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.

Joe's Got The Mental Wheels Turning On All The New Rules

A power outage prevented the replay system from being used in yesterday's game, but via Chad Jennings, that didn't stop Joe from being right on top of things when it came to another new rule change for this season.  In the 7th inning, Scott Sizemore had to slide around the catcher to avoid a tag on a play at the plate, and it looked to Joe like the catcher was blocking Sizemore's path.  Joe immediately went and had a chat with the home plate umpire to get an explanation:

“What constitutes giving them a lane to slide is what I want some clarification (about).  I’d have to see where he was standing, but it looked like he was somewhat straddling home plate toward third base, not behind it, and is that enough?”

Going over potential replay situations in his head, questioning umpires on the definition and proper enforcement of the new home plate collision rules.  It may only be the first week of March, but it sounds like Joe is already in regular season mode mentally and I love it.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/6/14

The rain let up long enough for the Yankees to get in a 4-3 win today.  It was Masahiro Tanaka's second start and the first game of the year for both Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano.

- Tanaka's second start was a different kind of good from his first.  He went 3 innings and threw 41 pitches, gave up a solo HR, walked nobody, struck out 1, and recorded 7 of his outs on the ground.  Not bad for a 90-minute rain delay.

- Teix and Soriano combined to go 0-6 with Soriano whiffing 3 times.  Clearly the lost time from that flu bug has him behind.  Derek Jeter got his first hits of the spring with a 2-3 day.

- Michael Pineda will make his first appearance since ST 2012 today in relief of Hirok.  Joe announced yesterday that Manny Banuelos will do the same for an inning on Saturday.

- CC Sabathia threw a simulated game in the morning.  David Phelps threw a bullpen session.

- Another step forward for Tyler Austin, who hit off a tee without any discomfort.

And The Left-Handed Jedi Passes On His Greatest Lesson...

Via George King, it sounds like there was a very specific purpose for Andy Pettitte's ST guest instructor visit this year:

“I always have conversations about pitching [with Pettitte],” Sabathia said of the retired left-hander who was in Yankees camp this week and threw batting practice. “He showed me the grip for the cutter. I used it [Thursday in a simulated game] and I am going to take it into the game.’’

Awesome.  Love it.  Regardless of whether the velocity comes up from 88 or not, adding a cutter should help keep hitters honest against CC's fastball this year and thereby make his slider and changeup more effective.  If it proves to be an effective pitch for the big fella, the Steinbrenners might have to give Andy another few million just as a thank you.

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Early Spring Training Winners And Losers

(Yangervis Solarte, Spring Training MVP.  Courtesy of US Presswire)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Spring Training game schedule is now a shade over a week old after yesterday's game.  Not all of the starting pitchers have made 2 appearances yet, not all of the starting position players have seen a ton of action yet, and there's still a handful of players who have yet to make their 2014 debut.  In so many words, it's still very early.  With only 9 games down and another 3+ weeks to go, Spring Training 2014 and all its associated roster battles are not even close to being over, and what will happen over the next 3+ weeks will surely factor more heavily into the final 25-man decisions than what's happened over the last 9 games.  That said, it's not like the first 9 games have been completely meaningless.  Here are some of the early spring camp winners and losers thus far.

Report: Mariners Scouting David Phelps

Via George King:

"The Mariners had a scout watch Phelps, who is the leading candidate to be the Yankees’ fifth starter but who could be expandable with Adam Warren or, possibly, Michael Pineda finding his way into that slot."

It's no secret that Seattle is hurting big time for starting pitching right now.  It's also no secret that the Yankees have very good depth at that spot and there's a long recent history of the M's and Yanks as trade partners, so it's only natural that Seattle would be scouting the Yankee staff.  King's report makes David Phelps the target and in theory this could be a good match.  Phelps would be an upgrade over every non-King Felix pitcher currently penciled into the Seattle rotation and Nick Franklin, former top infield prospect who's become expendable as a result of the Robbie Cano signing, would be an ideal player for the Yankees to target for their infield.

Between this and the continued scouting and rumors involving the Brewers, ChiSox, and D'backs, it's looking more and more like we're going to see a trade at some point before the end of Spring Training.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/5/14

- Yanks took a 5-4 loss yesterday thanks to Robert Coello giving up 4 ER in 0.1 innings.  Adam Warren made his second spring start and gave up 1 ER on 4 hits in 2.1 innings of work, walking none and striking out 2.

- Eduardo Nunez was the big offensive star, going 3-3 with a double and a R scored.  He's having a nice little start to his 2014 campaign.

- Back at camp, Mark Teixeira was a little testy after a second straight day of limited-to-no BP for him.  He got just 5 swings due to a lack of available pitchers, but is still slated to play his first ST game today.

- Yesterday's bullpens: Jose Campos, ManBan, Nova, D-Rob, Shawn Kelley

- Masahiro Tanaka makes his second appearances and first start as a Yankee today.  He's scheduled for 3 innings and probably 40-45 pitches.

