Brandon Drury's last day of his 20-day rehab stint is today. Then tomorrow we open a 2 day series in a NL park without the DH, before getting another day off on TH. Would make a lot of sense to activate him tomorrow and send down a pitcher. Only issue is who goes? Holder is only guy with options and if he goes, he has to stay down 10 days (unless there is an injury). And with how he has looked since getting called back up, that's not happening. So that would leave Cole and Hale, two guys that would have to be DFA'ed. Which the team may not want to lose a guy entirely, just to add an extra bat for a 2 day NL series. Even though both guys have barely pitched and are apparently a complete last resort unless it is a blowout.
They could send down Andujar, as he still needs work on working counts and hitting off-speed stuff. His defense has been better than what we were led to believe, but that can certainly improve too. But it would be tough to send him down right now...even with him cooling down at the plate (hasn't had an extra base hit since 4/28). Austin could go down too, but don't see that happening since that would leave only Walker as a 1B. Drury has played some 1B in past but hasn't played there once in this rehab stint, only 3B. So that leads me to believe, they only intend to use him at 3B.
Also a chance he is shut down for 5 days and then put on another rehab stint, if he isn't 100%. Which is possible with the relative ambiguity of headaches and blurred vision. But that wouldn't seem likely either with the way he has been playing in minors. Will be interesting whatever happens. My money is on Andujar getting sent down. He has cooled down making it much easier on management to do that. And I'm not sure they want to cut bait with either Hale or Cole completely yet. Cole just looked good and Hale provides some insurance with German. And there just won't be enough at bats for both Andujar and Drury on the roster.
A lot of chatter about Clint Frazier too. But it is really just chatter to be honest. Everyone wants to next young guy up and doing damage, but there really is no room for him unless we have an injury to one of four OF's. He has no chance of coming up anytime soon without an injury.
Kahnle and Warren coming back over the next couple weeks. Hopefully they'll have put their bad starts behind them and will start pitching like we've come to expect. They will be HUGE boost to the depth of the bullpen. Which is much needed, as the bullpen has costs us way more games than we would have thought going into the season.
Sonny Gray has to step it the eff up. We traded three TOP prospects for him. He is supposed to be a top of the rotation starter. If you look at his whole career before this year, that is what he's done too...besides his injury plagued 2016 season. So I do expect him to turn it around. But enough is enough here. We could have traded Mateo, Fowler, and Kaprelian for all types of starting pitchers who would be huge assets to our rotation.
Minor leagues...so far, blah. Not saying we don't still have a top, deep farm system. But most of the big guys just aren't doing much to get excited like last year. ----SP Sheffield has looked very good and moved up to AAA.
--SP Chance Adams has been a disaster in AAA with a 5+ ERA.
--OF Florial was my favorite prospect not named Gleyber coming into the year. But in high A he isn't hitting like last year (.250 BA and .355 slugging), but still striking out A TON (42 already in only 124 AB's).
--SP Abreu has only recently returned from his appendix surgery and made 3 high A starts. Looked good, but innings have been real restricted so far.
--SP Acevedo is same story as Abreu, just at AA and with 2 starts.
--SP Frecier Perez has been a train wreck in high A with a 7+ ERA.
--IF Thairo has only been back from getting shot for 10 games and hasn't started hitting at all.
--SP Dillon Tate has been mediocre in AA so far with a nice WHIP (1.09) and decent K's (24 in 29 IP), but a 4.60 ERA.
--SP Jonathan Loaisiga has been the one higher prospect that has exceeded expectations and had a really good year so far in high A and AA, with a sub-2 ERA at both levels.
--RP Cody Carroll will be added to the 40 man and brought up sometime this year. He is dealing in AAA this year after bursting on the scene last year in high A and AA last year, as well as absolutely dominating in AFL this past offseason. Big question is will he be able to throw strikes and not walk too many guys at MLB level, and still get guys out? Which is the big question with most of these guys.
--OF Billy McKinney and RP Gio Gallegos are both guys guys at AAA level on 40 man roster, that could have helped at times this year but have been hurt all year.
With both hitters, they probably need 50-75 ABs seeing quality pitching since they have essentially been out since the start of the season.
Hitters have been less impressive, on the whole, though Abi Avelino is tearing the cover off the ball at AA while playing strong defense. As I remarked on the other thread, Florial has a 28 or 29 game on-base streak, with a higher BB rate and a lower K rate than last year (albeit incremental changes on both counts). He has not been a disappointment. Isiah Gilliam has also been quite good, though he has faded a bit of late. The real issue with hitters is more that nobody has taken a big step forward, other than Avelino. The farm would look a lot better if a Dermis Garcia, a Trey Amburgey or even a Dom Thompson-Williams (4/6 with his first 2 HRs of the season) took a big step forward this year. I would expect this to be a point of emphasis in the draft next month.
