Only eight questions in this week’s delayed mailbag — sorry, but the Aaron Judge injury thoughts were more pressing — because a whole bunch of questions sent in this week were rendered moot by the Zach Britton trade and J.A. Happ trade. Send your mailbag questions to RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll answer as many as I can each week.

Greg ask: Is Archer a candidate for the Yankees anti fastball approach?

The Yankees added Happ yesterday but I don’t think that will take them out of the market for a controllable high-end starter, like Chris Archer. Or at least like Chris Archer was once upon a time. The Yankees have been scouting him, so, if nothing else, they’re doing their due diligence. I imagine there is some level of interest.

Archer has a 4.30 ERA (3.50 FIP) with a great strikeout rate (34.5%) in 90 innings around an abdominal injury this season. Since Opening Day 2016, he has a 4.09 ERA (3.59 FIP) in 492.1 innings. That’s a 99 ERA+. League average. Anyway, to answer the question, Archer is not really a candidate for the anti-fastball approach because he already is an anti-fastball pitcher. Look at his fastball and slider usage rates over the years:

Archer’s been throwing his slider as often as his fastball for almost three full seasons now. Maybe he’s a candidate for the anti-anti-fastball approach? Get him to start throwing more fastballs and fewer sliders, and maybe he’ll get back to where he was from 2013-15? Jerry Crasnick spoke to a scout recently who called Archer “stubborn when it comes to pitch selection,” which I thought was interesting. He’d already doing the anti-fastball thing. Perhaps he needs to go back the other way.

Jeremy asks: Mike King is looking great this year in AA. Also had a solid season in A ball last year. Is he turning into a real prospect at this point?

King was always a prospect. Not a very profile one, but he was a prospect when the Yankees got him from the Marlins in the Caleb Smith/Garrett Cooper roster shuffle over the winter. The 23-year-old King went into last night’s start (seven scoreless innings) with a 2.08 ERA (2.63 FIP) with 24.4% strikeouts, 4.9% walks, and 49.1% grounders in 108.1 innings split between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.

That performance has upped King’s prospect stock this summer. In their recent midseason update, MLB.com ranked King as the team’s 25th best prospect. Here’s a snippet of their scouting report:

King’s best attributes are his two-seam fastball and his command. He has quality life on his 91-95 mph heater, showing the ability to run and sink it on or off either corner. He generates a lot of groundouts and misses his share of bats … King lacks a solid second pitch. Both his slider and changeup are decent offerings but unlikely to bother big league hitters. Unless he can improve them, he might face future as a middle reliever who depends on his sinker.

The Yankees have to help King figure out an out pitch. Maybe it can be the slider, maybe it can be the changeup. Whatever it is, the ability to develop that putaway pitch will determine whether he can succeed at the next level, or settle in as an up-and-down depth guy. King’s had a great season though, and he’s definitely worth monitoring.

Jeremiah asks: If Sanchez is going to be shut down for an extended period, does it make sense to add some depth via trade or just go with Romine/Higgy combo?

For sure. I thought they’d bring in another catcher the first time Gary Sanchez went on the disabled list. At least a journeyman type to stash in Triple-A, you know? Didn’t happen. Brian Cashman said Sanchez could be out until September, so this is going to be an extended absence. So yes, bring in another catcher. The trade deadline is coming up and I’d be cool with the Yankees splurging for an actual big leaguer and pushing Kyle Higashioka back to Triple-A. Wilson Ramos and Devin Mesoraco are the notable impending free agents, though I’m not sure whether they’re realistic trade targets. But yes, get another catcher please.

John asks: Is it just me or is Tanaka the best fielding pitcher the Yankees have had since Mussina?

It’s not just you. Masahiro Tanaka is an excellent fielder. I’m not sure how useful defensive stats are for pitchers, but Tanaka is at +21 DRS in 760.2 career innings with the Yankees. He’s made one error in his MLB career, and it wasn’t even a fielding error. He threw away a pickoff throw in 2016:

When it comes to fielding a batted ball, Tanaka has been perfect thus far with the Yankees. Not one single error. You know what means, right? Blame me when Tanaka makes three errors in one inning in his next start.

Jamie asks: Given the new state of the bullpen after the Britton acquisition, do you think that there’s any chance that the Yanks would try to bullpen the Wild Card game if it came down to it and save Severino to potentially pitch twice in the division series?

The Yankees essentially did this last year, right? Luis Severino got one out in the AL Wild Card Game against the Twins and the bullpen had to take it the rest of the way. And remember, the bullpen was a mess in the ALDS after that. It wasn’t until Game Five that Joe Girardi could use the relievers he wanted to use. In the first four games the Yankees kinda had to get by with whoever was available on a given night. That’s how Tommy Kahnle wound up with a two-inning save in Game Four.

Anyway, could the Yankees go with a bullpen game in the AL Wild Card Game? Yeah, I suppose so. It’s always possible. I still think the best plan is starting Severino with the bullpen ready to go behind him, like last season. It’s one game with your season on the line. Go with your best. Severino, at least up until his recent rough patch, had dominant reliever numbers as a starting pitcher. Do all you can to win the AL Wild Card Game and worry about the ALDS when you get there. Or, you know, just win the AL East instead.

Daniel asks: Mike, what’s up with Stanton’s batted ball profile? For a guy who hits the ball as hard as he does you would think he’d be aiming to hit the ball in the air more, but he’s near the top of the league in GB%.

Huh. I hadn’t noticed this. Giancarlo Stanton went into last night’s game with a career high 47.9% ground ball rate. In fact, his ground ball rate has gone from 34.8% in 2015 to 40.0% in 2016 to 44.6% in 2017 to 47.9% in 2018. Who knew? A graph:

On one hand, Stanton has been crushing the ball since early May and he’s on pace for 37 home runs. On the other hand, that 47.9% ground ball rate is 35th highest among the 160 hitters with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, and that’s way too high for a dude with his power. Needless to say, the more Giancarlo hits the ball in the air, the better. His grounder rate is trending down in the graph, so perhaps that means he’s coming out of it now.

Paul asks: Did we ever find out why Clint Frazier was transferred to the Major league DL? Is that some kind of bookkeeping thing to help them in some way?

Frazier first felt the post-concussion migraines while he was still in the big leagues, specifically on this play. He was in the big leagues, he felt the migraines and received treatment, the Yankees later sent him down, and the migraines got worse when he attempted a diving catch in Triple-A. Because the migraines started initially in the big leagues, Frazier was transferred to the MLB disabled list, where he collects big league pay and service. Works the same way with a tight hamstring or anything else. Frazier technically got hurt with the Yankees so he goes on the big league disabled list rather than Triple-A disabled list.

Daniel asks: If the Happ trade.hadn’t happened, McKinney would be the fourth outfielder and Drury would be at least platooning at 3rd (with Andujar at DH) after the Judge injury.  Would the Yanks still have made the trade?

Yeah, I think so. I think they would’ve kept Billy McKinney given the outfield situation, and found another way to complete the deal. I have no idea how the Blue Jays feel about him, but I can’t imagine McKinney would’ve been a deal breaker. Platoon corner outfield types hitting .230/.294/.502 (120 wRC+) in their second year at Triple-A are that in-demand. I feel like taking McKinney out of the trade is a gap the Blue Jays and Yankees could’ve bridged somehow. I don’t think the Judge injury wouldn’t stopped the Yankees from trading Drury though. They need another pitcher more than they need another third baseman.

Got nine questions in the mailbag this week. As always, the place to send any and all mailbag-related correspondence is RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks in advance.

Dan asks: In February of 2003, the Yankees signed Jon Lieber to a two year contract knowing that he wouldn’t be able to pitch until 2004. The same thing the Twins did with Michael Pineda and the Rays did with Nathan Eovaldi. Would it make sense to try something similar with Garrett Richards?

The Yankees did this with David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey more recently, though neither of those deals worked out as hoped. The Lieber contract was a smashing success. He was their second best starter in 2004! Eovaldi is working out well for the Rays and Pineda is still on the way back from Tommy John surgery. Other teams have done this too. The Royals did it with Mike Minor and Kris Medlen. Minor worked out. Medlen didn’t. So it goes.

Richards blew out his elbow earlier this month and needed Tommy John surgery, which stinks, because he was a potential trade deadline target. He’ll be a free agent after the season as well, so he was about to cash in. Now he’ll presumably take one of those cheap two-year prove yourself contracts like Lieber and Pineda. I’d absolutely give Richards one of those contracts. Pineda got two years and $10M. Eovaldi got one year and $2M with a $2M option for a second year, presumably because he carried more risk coming back from his second Tommy John surgery. Richards has a long injury history, but this is the first Tommy John surgery, and he’s very good when healthy. Even when healthy, Pineda and Eovaldi kinda stunk. I’d give Richards the Pineda contract for sure.

Michael asks: Is the amount of hitting Bird has done so far sufficient to quit the 1B search? Seems like last year, when he slumped brutally at first go off the DL, but then found his timing and mashed. You buying it?

