody a chance to step back and reset the ST landscape after a busy first 2 weeks.  Part of that resetting is updating all the injury/health issues in camp and Chad Jennings was generous enough to compile every update on every player into one post.  Most of this stuff is common knowledge to anybody who's followed camp with any kind of consistency, but there was one name and one ailment on the list I wasn't aware of.  That name is Carlos Beltran, who's apparently been dealing with a sore left foot.  Jennings was quick to call it "a complete non-issue," but his description of the situation doesn't exactly read as reassuring:

"After playing last Sunday’s game, Beltran had an ice pack on his left foot. He said his toes bother him occasionally, especially if the dirt in the batter’s box is too firm. Said it’s not a problem, and he’s been able to play since then."

MLB.com Releases Its Top 20 Yankee Prospects List

Prospect season is all but over now the start of the regular season is approaching and teams are starting to make their first spring roster cuts.  MLB.com gave us one last list to look over yesterday when they released their top 20 Yankee prospects list for 2014.

The list is predictable headlined by Gary Sanchez, who MLB.com rated as a 60 (out of 80) prospect overall.  The rest of the top 5 is, in order: Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, J.R. Murphy, and Eric Jagielo.  The only "surprise" is Luis Severino at 10, which isn't much of one given what he's done since coming stateside, and the second half of the top 20 featured fellow young'ns Gosuke Katoh, Luis Torrens, Abiatal Avelino, and Miguel Andujar.

If you've got the time, definitely check this list out in greater detail.  It's got stats, write-ups, and individual tool grades for each player and it's all free.

P.S.- Check out the AB4AR Top 30 too.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/10/14

Light on the news and notes this morning after yesterday's full scheduled off day.  The Yanks will return to Grapefruit League action this afternoon against the Nationals.

- The hot stove won't turn off in Yankeeland.  The latest rumor, courtesy of Chad Jennings, is that there's some interest in Francisco Cervelli.  We know teams are scouting Yankee catchers right now, makes sense that he'd be included.

- Brendan Ryan will be reevaluated by team medical personnel today to determine if he'll be able to get back to action on Wednesday.

- Nik Turley, who's been out for the last few weeks, will be held out for at least another 2 as he's still feeling some tightness in his left arm.  Definitely won't be ready for the start of the season.

2014 Storylines: A Rotation In Transition

(The symbolism.  Oh, the symbolism.  Courtesy of the AP)

There's nothing more important than starting pitching in today's MLB landscape.  It doesn't matter how many runs your lineup scores if your starter can't make those runs stand up, and if your lineup doesn't produce that many runs, you can still win games on the back of great starting pitching.  It's with that in mind that I kick off the 2014 "Season Storylines" series with a discussion of where the Yankee rotation finds itself heading into the 2014 season and where it might be heading in the near future.  There's a transition happening, one that could propel the Yankees back towards the top of the championship contender heap if things go right or one that could lead to their further decline down the contender ladder if they don't.

Spring Rotation Order Could Be Coming With A Dose Of Strategy

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After playing to a 3-3 tie in yesterday's game, the Yankees will get their first true off day of the spring today.  No games, no scheduled workouts at the complex, nothing.  Now 3 weeks into Spring Training and with 3 weeks remaining until Opening Day, they've reached the point where the focus starts to change and everything starts to matter a little more.  One thing Joe did over the weekend before today's off day was announce the rotation order for the next week.  If you happened to miss it in the course of your regular weekend activities, it looks like this:

Tuesday- CC Sabathia & Masahiro Tanaka (sim game)
Wednesday- Hiroki Kuroda
Thursday- Michael Pineda & Ivan Nova (split squad)
Friday- David Phelps
Saturday- Vidal Nuno & Adam Warren (split squad)
Sunday- Sabathia & Tanaka (split squad)

This coming weekend's games will be played in Panama, which is why the Yanks will have 2 starters and why they've yet to announce the first round of spring roster cuts.  Nuno and Tanaka will stay behind and make the starts in Tampa while Warren and Sabathia will travel to Panama, but the more important note here is the strategy Joe seems to be using with Sabathia and Tanaka to limit their exposure this spring.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/9/14

It's never fun to tie in sports, but ST W-L results don't matter and that's why the Yanks and Rays were content to stop with the game locked up at 3 yesterday.