Early ST Injuries Could Be A Problem For MiL Teams

We're a week into the Spring Training game schedule and the best news so far is that there's nobody at the Major League level dealing with any injury issues.  Derek Jeter hasn't suffered any further/new setbacks with his ankle or the rest of his 2 legs, Brian Roberts has managed not to trip over anything and shatter his whole body, Cervelli's throwing hand and elbow are A-OK, and the entire pitching staff's elbows and shoulders are fine.

That's not to say that there haven't been any health problems though, and strangely enough it's the younger crowd that's feeling the effects of the injury bug.  A handful of early ST injuries have delayed the start to multiple top prospects' seasons, and depending on how quickly they're able to recover or how long the injuries linger, there could be some MiL roster problems come Opening Day.

Wednesday Mid-Morning Food For Thought: Jeter's Start

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Good News- Derek Jeter has played in 4 of the last 6 Yankee ST games and done so without any physical issues.  He's looked good running the bases, he's looked as good as a 40-year-old shortstop with severely limited range can look in the field, and he just played in his first back-to-back games of the spring on Monday and Tuesday with 3+ weeks remaining before Opening Day.

The Bad News- He's 0-9 with 1 BB, 1 K, and 3 GIDPs in those 4 games.

It's still early enough in camp to give this time, but there hasn't been a lot of lift or life in most of the balls Jeter has put in play, something that raises questions about his ability to adequately handle hitting in the 2-spot.  His legs being healthy enough to play is one thing.  Them being healthy enough for him to drive the ball and be an above-average hitter are another.  This is definitely something worth watching over the next week or so to see if the results start to come.

Spring Training News And Notes: 3/4/14

(Courtesy of the AP)

- First night game and first loss in 5 last night for the Yanks, who fell 3-2 to the Orioles at Steinbrenner Field.  David Phelps allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 2.2 IP, Francisco Cervelli hit a solo HR, and Yangervis Solarte drove in his 6th run of the spring.

- Scott Sizemore and Matt Thornton each made their Yankee debuts last night.  Sizemore went 1-2 with a K and Thornton retired the only batter he faced in relief of Phelps.

- During the day, Tyler Austin resumed baseball activites, taking swings and playing catch and feeling no pain in his wrist.  Hopefully that trend continues.

- No BP pitchers yesterday.  Vidal Nuno, Michael Pineda, and Hiroki Kuroda all threw bullpens.

Yanks Well Represented On Baseball America's "Also-Rans" Prospect List

It's been a little less than 2 weeks since Baseball America released the 2014 edition of its "Top 100 Prospects" list, a list that didn't include many Yankee prospects.  Only 2 of their players made the list and 1 those 2 was Masahiro Tanaka, so there was really only 1 true "prospect" to make the cut.

Yesterday, BA gave a further look inside the process that led to the final determination of their top 100 with the release of their full list of "also-rans".  This list included every player who made at least 1 appearance on one of the voters' top 150 lists and that list had a much greater accumulation of Yankee farmhands than the final 100, 9 to be exact.  J.R. Murphy, Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams, Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Eric Jagielo, Aaron Judge, Ian Clarkin, and Gosuke Katoh all made an appearance on 1 top 150 list or another, exemplifying the high amount of "almost there" fringe top prospect talent that the system does have.

It's been talked about at length by everybody at some point this offseason, but the Yankees could very well make the jump into the top 10 of next year's organizational rankings if this second tier of prospects and a few guys returning from injury combine to have a strong 2014 campaign.

P.S.- The complete 2013-2014 AB4AR Top 30 in your grillmix again.  Live it, learn it, love it.

Nova Starting To Figure It Out

(Courtesy of the AP)

You know what the best part was about Ivan Nova's outstanding ST start yesterday?  It wasn't the no hits or walks, it wasn't the 4 strikeouts, it wasn't even the insane strike rate (86.11%!!!) or the fact that the Washington hitters only managed to put 2 balls in the air.  Nope, it was what Nova had to say after the game when he talked to reporters about the outing:

“I don’t want to be going back and forth every time.  I just want to be a pitcher that the team can trust every five days. I just want to do my job every five days. That’s one of the goals that I really want, that I want to be consistent. I think I can do that and be really good. My body feels good, so I’ll just wait until the season and prove what I can do.”

Nova hasn't always been the most accurate or self-aware when it comes to his personal evaluations of his outings.  Multiple times we've heard him tell the media that he felt good and thought he was pitching well after some of his more disastrous outings, and answers like that tend to indicate a certain level of immaturity that pitchers need to overcome to reach their full potential.  What he had to say yesterday sounds nothing like the Nova of old and more like a pitcher who's starting to put the mental and emotional pieces to his game together to match his natural physical gifts and plus stuff.  If that's the case and Nova is growing up and adding a more mature mental approach to the physical side of his game, watch out.