Yeah, I think so. There are still eleven days to go before the trade deadline, so we’ll see how things go between now and then, but right now Greg Bird seems to be on track. He’s hitting .214/.317/.457 (109 wRC+) overall and is at .227/.352/.477 (124 wRC+) in his last 108 plate appearances and .255/.333/.588 (139 wRC+) in his last 60 plate appearances. The arrows are pointing up.

The first base trade market kinda stinks anyway, so I am cool with sticking with Bird going forward, as long as he doesn’t get hurt or stop hitting completely between now and July 31st. There’s always going to be injury risk with him, for sure, though I think getting a first base replacement wouldn’t be tough on August trade waivers, if necessary. If the Yankees can find a clear cut upgrade at first base, sure, go for it. I’m not sure that’s realistic though. Bird’s hitting now and I’ve seen enough to stick with him.

Frank asks: If you could assign two 80 grade skills (one to pitcher one to hitter). Which grades would you give out and to who? I’d love to give 80 command to German, but I dont know if his health history warrants it. As for a hitter, maybe an 80 grade bat to Didi or 80 defense to Miggy? What are your thoughts?

Oh man, that’s a good one. I’d be tempted to give Giancarlo Stanton an 80 hit tool, because with his power, an 80 hit tool would equal something like a .320 AVG and 50+ homers annually. I guess you could say the same for Aaron Judge. Miguel Andujar as an 80 defender at third base would be a lot of fun too. On the position player side, I think I’d give Stanton an 80 hit tool, and basically turn him into 2008-13 Miguel Cabrera with more power. That works for me.

As for the pitcher, giving 80 fastball command to Domingo German is awfully tempting. He has the velocity and his secondary stuff is sooo good. On days he throws his fastball for strikes, he dominates. Get him to pitch to the edges with the fastball consistently and he might be a top 20 starter in baseball. That said, his injury history isn’t pretty. I think I’d give Masahiro Tanaka an 80 fastball. Give him an 80 fastball with those secondary pitches and his pitching know how, and he’d be a top five starter in baseball. Maybe give Dellin Betances 80 command and put him in the rotation?

Keane asks: You think pitchers should be wearing helmets? It doesn’t take away anything from the game. I’m worried it’s going to take a tragedy before anyone considers it.

Yup. Batters hit the ball way way way too hard these days. It’s very dangerous. We’ve seen more than a few scary close calls with Judge and Stanton this year. Eventually someone is going to get hit in the head and die. Brandon McCarthy took a line drive to the head a few years ago and needed emergency brain surgery. Baseball is fortunate there has been nothing worse yet.

A few years ago journeyman southpaw Alex Torres wore that goofy padded hat …

… everyone laughed at, but the dude was playing it safe, and I don’t blame him one bit. MLB does actually have approved protective headgear, but it is not mandatory and no one uses it. MLB can not make it mandatory and I’m not sure whether the MLBPA would ever go along with it.

All I know is baseballs are being hit harder than ever before, and eventually someone will take a liner to the head and something very bad will happen. The players are resistant to the idea because it’s uncomfortable and funny looking, but at some point MLB and the MLBPA need to step in and protect the players from themselves.

Seth asks: How was Erik Kratz able to be in the dugout last year during the postseason run even though he wasn’t on the roster? Can we do that with Toe this year?

Kratz and Clint Frazier traveled with the Yankees during the postseason last year even though they weren’t on the roster. You can see Clint (and Kratz) sitting there during the dugout shot following Didi Gregorius’ first homer against Corey Kluber in ALDS Game Five. They traveled with the team and went through pregame workouts every day to stay sharp in case someone got hurt and they had to be added to the roster.

Anyway, for a non-roster player to be in the dugout during the postseason, it has to be cleared with the other team and MLB. And, from what I understand, this is never an issue. They all get the okay as a professional courtesy. Every team brings an extra player or two along in the postseason just so that player is ready and available as soon as they’re needed, rather than having them work out at the Spring Training complex and have to travel to join the team should they have to be added to the roster.

Michael asks: Was speaking with a friend who has a place up near Cooperstown, and we are planning on going up for both Rivera & Jeter’s HOF induction ceremonies which will be undoubtedly coming up in the next couple of years. Both Mariano & Jeets were obviously career Yankees. But this made me start to think; Who was the last Yankees player inducted into the HOF who played their entire career exclusively for the Yanks?

All told, there are 56 men in the Hall of Fame with ties to the Yankees (player, manager, or executive) and 22 of them were inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. Seventeen of the 22 were players, and of those 17, only seven spent their entire MLB careers with the Yankees. The list:

• Phil Rizzuto: Played 1941-42 and 1946-56, inducted in 1994.
• Whitey Ford: Played 1950 and 1953-67, inducted in 1974.
• Mickey Mantle: Played 1951-68, inducted in 1974.
• Earle Combs: Played 1924-35, inducted in 1970.
• Joe DiMaggio: Played 1936-42 and 1946-51, inducted in 1955.
• Bill Dickey: Played 1928-43 and 1946, inducted in 1954.
• Lou Gehrig: Played 1923-39, inducted in 1939.

Yogi Berra would’ve been on the list too had he not played four games with the Mets in 1965. Rizzuto is the last player inducted into the Hall of Fame after spending his entire career as a Yankee. Mantle, however, played for the Yankees most recently among that group of players. Mariano Rivera joins the Hall of Fame ballot this offseason and will join this group. Derek Jeter hits the ballot next offseason.

Austin asks: Watching the ASG, wasn’t the same. I understand the qualms about having it determine WS home field, but today now its turned into spectacle and not as enjoyable to watch. How can they make the game meaningful?

I have no trouble whatsoever with the All-Star Game being a meaningless exhibition. It seems silly to tie anything important to a stupid All-Star Game. Wish it was more exciting and competitive? Sure, I’m on board with that. The best way to do it, in my opinion, is to give every player on the winning team a $1M bonus. Every player on the roster. There’s the solution. Guys will play to win in that case. MLB surely has the money in the league’s central fund — hell, the Yankees have paid enough luxury tax over the years to cover like a decade’s worth of All-Star Game bonuses — and there is no better way to incentivize anyone to do anything than money. I don’t want homefield advantage in the World Series or something important like that to be decided by the All-Star Game. If MLB wants the players to play hard and take the game seriously, then give them great big bonuses.

Jonathan asks: So, if the best you can get via trade is Happ or Eovaldi, why not see if Cole can be turned into a starter? If he’s not an ace, perhaps he’s another Jordan Montgomery. And if not, fine, he goes back to being the long man. This wouldn’t preclude a Happ trade, by the way, but as something to try in addition to Happ (in case he continues to pitch as he has been for the past several starts).

I’m not sure this is something the Yankees can do during the season. A.J. Cole is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent down to get stretched out properly in Triple-A. They’d have to do it in the big leagues, which can be messy. Assuming he sticks around, I can totally see Cole coming to Spring Training as a starter next year a la Adam Warren all these years.

There are two reasons why I don’t think Cole is a good starter candidate. One, his average fastball velocity jumped from 92 mph as a starter with the Nationals to nearly 95 mph as a reliever with the Yankees, and also his top end velocity went from almost 95 mph to about 97 mph. That’s quite a jump. Secondly, lefties have always hit Cole well. I’m talking a career .291/.379/.537 (.386 wOBA) opponent’s batting line here.

Cole’s been awesome as a mop-up guy, and if the Yankees get hit so hard by injuries later this year that they run short on starters, it would be worth giving him a shot in that role. They wouldn’t have a choice, really. Right now, I’m inclined to leave Cole where he is, because he’s having more success now than ever before. Given his arsenal (lots and lots of sliders), I get the sense Cole is right where he belongs. Not sure trying him as a starter is worth it.

Alex asks: I’m not sure if you’ve done something like this in previous versions of the mailbag but can you put together a list of the best statistical season in the history of the sport at every position?

I don’t believe I’ve been asked this before. At least not anytime recently. Since this is a Yankees blog, here are the top individual seasons at each position by a Yankee and by all players, using good ol’ WAR.

	Yankee	All-Time
C	Munson, 1973: .301/.362/.487, +7.2 WAR	Mike Piazza, 1997 LAD: .362/.431/.638, +8.7 WAR
1B	Gehrig, 1927: .373/.474/.765, +11.8 WAR	1927 Gehrig
2B	Stirnweiss, 1945: .309/.385/.476, +8.7 WAR	Rogers Hornsby, 1924 STL: .424/.507/.696, +12.1 WAR
SS	Jeter, 1999: .349/.438/.552, +8.0 WAR	Cal Ripken Jr., 1991 BAL: .323/.374/.566, +11.5 WAR
3B	A-Rod, 2007: .314/.422/.645, +9.4 WAR	Al Rosen, 1953 CLE: .336/.422/.613, +10.1 WAR
LF	Ruth, 1921: .378/.512/.846, +12.9 WAR	1921 Ruth
CF	Mantle, 1957: .365/.512/.665, +11.3 WAR	1957 Mantle
RF	Judge, 2017: .284/.422/.627, +8.1 WAR	Sammy Sosa, 2001 CHC: .328/.437/.737, +10.3 WAR
DH	Baylor, 1983: .303/.361/.494, +3.5 WAR	Edgar Martinez, 1995 SEA: .356/.479/.628, +7.0 WAR
SP	Guidry, 1978: 273.2 IP, 1.74 ERA, +9.6 WAR	Doc Gooden, 1985 NYM: 276.2 IP, 1.53 ERA, +12.2 WAR
RP	Rivera, 1996: 107.2 IP, 2.09 ERA, +5.0 WAR	G. Gossage, 1975 CWS: 141.2 IP, 1.84 ERA, +8.3 WAR

For starting pitchers, I limited it to Expansion Era only, so since 1961. Back in the day there were a ton of seasons at like +17 WAR because dudes were throwing 450 innings a year on the regular. I didn’t expect Snuffy Stirnweiss to have the best second base season in Yankees history by WAR. I figured it would be Robinson Cano for sure. Otherwise nothing surprised me with the Yankees.