- David Phelps was the star of the day, tossing 5 shutout innings with just 3 hits allowed.  He didn't walk a batter, struck out 1, and got 8 GB outs.  Easily the best spring start so far.

- The first roster cuts were made when Jose Ramirez and Francisco Rondon were sent to MiL camp.  Both guys are hurt and not pitching, so not really a surprise or a big deal.

- Tyler Austin hit live pitching again yesterday, Kelly Johnson left the game after taking a ball in the back but should be fine, and it sounds like Brendan Ryan will be back in game action on Wednesday.  All good injury news.

- Yesterday's notable bullpens: Vidal Nuno, David Robertson, Matt Thornton, Hiroki Kuroda.

2014 AB4AR Season Preview Series Starts Tomorrow

("Best season preview in the woooooooorld!!!")

Tomorrow will mark the start of the final 3 weeks of Spring Training.  It will also be the official kickoff of the 2014 AB4AR Season Preview series.  If you remember back to last season, I split the season preview up into 3 1-week series of posts, starting with the major high-level themes that will define the upcoming season, expanding to the major questions and answers about the season, and building up to the final, detailed preview of the Opening Day 25-man roster.  I think that format worked pretty well and I'm sticking with it this season.

Tomorrow we'll start the season preview off with "2014 Season Storylines" week, a daily look at the defining major storylines that the writers, bloggers, and fanbase will be talking about all year.  I'm sure people can already guess at what a few of them are going to be, but there are a few you might not have thought about yet so check back Monday afternoon for the first of 5.

Opening Day is a little over 22 days away.  The next 3 weeks will tell you everything you need to know to be ready for it.

It's Happening Again, Isn't It?

Eduardo Nunez is tricking everybody into thinking he can actually play, isn't he?  He's had a few big hits early in ST, the opportunity is presenting itself for him to get more playing time in the form of Scott Sizemore's late spring start and Brendan Ryan's oblique injury, and come Opening Day he's probably going to be on the roster.  I can feel it.  I can feel Yankee fans starting to talk themselves into the idea of Nunez as a productive bench player again, and I don't like it one bit.

It would be one thing if this was Nunez's 2nd or 3rd year trying to break into a regular Major League role.  I could look past the previous bad defense and overrated hitting performance.  But it's the 5th year, without any real indication, statistical or otherwise, that Nunez is improving and I for one am not going to fall for it again.  I'm scared to death at the prospect of Ryan's oblique injury lingering into April and May and Nunez assuming the role of Derek Jeter's backup.  I fear for the lives of the people sitting field level behind first base and I cringe at the thought of Nunez needing to come up big with the game on the line.

It's not even like he's playing THAT well so far either.  He's only 4-17, he hasn't drawn a walk, 3 of his hits came in 1 game, and he's made an error in the field.  But I've seen a few comments and I can sense the tone in what's being written about him by other writers.  People are trying to get on board the Nunez hope train again and that's not a good thing.  You won't like where it goes.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/8/14

(Courtesy of the AP)

- It was a 9-6 win over the Astros for the Yanks yesterday in Ivan Nova's 3rd start of the spring.  He was shaky in the 1st, but settled down to allow 3 ER on 8 hits through 4 innings of work, striking out 5 and walking none.

- Manny Banuelos made his 2014 debut in relief of Nova and the results weren't very good.  He gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 1 walk in just 0.2 innings.  His velocity was good though, 92-94, so that's a good sign.

- Kelly Johnson hit a 2-run HR as the starting third baseman yesterday and he'll get his first start at first base today.  So far nobody's stepped up to lay claim to that role.

- Brendan Ryan will be out until sometime in the middle of next week with his oblique injury.  Hopefully that's enough time for it to fully heal.

- CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka each threw side sessions.  Nobody notable threw BP.  It was announced that Tanaka's next outing will be a simulated game on Tuesday.

5th Starter Competition After 2 Weeks

(Courtesy of the AP)

Vidal Nuno- 2 G, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
David Phelps- 2 G, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Adam Warren- 2 G, 4.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Michael Pineda- 2 G, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

I don't think it's 100% accurate to call Pineda the early leader in the 5th starter competition even after his impressive season debut outing last night.  He is a week or so behind the other 3 pitchers and has made 1 less appearance because of that.  But looking at what the other 3 have done in their 2 starts, 1 of which was against a college team for Nuno, I don't think any of them have done anything special to separate themselves from the pack either.  Phelps and Warren have been hittable in their 2 appearances, and none of the other 3 guys have pitched to much length in their starts.  For having the advantage of the week head start, nobody is really that far ahead of Pineda when it comes to game action.