Judge probably could hold his own in center but there's no way the Yankees want him running that much in the outfield.
Judge probably could hold his own in center but there's no way the Yankees want him running that much in the outfield.
Frazier could "handle" CF in the sense that he could hold his own to give a starter a day off, or he could spell a weak bat if they needed a pinch hitter late. McKinney is that way too. But it's certainly not ideal. Judge's problem is that underway he is very fast but he's not quick to start and he doesn't change directions well. RF is great for him.
Judge probably could hold his own in center but there's no way the Yankees want him running that much in the outfield.
If Stanton is a full-time DH long-term, Frazier could rise up the Yankee OF ranks pretty quickly. Gardy's Yankee career is winding down, Ellsbury is a waste of a roster space, and Hicks is good but not great. Frazier could be a key piece as early as opening day 2019.
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But he can't. He's pretty average even as a corner outfielder.
Judge probably could hold his own in center but there's no way the Yankees want him running that much in the outfield.
I agree that Judge can handle it if needed. But, if they are already reluctant to play him in LF, I can't imagine they want his body covering all that ground in CF. He is their best defensive OF right now, but he can't be in CF every day.
Judge is the third best OF of the starters. Gardy is the best OF. Hicks is a better OF than Judge and with the best arm. This is not a put down of Judge who is an excellent OF, but Gardy and Hicks are better.
I think that the next month will be important for the OF. While Hicks does some nice things (good defense, occasional HR and SB), the day-to-day consistency isn't there. Right now, he is more of the 2013-2016 Hicks than the 2017 Hicks.
I think the Yanks should give Hicks at least until All Star break to snap out of it. However, if he is still the same guy then, it would be time for a change.
IF (big IF) the Yanks need to make a change, I would suggest that the Yanks make Hicks the roving 4th OF (giving everyone a day off when needed), put Gardner in CF and bring up Frazier to play LF.
This DOES make the lineup a little too righty- but many of the Yanks hitters hit same side pitchers as well as the opposite side (Judge in particular).
The longer term issue that this would create is that with Gardner hitting FA, the Yanks would need to bring in a 2019 CF. Florial is probably going to be slow walked to NY as he figures out how to deal with breaking stuff. That would mean that the Yanks will have to bring in a multi-year solution in CF.
However, that would be a decision that could be punted until the off-season, as Gardner and Hicks would both be available for the 2018 season.
I think that the Yanks do not need a star CF- but it might be a good idea to find a guy who can be a legit defensive CF and good OBP guy- even if the guy doesn't really have power- there is enough in this lineup already. It is the OBP and defense that will be important going forward.
They'll probably keep Austin until Bird comes back. When Warren and Kahnle get healthy, assuming no other pitching injuries Holder goes down and Cole gets DFA'd
I think the Yanks need to be cautious though, as the OF isn't very deep, Gardy is likely gone after this year, Ells is an albatross that you just can't rely on, and Hicks is very inconsistent. I'm a little concerned what the plans are for CF in the future as Florial is going to need some time. Hope Hicks and Ells can suffice, and Frazier can work his way up as the LF for the future.
I think that the Yanks do not need a star CF- but it might be a good idea to find a guy who can be a legit defensive CF and good OBP guy- even if the guy doesn't really have power- there is enough in this lineup already. It is the OBP and defense that will be important going forward.
That describes Hicks. He's developed into a patient hitter (walk rate around 17% this season) with good defense. And flashes of power now and then. Sure he's struggled this season but at .213/.330/.382 that's still a far cry from what he was in Minnesota. And there's likely some BABIP correction still to come.
Though I do agree with your larger point that Frazier still has a role to play for this team. Tough spot for him as he's clearly too advanced for AAA. But he's pretty close to untouchable for me. Would have to be a no brainer deal. He went through the normal rookie struggles after coming up, but what he did flash was pretty special.
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Those stats are good enough until and if Florial makes it. Frazier will be up either later this year or to take over for Gardy next year. And Judge can spot fill CF.
I agree. I don't think AAA will benefit him much more, however I'm VERY concerned Andujar is simply the next Starlin Castro. A guy with such promise who never develops into what we know he can because of bad plate habits
Gardy in CF , Judge in CF or Frazier in CF on days we give Gardy off
Frazier > Hicks and Gardy at the plate imo, not by miles, but I think Frazier is presently the best and most dangerous hitter.
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Today, the Yankees returned INF/OF Brandon Drury from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 10-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
It says he was returned from the rehab and optioned, so he is no longer on the DL. I thought I read somewhere late last week he said he still had blurred vision and some migraines.
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Drury's not there in terms of health yet. And it delays a tough decision.
It says he was returned from the rehab and optioned, so he is no longer on the DL. I thought I read somewhere late last week he said he still had blurred vision and some migraines.
So its confusing what their plan is and where he is physically.