As for the all-time list, I was expecting Joe Morgan to have the best second base season and Mike Schmidt to have the best third base season going into this exercise, but nope. They were close. I also thought maybe Bryce Harper would have the best right field season. Another nope. And how about 20-year-old Doc Gooden with a +12 WAR season in 1985? Goodness. I was in diapers at the time so I couldn’t fully appreciate his greatness.

Only — “only” — nine questions in the mailbag this week because I made a quick trip out of town and forgot to bring my laptop charger. Send all your mailbag questions to RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll get to as many as I can each week, pending laptop battery life.

Several asked: What about Steven Matz?

For all the talk about Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, it doesn’t appear either is a realistic trade candidate. It’s unclear whether the Mets will even trade Matz or Zack Wheeler. One team official told Joel Sherman the Mets will “only move the free agents,” which means guys like Asdrubal Cabrera and Jeurys Familia. All their starters are under team control through at least next season.

Matz is a real interesting under-the-radar option. He just turned 27, he’s under control through 2021, and he’s a lefty with a history of getting strikeouts (career 21.3%) and grounders (career 49.8%). Matz went into last night’s start with a 3.31 ERA (4.65 FIP) with 21.4% strikeouts and 52.0% grounders. There are three red flags with Matz:

1. He’s walking too many (9.3% this year) and he’s always been homer prone (career 1.30 HR/9). Walks and dingers are a bad combination for Yankee Stadium.
2. His injury is very ugly. Matz has had all sorts of arm problems in his career, including a three-year (!) recovery from Tommy John surgery back in the day.
3. He isn’t very pitch efficient. This season Matz is averaging 92 pitches and 5.1 pitches per start. Lots of pitches for not a lot of outs.

I think Matz has the tools to be great. Even after all those injuries, he sits low-to-mid-90s with his sinker and has three quality secondary pitches in his curveball, changeup, and slider. The curveball and changeup are his go-to secondary pitches.

The Mets are obviously very bad and they’re a bit dysfunctional too. I wonder whether Matz — or any of their starters, really — would benefit from a move to an organization that has its head screwed on straight. Look how Matt Harvey improved after going to the Reds, for example.

Given the quality curveball and changeup, Matz could be a candidate for the Yankees’ anti-fastball lifestyle — he’s throwing his sinker roughly 60% of the time — but, either way, the tools are there. Good sinker, good secondaries, left-handed, the ability to miss bats and gets grounders. What will it take to get him? I dunno. Matz’s injury history is scary and I assume that would be reflected in the price.

Jeff asks: The Washington Nationals are currently a game under .500. Wouldn’t have expected that, but if they really fall out of it as we near the deadline do they match up with the Yankees as trade partners? Do they have any useful pieces for the Yankees excluding Bryce Harper?

I would be very surprised if the Nationals sell. They’re 46-45 right now and five games back of a postseason spot, but, even if they collapse these next two weeks and change, I still can’t see them selling. I think they’re more likely to retool and gear up for a run next season, with or without Harper. Too much money and too much talent on the roster to tear it down. They’ll still have Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, and Juan Soto even if Harper leaves. That’s a pretty excellent core.

Hypothetically though, if they do sell, the Nationals figure to move the impending free agents. That means Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, Mark Reynolds, and the just acquired Kelvin Herrera. Gonzalez has crashed back to Earth the last few weeks, though he could certainly help the rotation needy Yankees. The relievers, particularly Herrera, would fit too. Gonzalez is one of the most frustrating and enigmatic starters in baseball and I would hope the Yankees look for a starter elsewhere simply because I don’t want to watch him pitch every fifth day. Would he help? Sure. Would I enjoy watching him? No. No I would not.

Michael asks: So is A.J. Cole a keeper or what? 26 years old, former top prospect, apparently controllable until 2024 (?!), and absolutely shoving as a Yankee. Could slot right into the famed Adam Warren role in the pen.

Magic 8-Ball says … ask again later. Cole’s been great but he’s thrown 18.2 innings with the Yankees. That’s 18.2 innings spread across three months in almost entirely low-leverage situations. The Yankees have Cole throwing a ton of sliders …

… and he’s struck out 24 with a 45.0% ground ball rate in those 18.2 innings, which is encouraging. He is a former top 100 prospect, the stuff is pretty good, and the results can’t be ignored. I just think we need to see more before worrying about where he fits long-term. We’ve seen countless guys come in on waivers or a small trade, pitch well for a bit, then crash back to Earth. Tommy Layne did it last year. I’m encouraged by what Cole’s done and the change in pitch selection is a reason to believe his improvement is not luck. Hopefully it continues. If not, no big deal. He’s already justified the trade.

Aaron asks: If the game 162 vs Boston is winner gets division, loser gets wild card, do you use Severino in that game, or save him for the playoffs? Is the reward of winning the division, worth the risk of getting eliminated, without your best pitcher pitching a playoff game?

Absolutely start Luis Severino in Game 162. Do all you can to win the division and avoid the one-and-done Wild Card Game at all costs. The easiest way to win the World Series — the best way to improve your odds of winning a championship — is by playing as few elimination games as possible. I know that if Severino loses Game 162 you’d have to roll the dice with someone else in the Wild Card Game, but so be it. If Severino doesn’t pitch well enough to win Game 162, accept it and move on. We saw last season that even the best pitchers aren’t guaranteed to pitch well in that Wild Card Game, so do all you can to avoid it.

Chris asks: Should the Yankees regret putting Chad Green in the bullpen? Seems like with German and Loaisiga likely to hit innings limits and the starting pitching market imperfect, Green would be useful as a starter. Would it be too late in the season to stretch him out?

Nah. Green is right where he belongs. He is essentially a one-pitch guy — he has a slider but it isn’t very good — and he’s an extreme fly ball pitcher (career 32.0% grounders). As a starter in 2016, Green’s fastball averaged about 95 mph. These last two years as a reliever it’s been closer to 97 mph. Maybe if he’d stuck with it he could’ve developed his secondary pitches to the point where he could start, but I don’t think Green has the tools to turn a lineup over multiple times. Some guys are just made for the bullpen. The fastball plays up big time in the bullpen.

Anonymous asks: Miles Mikolas. Cardinals fading in tough NL Central. Team friendly contract. Decent numbers in his return to MLB from Japan.

Mikolas is an All-Star this year! The 29-year-old flamed out with the Rangers and Padres a few years ago, went to Japan, had some success, then signed a two-year deal worth $15.5M with the Cardinals this past offseason. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for another three seasons beyond that too, though he might’ve had it written into his contract that he has to be released after the two-year deal so he can re-enter free agency. That’s a common courtesy granted to veterans from Japan.

Anyway, Mikolas has a 2.65 ERA (3.20 FIP) in 115.1 innings this season, and he does it unconventionally. Few strikeouts (17.6%), few walks (3.6%), lots of grounders (50.4%). He’s a bit of an old school pitch to contact guy, which can be fun in its own way.

I’m not sure the Cardinals will trade Mikolas, even as they kinda flounder in the NL Central and look increasingly dysfunctional given the Dexter Fowler stuff and the Bud Norris/Jordan Hicks stuff. Like the Nationals, the Cardinals strike me as a take a step back now and try to make a run next year organization, not a tear it down team. Mikolas is a fun outside the box trade candidate though, even though he may not even become available.

David asks: When Giancarlo Stanton first came up in 2010 he was known as Mike Stanton (I did a search on MLBTR and saw a story by the great Mike Axisa that he was referred to as Mike as late as 1/15/2012). Do you know the story behind the name change?

His full name is Giancarlo Cruz Michael Stanton and, when he decided to make the change from Mike to Giancarlo a few years ago, he said everyone at school called him Mike growing up because no one could pronounce Giancarlo. His friends and family all call him Giancarlo, and he signed all his contracts and legal documents Giancarlo, but people who didn’t really know him called him Mike. Once he became a famous ballplayer, he decided it was time to go by his real (and preferred) name, so he made the switch in 2012. Plus Giancarlo is a way cooler name than Mike. I’m speaking from experience here.

Dan asks: The next time the Yankees need Scranton reliever, should it be Carroll instead of Gallegos?

It depends. If it’s just an up-and-down “we need a guy for a day or two or someone to be the 26th man for a doubleheader” situation, just called up Gallegos. It’s not worth adding Cody Carroll to the 40-man roster for that. If the Yankees need a reliever and that player is going to stick on the roster for an extended period of time, then go to Carroll. For now Gallegos is the “we only need a guy for a day” reliever and he’s fine in that role. Carroll will get his opportunity soon enough.