With Pineda in action now and looking very good with his fastball, slider, and command, everybody else has to step up to keep this competition interesting.  If Pineda continues to pitch like he did last night, he's going to win the spot.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/7/14

- The Yanks won an unbroadcasted night game 3-2 last night behind 2.2 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball from Hiroki Kuroda.  He also struck out 5.  Derek Jeter went 2-2 with a BB and Carlos Beltran hit his 2nd HR of the spring.

- The real story was Michael Pineda, who made his first game appearance since ST 2012.  He pitched 2 innings, gave up 1 hit, no runs or walks, and struck out 4, including Miguel Cabrera.  His fastball was sitting low 90s and his slider was really sharp according to Brian McCann.  About as good a first appearance as you could ask for.

- Brendan Ryan has an oblique injury and is going to be shut down for about a week.  Jose Ramirez is still recovering from his with no timetable for his return.

- In happier injury news, Slade Heathcott is scheduled to take live BP today for the first time.

- Yesterday's notable pitching sessions: Adam Warren and Matt Daley (bullpens), Vidal Nuno and Bryan Mitchell (BP).

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 3/7/14

If you haven't already, I cannot stress enough how much you should be watching "True Detective" on HBO.  I don't have HBO myself, and I was planning on catching up on the first season once it ended after hearing some really positive early reviews, but the internet coverage and discussion of the show has blown up so much over the last few weeks that I couldn't wait anymore.  I finally found some reliable links online to stream previous episodes without virusing my computer up the ass and I caught up on the first 7 episodes this week in preparation for Sunday's season finale.  Phenomenal show.  Phenomenal.  Best new show I've watched since "Mad Men" first debuted and I can't recommend it enough.  Now onto the links!

- On Tuesday, Chad Jennings of LoHud unloaded his first batch of early spring musings.  He likes what he's seen from Mason Williams so far and he's optimistic about Kelly Johnson.

- Mike Axisa of RAB previewed CC Sabathia's 2014 season.  He thinks CC is due for a rebound and I'm inclined to agree.

- Jason Cohen of Pinstripe Alley looked back at the Yankees' history of above-average pitch framing and what that means going forward with one of the best in the biz in Brian McCann behind the plate.

- El duque of It Is High... tried to talk the Mariners into taking Ichiro back now that he's declared that he wants to play for "many more years".

- On Wednesday, Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA floated Oliver Perez as a possibility to increase the bullpen depth.   I know his name doesn't bring up great memories for New Yorkers, but I'd be open to it.

- SG of RLYW projected Brett Gardner's 2014 season in response to the recent contract extension.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog reviewed historical ST home attendance numbers and the effect last season's down year could be having on this spring's attendance.

- On Thursday, Derek Albin reviewed the Yankees' 2008 top prospects, the last time they ranked as a top 5 organization, and what that class has turned into for the organization over the last 5 seasons.

- On Friday, Grant Graulich of Yanks Go Yard issued his 5 bold predictions for 2014.  To be honest, one of them is so un-bold that it's almost comical.  The other 4 are pretty bold though.

I'm sticking with the "True Detective" theme for this week's Friday Jam and going with "A History of Bad Men" by The Melvins.  Pretty sure this was the song playing during the scene when Rust walks into the biker bar in episode 4.  If I had full creative control over every aspect of my life, I'd go into slo-mo and have this song play every time I entered a room.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

A Rainy Day Of Firsts Yesterday

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

For a while, it didn't look like yesterday's game was going to happen.  It was raining hard, the scheduled start had been pushed back, and the forecast wasn't all that promising.  It was supposed to be Masahiro Tanaka's second ST appearance and first official start in a Yankee uniform, cause for as much excitement as any ST game should cause, and both Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano were also slated to make their first ST appearances.  As luck would have it, the weather cooperated long enough to get the game in and not deprive us of another chance to dissect Tanaka's outing or the string of related "firsts" that happened yesterday.