They'll probably keep Austin until Bird comes back. When Warren and Kahnle get healthy, assuming no other pitching injuries Holder goes down and Cole gets DFA'd
I think all the roster moves you laid out are probably the most likely. Although I could see Hale and Cole swapped. Although Cole has looked better in an extremely small sample size, Hale provides more length...which we are pretty short on.
Interesting that they optioned Drury. He has the options and why not I guess. Andujar has staked his claim to the job. Drury isn't bad enough to be shut down for 5 days and have another rehab stint. But apparently could use some more treatment. If nothing else it puts off the big decision we've been debating. And often times an injury solves the issue, although hopefully not. At some point Drury will be back though, he is a MLB'er. And we'll see what is done at that point.
I really don't want package Frazier and what we have left for a 2nd or 3rd starter from a noncontending team who has no track record under pressure (ie Sonny Gray) who may just be as big of a mystery as Sheffield at this point.
Nice! Oakland's got a feisty team.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2018/05/why_yankees_brandon_drury_a_hundred_percent_isnt_w.html
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3 great names right there. Sounds like they should be bouncing at the Double Deuce
That said, for all the Harper hype, great eye, yadda, he's batting .236, is always hurt and is a dooshbag. I would be against bringing him here.
That is nonsense. Yankee Stadium LF is huge. Gardner still has the best range of the outfielders on the team and can play his usual 5 or 6 games per week without an extra breakdown. Caveat, he almost always slows down in Sept, but so do most players. So he would likely need more time off in August and September, but he could certainly be an everyday CF.
I'm not advocating him switching to CF, but if Hicks were out, he and Judge could cover it. But I think that is a reason why they want Wade to play OF. With his speed he could be a fill in - of course there is the hitting part that might cause a problem.
The dimensions of outfield are the same as the old stadium, are they not?
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a little above average, but Death Valley days are gone.
The dimensions of outfield are the same as the old stadium, are they not?
Its the same dimensions, but the wall isnt as rounded so its not as deep to stretches of RF and LF
But left center is still a deep field and having an experienced LF with range is very valuable.
People just have to accept, that right now Frazier is possible trade bait for a frontline SP...and OF depth in event of an injury to one of our 4 OF's. And that's it. Next year he may get his shot at LF, with Gardy's contract expiring. But it won't be happening this year, if our OF's stay healthy.
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a little above average, but Death Valley days are gone.
The dimensions of outfield are the same as the old stadium, are they not?
And that wasn't Death Valley anymore either. And now it's less rounded at the fence.
Orig Stadium 1976 Stad. 1985 1988 Current
LF pole 301ft 312 318 318 318
LF 402 387 379 379 379
LCF 457 430 411 399 399
CF 461 417 410 408 408
RCF 407 385 385 385 385
As you can see I have some free time this morning :-)
That said, for all the Harper hype, great eye, yadda, he's batting .236, is always hurt and is a dooshbag. I would be against bringing him here.
I have been saying for months that Stanton is short term as a Yankee and he will be a Dodger soon. The Dodgers are going to "reset" the luxury tax this year- just like the Yanks. Next year, they will be almost $80M UNDER the luxury tax line (granted they probably have to give Kershaw a small raise to keep him).
The Dodgers are have Puig and just about every vet OF hitting FA- along with all the contracts from guys they cut finally falling off the roster.
Stanton chose the Yanks to get out of Miami- not because he had any particular love of the Yanks. He made clear that the Dodgers were his first choice- and only ended up with the Yanks when the Dodgers made clear that they were not trading for him last off season because of the luxury tax reset.
With ALL of that said, I don't think that Harper is the target- but I am willing to be wrong. As several here know, I believe that the Yanks have LONG had their eyes on Machado.
Furthermore, Machado is a near certainty to be traded at the deadline so the O's can get SOMETHING for him (not much, but something). In so doing, their would be no FA compensation attached to Machado in FA (players traded in their walk year cannot be given a tender offer- no tender offer means no penalties for the signing team).
Before anyone begins complaining about signing aging FA, remember that Machado is actually 2 months YOUNGER than Aaron Judge.
The only hangup would be that Machado wants to be a SS. I have no problem with the Yanks trading Didi if Machado gets signed. Didi has done well for the Yanks, but Machado is simply a better and younger player.
strange- there is no DH when in an NL park- which means Stanton probably goes to LF. Do the Yanks bench Hicks and Garnder to play Frazier in CF? I really don't get this one.
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tweeted that it "sounds like" Clint Frazier is joining the Yankees. We'll see. Could just be a cameo during interleague play.
strange- there is no DH when in an NL park- which means Stanton probably goes to LF. Do the Yanks bench Hicks and Garnder to play Frazier in CF? I really don't get this one.
I doubt they sit Gardner or Hicks for Frazier and if they did Judge would be CF (should be). I have not been overly impressed with Frazier in the OF, but he is fast.