Nathan asks: I was thinking about Sheffield’s name being thrown around in the trade rumors and was wondering what trades almost included Severino?

I’m sure there are plenty of trade scenarios we don’t know about, but, going through the MLB Trade Rumors archives, here are the most notable Severino trade rumors:

• 2014-15 offseason: Braves wanted him in a potential Jason Heyward/Andrelton Simmons deal.
• July 2015: Phillies wanted him in a potential Cole Hamels deal.
• July 2015: Padres wanted him a potential Craig Kimbrel deal.
• July 2015: Tigers wanted him in a potential David Price deal.

That Heyward/Simmons trade was going to be massive ten-player blockbuster that would’ve sent prospects Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Ian Clarkin, and Manny Banuelos to Atlanta for Heyward, Simmons, Melvin Upton, David Carpenter, and Chris Johnson. The Braves approached the Yankees about that trade, just to be clear. The Yankees had been trying to get Simmons for a while, so the Braves took their shot. Can’t say I blame ’em. You’ll never get Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano if you don’t ask. Brian Cashman said no and thank goodness for that.

We’ve got a dozen questions in this week’s mailbag. Remember when mailbags were four or five questions? I’ve spoiled y’all. Anyway, send all mailbag questions to RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com.

Greg asks: Does Severino have a below average spin rate on his fastball? It seems like guys hit it into the ground regardless of location.

Quite the opposite. Luis Severino has one of the highest fastball spin rates in baseball. Among the 121 pitchers to throw at least 1,000 pitches this season this season, Severino has the 17th highest average spin rate at 2,370 rpm. The MLB average is 2,262 rpm. Furthermore, Severino’s fastball has allowed a 14.7° average launch angle, which is comfortably below the 17.2° league average.

Generally speaking, high spin on a fastball produces swings and misses while low spin produces grounders. Severino’s heater has a high spin rate and he gets lots of swings and misses with the pitch. We know that. But hitters also have a difficult time elevating his fastball, as the low launch angle shows. Among those 121 pitches who’ve thrown at least 1,000 pitches this season, only four have a 2,350+ rpm average spin rate and a sub-15° average launch angle on their fastball:

• Sonny Gray: 2,424 rpm and 14.6°
• Garrett Richards: 2,603 rpm and 12.0°
• Tyson Ross: 2,521 rpm and 14.9°
• Luis Severino: 2,370 rpm and 14.7°

Two Yankees, one guy who’s been mentioned as a possible Yankees’ trade target (Ross), and another guy I’ve mentioned as a possible Yankees’ trade target (Richards). Huh. Funny how that works. Point is, Severino’s fastball is very unique, and not just because he throws harder than any starter in baseball. It’s a rare high spin fastball that gets both swings and misses and grounders.

Joe asks: Given the Zack Cozart injury, is there a trade for Brandon Drury or Neil Walker that makes sense with the Angels? Thanks.

The Angels have crashed hard the last few weeks — going into last night’s game they were 18-27 since May 15th and eleven games back of a postseason spot — so I don’t think they have much of a need for a rental like Walker, even with Cozart done for the season. Drury is a long-term controllable player, and with Ian Kinsler a free agent after the season, the Halos could play Drury at third and Cozart at second going forward.

Anaheim does have some quality starters, specifically lefties Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs, though I get the sense they’re going to hang on to those guys and try to win with them next year. Richards is a free agent after the season though, and the Angels might be willing to trade him. Drury for Richards? I feel like the Halos should kick in a little more because it is three and a half years of Drury for half-a-year of the very injury prone Richards, but the framework seems doable. Heaney or Skaggs would be preferable. Richards isn’t a bad option though.

Benjamin asks: Thoughts on players boycotting the hr derby? Do you think there is collusion!!???! Players sticking it to MLB?

Hah, I hadn’t thought about that. Several big name players have already said they’re going to skip the Home Run Derby, including Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and J.D. Martinez. Bryce Harper said he’ll only participate in the Home Run Derby if he’s an All-Star, which can’t be what MLB wanted to hear since the All-Star Game is at Nationals Park. (Harper was among the fan voting leaders as of the last update, so he’ll likely be an All-Star.)

The MLBPA is said to be furious over last offseason’s free agent market, so much so that there’s already talk about a work stoppage when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in three and a half years. That’s no good. It’s been a long time since there were even whispers of a work stoppage. The players reportedly turned down an All-Star Game voting overhaul a few weeks ago as a form of protest against ownership. Maybe big name players are skipping out on the Home Run Derby as a way of getting back at MLB. That’d be something.

Chris asks: Is the Yankee lineup too righty heavy?

I don’t think there’s a right answer to this. I guess if they’re consistently being shut down by right-handed pitchers, the answer is yes, the lineup is too righty heavy. But if they’re still having success against righties, the answer is no. Here are the Yankees’ platoon splits (MLB rank in parenthesis):

	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+	BB%	K%
vs. RHP	.248 (14th)	.324 (7th)	.453 (2nd)	111 (4th)	9.4% (8th)	23.2% (19th)
vs. LHP	.255 (9th)	.342 (2nd)	.489 (1st)	126 (1st)	11.2% (1st)	23.5% (24th)

The Yankees annihilate lefties — the Astros are the second best southpaw hitting team with a 119 wRC+ — and are merely very good against righties. Are there times a hard-throwing righty with a nasty breaking ball shuts the Yankees down? Yes, absolutely. But those guys tend to shut every team down. Guys like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez have historically handled righties very well and, based on what I’ve seen, Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar can more than hold their own against same-side pitchers as well.

The offense definitely leans right-handed heavy at the moment and I’d love to see another quality left-handed bat in the lineup to balance things out (hello Greg Bird). I mean, the Yankees rank 19th in baseball with 35 homers by left-handed hitters. How does that happen with the short porch? To answer the question, no, I don’t think it’s a problem the lineup leans righty. The results say this team can do damage against both righties and lefties.

David asks: For a million reasons, all the focus is on the upcoming free agent class, but the next one’s supposed to be pretty good too, right? I think Sale and Arenado will be free agents… Who else?

Chris Sale and Nolan Arenado will indeed become free agents following the 2019 season. Those two plus Madison Bumgarner are the crowd jewels of the 2019-20 free agent class at this point, though I’d be surprised if the Giants don’t sign Bumgarner long-term before then. Other big names due to hit the open market that winter include Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Abreu, Xander Bogaerts, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Wacha. Aaron Hicks, Didi Gregorius, Dellin Betances, and Sonny Gray are the notable Yankees who will become free agents that offseason. As always, the quality of the free agent class will only get worse between now and then because guys will sign extensions and guys will decline. The 2019-20 offseason is a looong time away.

Jeff asks: Just watched Hicks hit his 3rd homer vs. BOS. He’s arbitration-eligible next year and a free agent prior to 2020. Loaded question (obviously)…but what do you do with Aaron Hicks over the next 18 months? Trade? Extension? Something else?

I think the Yankees should just let the next year and a half play out. Hicks is awesome, I am totally on board with him really being this good, but the fact of the matter is he’s only been this good for 642 plate appearances due to injuries. He’s hit .263/.364/.493 (131 wRC+) since Opening Day last year in those 642 plate appearances. Hicks still hasn’t had a full season at this performance level.

Generally speaking, players who sign extensions the year before free agency get paid free agent dollars. There’s no discount. So there won’t be much of a difference financially between signing Hicks this offseason and next offseason. Right now, I say let it play out and reevaluate things after next season. Of course, if Hicks goes to the Yankees and is willing to sign a sweetheart deal this winter, go for it. Otherwise wait it out, and I say that as a Hicksie believer.

Anonymous asks: Janson Junk has to be my favorite ‘punny’ name in the system, even more than Judge. Please tell me he’s not a fireballer, so if he ever makes it to the bigs, headline-writers can have a field day describing his crafty wins with marginal stuff.

Alas, Janson Junk is not a junkballer. He’s a Yankees prospect. They don’t do junkballers. The Yankees selected Junk out of Seattle University in the 22nd round last year. Here is Baseball America’s pre-draft scouting report (subs. req’d):

Junk is a power-armed righty who didn’t have a great year statistically (6-7, 5.92), but there are teams who might be interested enough in the stuff to take a flyer on him. His fastball has sat 94-96 mph at its best in shorter stints, though it can be flat. His average changeup has some tumble, but his breaking ball remains below-average.

Junk, 22, has a 4.08 ERA (4.23 FIP) with 17.8% strikeouts and 6.8% walks in 39.2 innings with Low-A Charleston, and hey, I’d say those are junkballer stats. But sadly, no, he is not a junkballer pitcher. Mr. Junk can bring the heat.

Tom asks: We’ve certainly heard Judge’s name being thrown around in the early going, but what about Severino for MVP?

Severino absolutely belongs in the MVP conversation. I know some folks are against it, but I’d have no trouble whatsoever voting for a pitcher for MVP. The voting guidelines explicitly say pitchers are eligible for MVP. Severino’s performance alone is worthy of MVP considerations. To wit:

• ERA: 1.98 (second lowest)
• Innings: 118.1 (fifth most)
• fWAR: +4.4 (third among pitchers and eighth among all players)
• bWAR: +4.9 (second among pitchers and seventh among all players)

It’d also be pretty easy to build a “Severino for MVP” narrative. He’s been no worse than the second best player on one of the best teams in baseball (Judge is at +4.5 fWAR and +4.8 bWAR), and given the state of the Yankees’ rotation, you could argue Severino is the team’s most indispensable player. CC Sabathia is an injury risk, Jordan Montgomery’s hurt, Masahiro Tanaka hasn’t been great when healthy, and Sonny Gray has stunk. Remove Severino from the rotation and it would get ugly quick.

The MVP voting body changes each year — two BBWAA members from each city in the league vote on MVP — so this year’s group may be open to voting for a pitcher for MVP. Or it could be a group that is anti-pitchers for MVP. I’d have zero trouble voting for a pitcher for MVP and Severino absolutely deserves to be among those considered for the award based on his season to date.

Marc asks: Is there a point at which you think it makes sense for the Yankees to send Sonny Gray to AAA to try to work through all these continuous issues hes having? Could only do once Tanaka is back of course. Similar to what the Rockies are doing with J. Gray or the Twins with Sano/Buxton? I believe he still has 1 or 2 option years remaining.

If the Yankees are going to do this, they need to do it basically right now. Tuesday is the fifth anniversary of Gray’s big league debut and he’ll reach five years of service time on that date. Players with five or more years of service time can refuse minor league assignments, and they almost always do. Jon Gray, Miguel Sano, and Byron Buxton had no choice but to accept their minor league assignment at their service time level.

As bad as Gray has been overall, I don’t see the Yankees sending him to the minors. That’s not their M.O. They are extremely patient. They stuck with Hicks when everyone wanted him gone. They stuck with Betances when everyone wanted him gone. They stuck with Gregorius when everyone wanted him gone. They stuck with Severino as a starter when everyone wanted him in the bullpen. (“Everyone” is an exaggeration, but you catch my drift.) The Yankees tend to be patient and lately they’ve been rewarded for their patience in a significant way. I imagine they’ll stick it out with Gray and continue to try to get him right.

Adam asks: Given the checkered injury history for Loaisiga, it seems like there is no better time than the present to trade him. Is Loaisiga plus another #20-30 prospect enough for the Yankees to pry away a steady #3-#4 starter with a 1.5-2.5 years of control? Does he have much value on the trade market? Seems the Yanks would do well to sell high on him.

I love Johnny Lasagna but I’d have no trouble whatsoever trading him for MLB help. Jonathan Loaisiga’s injury history is ugly and he just had a fairly successful four-start big league cameo. His trade value may never be higher. I’m not saying the Yankees should give Loaisiga away! I’m just saying I wouldn’t let him stand in the way of a trade at the deadline. It’s tough to gauge’s his trade value because he’s had such an unconventional career. Very limited track record, lots of injuries, but great stuff and great stuff results. Baseball America even had him in their midseason top 100. If the Yankees can use Loaisiga as part of a package to get an impact starter at the trade deadline, they absolutely should do it. The best predictor of future injuries is past injuries, flags fly forever, etc etc.

Dennis asks: Game 7, World Series. Sevy, CC and Tanaka pitched Game 4, 5 and 6. Would you go right to the bullpen for Game 7? Play to the strength of the team? Or just start Sevy on short rest? Thanks.

Severino on short rest. It’s Game Seven of the World Series! Have to go with your best there. You could definitely make the case Severino on short rest is not the best option and that a parade of relievers would give the Yankees the best chance to win, but I dunno man. Severino’s putting up shutdown reliever numbers as a starter. And besides, chances are the bullpen would have worked a lot in the series already, right? So I’m not sure the bullpen would be any less fatigued than Severino on short rest. I think you have to go with Severino in this situation. He’s a bona fide ace and one of the top starters in the game. It’s not like the Yankees would be starting Sonny Gray on short rest, you know?

Mark asks: I am in no way saying that I would rather have the Yankees NOT hit homers with the frequency they do, but man it seems like forever since a “big inning” happened without a long ball. Even hits with runners in scoring position seem to be hit too hard to score Gardy from second (lol). It got me thinking: when is the last time the Yanks had a damn bases clearing double? I feel like I’ve seen a bunch of lined shots by (insert struggling first baseman name here) the past two weeks ended up in (Sox / Nats / Bravos) first base mitts instead of right field corners. “Enquiring” minds want to know!

The Yankees have had four doubles with the bases loaded this season and three of them cleared the bases. The other wasn’t a booming double into the gap or down the line. Tyler Wade split the outfielders and Kevin Pillar got the ball in quickly, so the third runner didn’t have much of a chance to score (video). The team’s last bases-clearing double came on June 15th. You probably remember it:

The other two bases-clearing doubles came from Sanchez on April 12th (video) and Miguel Andujar on April 21st (video). I know three bases-clearing doubles in 84 games doesn’t seem like much, but there have only been 103 doubles with the bases loaded in baseball this season, and only 43 cleared the bases. That works out to 1.43 bases-clearing double per team. The Yankees are double that!

Eleven questions and ten answers in this week’s mailbag. Send all your questions to RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll get to as many as I can each week.

Matt asks (short version): I know there was a trading for a 1st baseman question in last week’s mailbag and Abreu was mentioned. If Bird keeps struggling and the team is unable to add a difference maker in the rotation, would acquiring Abreu be a good idea?

Vismay asks: Here’s my bad idea to fix our 1B problem (it is a problem): Jose Martinez (Cardinals) or Justin Bour (Marlins). Martinez is controlled until 2022 and Bour is controlled until 2020. However both Martinez and Bour are 29/30 years old respectively, so their decline will happen soon.

Going to lump these two together. Like I said last week, I’m cool with giving Greg Bird until the trade deadline to start hitting, but, if July 31st rolls around and we’re still waiting for him to get going, it’s time to go get a first baseman. Aside from Tyler Austin’s April, the Yankees have gotten nothing from the position all year. It is an obvious — and theoretically easy — position to upgrade.

Ideally the Yankees would acquire a lefty hitting first baseman to help balance out the lineup, though it’s not imperative. Bour is a lefty bat while Jose Abreu and Martinez are righties. Here are their season numbers prior to yesterday’s action:

	AVG/OBP/SLG	wRC+	K%	BB%	wRC+ vs. RHP	wRC+ vs. LHP
Abreu	.272/.326/.479	118	18.6%	5.7%	111	142
Bour	.239/.369/.432	121	23.6%	17.2%	143	81
Martinez	.305/.375/.500	140	14.7%	9.8%	145	114

Abreu is the big name but he’s been the worst hitter of the three this season, though he is regarded as a top notch clubhouse guy, and that’s not nothing. Martinez has been the best hitter but he is one of the worst defensive first basemen I’ve ever seen. He’s terrible. Bour is probably the most available. Dingers pay and he’s starting to get expensive through arbitration, so of course the Marlins will trade him at some point.

Bour and Martinez having multiple years of team control is nice, though I don’t value those control years highly. There are always tons of first basemen in free agency and I’d bet the farm on neither guy making it through their arbitration years without being non-tendered. These defensively limited first base masher types get to the point where their salary outweighs their production rather quickly.

Which one should the Yankees trade for? Whichever one is cheapest. How’s that for a plan? I’d take any of those three guys if Bird doesn’t get things straightened out prior to the trade deadline. What other contender could use first base help? Maybe the Mariners? I guess the Nationals if Ryan Zimmerman doesn’t get healthy? But that’s pretty much it. There’s more first base supply than demand and that works in the Yankees favor.

Denzil asks: Yankees have by my estimate $40 mil coming off this year. With that and resetting the tax threshold, how many free agents and who do you think they will bring in to make this team better?

The Yankees are shedding David Robertson ($13M), CC Sabathia ($10M), Neil Walker ($4M), Adam Warren ($3.315M), and the money they’re paying Brian McCann ($5.5M) after the season. They might unload Brett Gardner ($9.5M after the club option buyout) as well. That adds up to $35.815M with Gardner being retained and $45.315M with Gardner being let go. The Yankees are shedding more payroll after the season than I realized.

As for who the Yankees could sign, geez, I don’t know. Can we get through the 2018 season first and see where the team stands once November rolls around? There’s lots of fun stuff happening this summer! Don’t miss it. Here is the 2018-19 free agent class. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are the big names. I am very much against signing Dallas Keuchel. Hard pass for me. Given the roster right now, a starting pitcher seems like an obvious need this winter. Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ, and Garrett Richards stand out as possible targets to me.

Anonymous asks: Is it likely the Yankees never buyout Judge’s arbitration years and never offer him a long term contract of any kind? He’s 26 and under team control through age 31, at which time he’ll likely be past his prime and playing first base. As much as I’d like him to be a lifetime Yankee, they’re getting the prime of his career and shouldn’t pay for the downside.

There are three options here. One, go year-to-year and don’t offer Aaron Judge an extension. Two, lock him up long-term with a deal that buys out a free agent year or three. And three, sign him to a contract that buys out arbitration years and arbitration years only. Judge is immensely productive, but he is already 26, and I have no idea how he’s going to age at that size. He very well might be a full-time first baseman with achy knees by time he’s ready to become a free agent.

A contract extension that buys out Judge’s arbitration years but not any free agent years could be worthwhile because he is heading for some massive arbitration salaries. All-Star Games, a Rookie of the Year, MVP votes, a home run title … Judge is going to make gobs of money his arbitration years. He could be looking at $10M, $18M, and $25M salaries in the three arbitration years. Maybe the Yankees can get him to sign a contract that guarantees him, say, $45M for his three arbitration years? It would give the team cost certainty and Judge some security.

Luke asks: I keep looking at DotF posts hoping to see Seigler’s name, but it seems he’s only playing every 3-4 days. Is it typical not to play recently drafted (position) players every day? How long will it be before he gets more regular playing time?

First rounder Anthony Seigler is playing every two or three days in the rookie Gulf Coast League right now and that’s not unusual at all for a recently drafted player, especially a high pick and extra especially a catcher. Seigler is undoubtedly doing a lot of work behind the scenes with the catching instructors and all the other catcher prospects. Seigler’s workload will increase a bit as the season progresses and I’m sure we’ll see him catching back-to-back games before the end of the year. This isn’t unusual. Teams don’t throw kids to the wolves in their pro debuts and ask them to grind it out right away like they once did.

Matt asks (short version): J.A. Happ has thrown his fastball 72.6% of the time this year. The Yankees, as a staff, have thrown it about 40%. It’s literally the two opposite ends of the spectrum. If the Yankees acquire him, what gives?

If the Yankees do trade for Happ, I hope they leave him alone and let him continue to do whatever’s working for him right now. The Yankees are an anti-fastball team but not everyone needs the organizational stamp. Happ is a fastball heavy pitcher — he’s doing a great job elevating the four-seamer for swings and misses and pitching in and out with the two-seamer — and that is his key to success, so let him do it. He used to throw a lot more secondary pitches once upon a time. It didn’t really work for him. Happ’s success is the result of his fastball usage. I couldn’t imagine trading for him and changing that. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Greg asks: Is there a monetary reason or any penalties that explain why the Yankees have not yet put Jordan Montgomery on the 60 day DL? Seems like an obvious move at this point.

There’s no reason to. Teams can only put players on the 60-day DL when they need a 40-man roster spot and right now the Yankees have 39 players on the 40-man roster. The open spot comes from when they last last designated David Hale for assignment, then called up and outrighted Ryan Bollinger in the span of two days. By rule, when a player is placed on the 60-day DL, another player has to be added to the 40-man roster to take his place right away. You can’t just stick someone on the 60-day DL and leave an open 40-man spot. It’s silly because, in this case, we know Montgomery isn’t coming back this year, but the MLBPA pushed for that rule because a) they want players to be able to come off the disabled list as early as possible, and b) they want as many players on the 40-man as possible.

Paul asks: Any thoughts on why Aaron Judge’s home/away split is so dramatic? One possibility is that he is more likely to go the opposite way at home, which helps him see pitches for a longer time. Is there any evidence to support this theory?

The numbers do support the “he is more likely to go the opposite way at home” theory. Judge has a 35.8% pull rate (31.6% oppo) at home this season compared to a 51.8% pull rate (17.7%) on the road. I honestly don’t think there’s much to the home/road splits though. Seems like sample size weirdness to me. It’s not like Judge has never hit on the road. He put up big numbers on the road last season.

• 2016 home: .312/.440/.725 (199 wRC+)
• 2017 road: .256/.404/.531 (147 wRC+)

Baseball players as a whole tend to perform better at home than on the road — the league average is a 102 wRC+ at home and a 98 wRC+ on the road — because they’re more comfortable at home, and in Judge’s case, his home ballpark is Yankee Stadium. Of course he’ll put up better numbers at home.

I don’t see a reason to believe Judge can’t hit on the road. Judge just hasn’t hit on the road in a 36-game sample spread across three months so far this season. It’s not like he makes his living popping short porch homers. He can hit the ball out of any part of any park. Give it time and it’ll even out, I imagine. I’m paying more attention to the whole getting pitched inside thing, and all the recent rolled over grounders to the left side than I am the home/road splits.

Dave asks: As a huge Yankee fan and a die-hard Arkansas Razorback fan, I’m watching game two of the CWS and it’s 3-2 Hogs in the 7th and Loseke is pitching so it got me thinking. Do you think he signs as a junior who was taken in the 17th round or does he go back to school? His stat line alone in Omaha was filthy and he was by far in my opinion the MVP. 67 k’s in 52-plus innings with a .194 opp ba. Just wondering what your thoughts are and as a fan of both teams I don’t lose much! Thanks as always!

Hah! I kept an eye on the College World Series games while watching the Yankees earlier this week and I remember thinking damn, this kid on Arkansas has a really good arm. Didn’t even realize it was Barrett Loseke, who the Yankees drafted in the 17th round this year, until Dave asked this question.

Loseke’s final strikeout in the video is Twins first rounder Trevor Larnach, who I wrote a draft profile about. Anyway, Baseball America (subs. req’d) did not rank Loseke among their top 500 draft prospects because he’s basically a fastball only short reliever, and that fastball is usually 92-94 mph and not, like, 97-99 mph. The Yankees have a thing for upping velocity though.

The Yankees can’t offer Loseke more than $164,000 or so given their draft pool situation — that’s the $125,000 slot plus the $39,000 they have available before hitting the next penalty tier, which means forfeiting next year’s first rounder — and I have no idea whether that’s enough to get him to turn pro. He might not need the money and he might value getting his degree. The kid looks good though, and if the Yankees can convince him to turn pro, that’d be swell.

Dan asks: If Neil Walker were put on waivers now, do you think he would be claimed? Should the Yankees go that route and bring up either Brandon Drury or Ronald Torreyes (or both)?

Veterans put on waivers after being designated for assignment are almost never claimed. Any interested team would just wait until Walker clears waivers and becomes a free agent, and then sign him for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum. I’m not sure I’m on board with bringing up Drury to replace Walker when he’s only going to play once or twice a week. Like I said, give Bird until the All-Star break to straighten himself out. The Yankees could dump Walker and call up Torreyes, but then they don’t have a backup first baseman. I’m not sure what the best course of action is here. Maybe dumping Walker and the eighth reliever, and carrying Torreyes and Tyler Austin?

Mark asks: Does it make any sense to have Ellsbury take reps at first base? We really don’t need a 6th outfielder.

Yep, it does. Jacoby Ellsbury has no place in the starting outfield and you could argue he’s not even the best fourth (or fifth) best outfield candidate in the organization. Anything he can do to increase his usefulness to the team is worthwhile. I hope we never ever ever get to the point where Ellsbury is playing first base semi-regularly, but, if need be, it would be nice if he could do it. Give him a first baseman’s mitt and let him work out there.

There are ten questions in this week’s mailbag. RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com is the mailbag email address, so send your questions there each week.

Ryan asks: Any explanation for the power Torres is showing in the majors? I think I read he had only 24 homers in like 1,500 at bats in the minors. Seems to be somewhat common with guys having better power numbers in the majors. Any insight would be great!

Gleyber Torres has hit 14 homers in 52 big league games so far. His career high in the minors was eleven homers in 125 games in 2016. Torres is certainly not the only prospect to come up from the minors and hit for more power than ever before. Aaron Judge did it, Cody Bellinger did it, Gary Sanchez did it, Albert Pujols did it. Lots of guys have done it. Torres is not the first nor will he be the last.

There are a few reasons for this. One, they’re seeing more pitches in the zone than they do in the minors because MLB pitchers are just better, and MLB pitchers tend to challenge young guys until they prove they can do damage. Two, the baseball itself is different and the many of the ballparks are smaller. Three, they have access to better advance scouting and video work. And four, many of these dudes are young players who are still developing physically, and they get stronger. It’s kinda weird, but showing more power in the big leagues than the minors happens often.

Bart asks: Rule 5 Draft. Your thoughts on Dermis Garcia (is he not “special” and worth protecting) and Adams performance seems just short of what is needed (more patience or trade him?).

Unless Garcia goes completely bonkers the rest of the way, there’s no way the Yankees should add him to the 40-man roster after the season. He’s yet to play above Low-A and he’s still swinging and missing a bunch (31.9% strikeouts and 14.8% whiffs), plus he’s a defensive liability. Maybe the Padres will live with an ugly strikeout filled season to get Dermis into their organization, but I can’t see him sticking in the big leagues next year. Not one bit.

As for Chance Adams, he has been legitimately bad this season, throwing 65.2 Triple-A innings with a 5.21 ERA (4.54 FIP) and too many walks (11.1%). Yes, he had offseason elbow surgery. It’s also mid June now. You’d think he’d be over the bone spur surgery by now. The Yankees shouldn’t make him off limits in a trade, of course, but I’d stay the course and keep running him out there. Protect him from the Rule 5 Draft after the season and see where we’re at then.

Seth asks: Don’t you think Jonny Lasagna looks a lot like Ramiro Mendoza from those great 90’s teams? And would you be ok with Loaisiga turning into Mendoza or would you hope to see more from him?

I think Jonathan Loaisiga has the stuff and command to start long-term. Can he stay healthy? That’s the big question. But I think the ingredients are there to start. Right now he just looks like an inexperienced rookie, which is in no way surprising. If Loaisiga has trouble staying healthy as a starter, a relief role would work too, and a Mendoza-esque role would be great. That’s basically Adam Warren, right? That do anything Swiss Army Knife reliever. That strikes me as a role the Yankees will be able to fill internally going forward, either with Loaisiga or Adams or Domingo German. Or maybe someone else.

Julian asks: Brett Gardner says he wants to play 2-3 more years. If he finishes his career with the Yankees would he be in consideration for a plaque in Monument Park?

Man, that’s tough. Gardner has been a great Yankee but he’s never been the star or the biggest name on the team, and he’s never been a core member of a World Series champion. (He was the fourth outfielder in 2009.) That could change in the coming years — I sure hope it does! — but, if it doesn’t, Gardner will have spent about 14 seasons with the Yankees as a high-end complementary player. Is that Monument Park worthy? Gardner is basically the poor man’s Willie Randolph and it took almost 20 years for Randolph to get a plaque. As good as he’s been, it’s hard for me to think Gardner gets a plaque. A few World Series titles before he retires could definitely change things though.

Mike asks: Drury is killing it in AAA right now, but for the Yankees he’s really nothing more than depth at this point. Solak and Widener are both playing very well at AAA. In addition, the Rays have been playing Solak in the OF to increase his versatility. At this point, does Drury have more value to the Yankees than Solak and Widener would? Even if he does now, would he in the long term? Who would get more in a trade?

I think Brandon Drury has more value to the Yankees than the two prospects because they could plug Drury into the big league lineup tomorrow. Nick Solak and Taylor Widener are good prospects, don’t get me wrong, but the only way they’d help the 2018 Yankees is as trade chips, and I don’t think they’re guys who could net you an impact pitcher. They’re second or third piece in a package types and the Yankees have lots of those dudes. Having a league average (maybe better) player like Drury stashed in Triple-A as depth is a tremendous luxury for a contending team. The two prospects wouldn’t move the needle much this year, and I’m not sure where Solak or Widener would fit long-term anyway. It’s Drury or the mystery box, right? Do you want Drury or whatever you could hypothetically trade Solak and Widener for?

Anonymous asks: It seems like everyone throws 98 these days. Are players actually throwing harder or did something else change? I seem to recall that a few years ago PitchFX started picking the ball up out of the pitchers hand as opposed to when it crosses home plate.

Pitchers are absolutely throwing harder than ever before, though there has been a change in velocity measurements. PitchFX measures velocity at 55 feet from home plate. Statcast measures it out of the pitcher’s hand. Here are the league average four-seam fastball velocities according to PitchFX:

• 2009: 91.4 mph
• 2010: 91.5 mph
• 2011: 91.7 mph
• 2012: 91.8 mph
• 2013: 92.0 mph
• 2014: 92.1 mph
• 2015: 92.4 mph (Statcast: 93.1 mph)
• 2016: 92.6 mph (Statcast: 93.2 mph)
• 2017: 93.2 mph (Statcast: 93.2 mph)
• 2018: 93.0 mph (Statcast: 93.0 mph)

Average velocity tends to increase during the season because pitchers usually reach midseason form in the hot summer months, and because a bunch of hard-throwers join rosters in September.

Even if the average velocity this year drops a bit from last year, pitchers are still throwing harder than at any other point in baseball history. It seems like every dude who comes up from the minors is throwing 97+ these days. Will we one day reach the point where 95 mph is the average velocity? And if the answer is yes, what does that mean for baseball?

Dan asks: You said the Yankees should add another starter and maybe another reliever. I totally agree. How about 1B though. Would you look for an upgrade if Bird doesn’t improve till the trade deadline? Seems like that’s the only weak-ish spot in the lineup.

If Greg Bird is still hitting .206/.295/.423 (96 wRC+) or thereabouts come the trade deadline, then absolutely go get a first baseman, preferably left-handed. Don’t give the job to Tyler Austin, don’t give to the Brandon Drury, don’t give it to Neil Walker, don’t give Clint Frazier a first baseman’s glove, nothing like that. Go get an actual first baseman. Dudes like Lucas Duda and Justin Bour are going to be available, maybe Jose Abreu too. Stick with Bird for now, but if we’re sitting here in five weeks and we’re still waiting for him to get going, then it’s time to stop waiting.

Michael asks: Any concern/thoughts on Judge’s increase in GB%? It was 34.9% last year and has ballooned to 44% this year.

Going into yesterday’s game Aaron Judge had a 44.9% ground ball rate this season, which is up ten percentage points from last season. That’s significant. His ISO has dropped from .343 to .277, and while that’s still elite, it is down quite a bit from last year. A graph:

Not a good trend! You want Judge to hit the ball in the air. When Judge hits the ball in the air, very good things happen. As long as the shoulder is healthy, and there’s no reason to believe it isn’t, I’m not really worried about the spike in grounders. It’s not like he hasn’t been great this season.

I think pitchers have adjusted to Judge a bit — they’ve been jamming him inside more often, it’s seemed to me — and now it’s up to him to adjust back. It’s all part of the cat-and-mouse game. Give Judge time and he’ll figure it out. He’s too good not to.

Vismay asks: This pitcher has a 19.6% K-BB% (top 20), 13.8% swStr% rate (top 6), but low 35.3 GB% and his batted ball rates are kinda messy: 89.3 avg exit velocity and 37.9% hard hit rates. The pitcher is Dylan Bundy. Potential trade target and one who can benefit from the anti-fastball approach?

Bundy has some tools. He gets a ton of swings and misses with his secondary pitches (slider, curveball, changeup), and while his fastball doesn’t jump out in terms of velocity, it does have an above-average spin rate, which allows it to play up a bit. Bundy doesn’t get ground balls and is awfully home run prone though (1.5 HR/9 since 2016), which is a bad mix for Yankee Stadium. There’s some Masahiro Tanaka here. Bundy has great secondaries, but when he catches too much of the plate, hitters make him pay.

Bundy’s injury history is a huge red flag for me. He’s had all sorts of arm problems, including Tommy John surgery and shoulder trouble, and those injuries have already robbed him of his fastball. Plus Buck Showalter really works Bundy hard. He’s thrown as many as 121 pitches in a game this season and Showalter always seems to try to get that one extra inning out of him. Bundy is interesting. I’m just not sure I’d trust a pitcher this fly ball and home run prone in Yankee Stadium long-term, especially with that injury history.

Michael asks: As of now, Judge is 59/8 in games at RF/DH. Stanton has played about half and half between the combined corners/DH. Is Stanton being rested more b/c of his knee/injury history, and should the DH time be split a little more evenly between the two giants?

After yesterday, Judge is at 60 starts in right and eight games at DH (and one in center). I am surprised he hasn’t spent more time at DH. I thought it would be closer to a 50/50 split to be honest, or maybe 60/40 in favor of right field. Giancarlo Stanton is certainly comfortable playing right field and giving Judge some time off his feet isn’t a bad idea. He’s a big dude and he’s carrying a lot of weight around. Running around the outfield every day at that size is physically demanding. Maybe we’ll see him get more DH time as the season progresses, especially if the Yankees open up a big lead?

As for Stanton, there are three possible reasons he is spending so much time at DH. One, Aaron Boone doesn’t know what he’s doing and isn’t spreading the outfield load around. (I’d bet the farm against this being the actual reason.) Two, the Yankees are protecting Stanton physically. He’s had several leg injuries over the years, including hamstring and knee problems, so they’re taking it easy on him. And three, they think Judge is the better defender and want him in the outfield as much as possible. Not unreasonable. I would like to see Judge get some more DH time just to take it easy on his legs, but the Yankees do know what they’re doing, so I’ll defer to them.

There are eleven questions in this week’s mailbag. As always, the place to send your questions is RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com. Send ’em in and I’ll get to as many as I can.

Segundo asks: The Twins just sent Miguel Sano, an All Star last year to the minors. I was thinking maybe the Yankees should do the same with Gary Sanchez and have him work both on his offense and his defense down there. Maybe that will wake him up. Thoughts?

The Twins didn’t just send Sano to the minors, they send him all the way down to High Class-A. He was sent down there so he could work with the hitting instructors at the team’s Spring Training and minor league complex. Sano is hitting .230/.270/.405 (80 wRC+) with 40.5% strikeouts in 37 games around a hamstring injury this year. Sanchez has struggled this year, no doubt, but he hasn’t been Sano bad.

Anyway, even if the Yankees wanted to send Sanchez to the minors to work on things, they can’t. He’s out of minor league options. He was added to the 40-man roster during the 2013-14 offseason and used his three options in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Gary would have to clear waivers to go to the minors and there is zero chance that happens. Sanchez had a 31-game stretch in which hit .288/.394/.676 (186 wRC+) with eleven homers end late last month. It’s not like he’s been crap all year. The best way to get him going is writing his name in his lineup. He’s not snapping out of it on the bench.

Jonathan asks: Are we seeing Sabathia play his way back into HOF contention? It’s one thing to be a dominant power pitcher your career but he has to get extra kudos for reinventing himself and becoming nearly dominant again right?

I don’t know that CC Sabathia gets extra credit for reinventing himself, but the reinvention has helped him stick around and compile a bit more. Sabathia’s already had the big peak. Now it’s just about longevity and adding to the career totals. He should get to 250 wins (241 now) and 3,000 strikeouts (2,893 now) fairly soon, possibly by the end of the season, and those numbers may put him over the top. There are still lots of old school Hall of Fame voters who want to see those things. I’m not sure Sabathia is a Hall of Famer, but he does deserve serious consideration from the voting body. Everything he does from here on out can only help his case. I don’t think it can hurt him at this point.

Michael asks: Does CC get his number retired? Won a championship as ace of the staff (potentially with more rings), has generally been great outside of the ’13-’15 stretch, and has been one of the leaders of the team/a fan favorite.

I’m not sure Sabathia will have his number retired — maybe with another World Series ring or two? — but I think he’s firmly in Monument Park plaque territory at this point. If Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez got plaques, Sabathia absolutely deserves a plaque. I suppose you could knock him for only winning one World Series while O’Neill and Tino each won four, but winning the World Series is a team accomplishment. An individual player being recognized in Monument Park shouldn’t depend on the team’s success. Sabathia is an easy Monument Park plaque guy for me. Not one doubt about it. Retiring No. 52 is a greater honor and I’m not sure he’s at that point.

Josh asks: Is it time for Yogi Berra to get an actual monument instead of the plaque? Do you think anyone else will ever get a monument? I realize they are running out of room in there, but Yogi kinda deserves it, no?

Yeah, I think Yogi deserves a monument. There are four monuments in Monument Park for players: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. (George Steinbrenner and Miller Huggins have monuments as well.) To me, Yogi is in that class of players. He’s an all-time great and an inner circle Hall of Famer. He deserves a monument. Gehrig’s monument was the first player monument and it was dedicated four years after his death. The Ruth, DiMaggio, and Mantle monuments were all dedicated within a year or so. Yogi passed away in September 2015. A monument is overdue. Rearrange Monument Park and get it in there already. Down the road, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are monument worthy Yankees to me.

Jim asks: Does Judge lead the league in strikes called and third strikes called? Sometimes he looks bewildered.

Going into last night’s game Aaron Judge ranked ninth in baseball in total called strikes (234). Cesar Hernandez (282), Mike Trout (265), and Matt Carpenter (261) were the top three. Brett Gardner was fourth (257). Judge had 30 called strike threes, tied with Yoan Moncada for second most in baseball behind Chris Taylor (32).

Taking strikes is one thing. Taking pitches out of the zone that are called strike is another. No hitter in baseball has had more pitches outside the zone called strikes than Judge this year. The list:

1. Aaron Judge: 55
2. Paul Goldschmidt: 53
3. Justin Bour: 52
4. Jose Ramirez: 46
5. Alex Bregman: 45

Judge continues to get hosed on those low strikes down below the zone, those pitches that are strikes for normal sized hitters but not 6-foot-7 hitters. It seems to me he’s chirping at umpires a little more this season, though not a whole lot. Maybe he should snap at an umpire one day over a low strike. That might get their attention.

Michael asks: Hey Mike, I was wondering if you have a list of Yankees who are Rule V eligible this year?

Generally speaking, this year’s crop of new Rule 5 Draft eligible players are college players drafted in 2015, high school players drafted in 2014, and international free agents signed during the 2014-15 signing period. Here’s a not at all complete list of Yankees who will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season:

• Catchers: lol nope
• Infielders: Diego Castillo, Dermis Garcia, Kyle Holder, Hoy Jun Park, Brandon Wagner
• Outfielders: Estevan Florial
• Pitchers: Chance Adams, Cody Carroll, Freicer Perez, Josh Rogers, Justus Sheffield, Alex Vargas

I am not 100% certain Florial and Perez will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season because both signed late in the 2014-15 signing period, and that may’ve pushed their eligibility back a year. Adams, Carroll, and Sheffield are easy protection decisions and I’d bet on Holder getting added to the 40-man too. Guys like Park and Rogers are on the fence. I could see the Yankees getting out ahead of things and using them as trade chips this summer if they like them, but don’t 40-man roster like them.

David asks: Does the insurance policy on Ellsbury mean he won’t ever be released? The team would release him if he were a sunk cost, but he *might* be worth $15M/yr in insurance if they keep the roster spot open for him.

Not necessarily. The Yankees had insurance on Alex Rodriguez’s contract too, and they released him with a year and change to go anyway. I guess there comes a point where paying the insurance premium and tying up a roster spot isn’t worth getting reimbursed 75% of his salary should he land on the disabled list, which isn’t guaranteed. Ellsbury has another two years to go on his contract after this season and there’s really no place for him on the roster. Having him spend the entire season (to date) on the disabled list has been awfully convenient. Given the A-Rod precedent, we can’t rule out the Yankees releasing Ellsbury at some point. The insurance policy is not necessarily a saving grace.

Anonymous asks: One of the less mentioned trade partners is an old friend, do you think the A’s would part with one of Trevor Cahill, Sean Manaea, or Daniel Mengden?

I’m certain they’d trade Cahill, who is a one-year contract and has been on the disabled list a few times already. He’s been great when healthy, pitching to a 2.77 ERA (3.03 FIP) with very good strikeout (25.0%), walk (5.9%), and grounder (60.2%) rates in 48.2 innings. That walk rate is way out of line with the rest of his career. It’s been north of 10% the last few years. Cahill could be a lower cost depth pickup a la Jaime Garcia last season.

Mengden is one of my favorite pitchers to watch and both he and Manaea are younger guys with several years of control. Manaea’s an interesting one. How good is he really? He has a 3.49 ERA (4.42 FIP) this year. It was 4.37 ERA (4.10 FIP) last year. And yet, I feel like the asking price would be extremely high. That isn’t to say he would be a bad trade target. I’m just not sure what to make of him. Is he truly a difference-maker? Or he just a guy who stabilizes the rotation and gives you innings? He’s worth a deeper dive at some point should the A’s actually make him available.

Michael asks: What about Carlos Rodon as a SP target?

Rodon just returned from offseason shoulder surgery — he’s allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and five walks in ten innings in two starts — and I’m going to need to see more before endorsing him as a trade target. I just want to see whether his stuff bounced back and things like that. Rodon underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure. They didn’t have to cut him open to repair his labrum or rotator cuff or anything like that, so that’s good.

Before the injury I thought Rodon was a real good trade target because he’s a lefty with a truly elite bat-missing slider and the ability to get grounders. The performance (and walk rate) has been up and down over the years, though the raw ability is there, so maybe he’s a change of scenery guy. For what it’s worth, Rodon’s fastball velocity in his first two starts back has been right in line with the last few years, which is encouraging. Let’s check back on him in a few weeks.

Ross asks: While I do not think the Yankees are trying to manipulate anybody’s service time clock, the amount of talent on the team could end up accidentally impacting a lot of guys. I was wondering, how many more days in the minors would Brandon Drury, Tommy Kahnle, Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes need to push their free agent clock back a season?

The Yankees keeping Gleyber Torres down as long as they did was so very obviously service time related. And that’s perfectly fine. Last year’s injury gave them a cover story and they smartly took advantage of the system. I don’t think the Yankees are playing the service time game with any of these other dudes. They’re all squeezed off the roster. Here are the numbers of days in the minors necessary to delay their free agency:

• Drury: 50 days (he’s been down 32 days already, so only 18 more to go)
• Frazier: 109 days (already been down 38 days)
• Kahnle: 31 days (already been down 10 days)
• Torreyes: 38 days (spent 13 days in Triple-A before being recalled)
• Wade: 97 days (already down 54 days)

Barring a sudden roster change, it sure looks like the Yankees are going to push Drury’s and Kahnle’s free agencies back one year. That’s not insignificant. Drury is a potential trade chip and that extra year of control could make a big difference in trade talks. Kahnle could still reemerge as a bullpen fixture and that extra year could come in handy down the line. Generally speaking though, I wouldn’t worry about service time with any of these guys. If they’re needed at the MLB level, call ’em up.

Josh asks: Wouldn’t you rather have Frazier instead of Hicks in the line up day to day with Gardner playing center?

My hot take for the week is swapping out Aaron Hicks for Clint Frazier would make the Yankees worse, and I’m a Frazier fan. He’s going to mash. But Hicks is hitting .243/.343/.434 (113 wRC+) with good center field defense. How well would Frazier have to hit to make up for the fairly significant defensive downgrade? A 130 wRC+ or thereabouts? There’s also the matter of playing soon-to-be 35-year-old Brett Gardner in center field on an everyday basis, which is a recipe for wearing him down. I’m a Frazier fan and I wish the Yankees had a way to get him into the lineup without an injury. Right now though, I think Hicksie’s all-around game helps the Yankees more than Clint’s bat-heavy game would.