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Fan Confidence Poll: May 29th, 2017

May 29, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 4-2 (22 RS, 19 RA)
Season Record: 29-18 (254 RS, 196 RA, 29-18 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: @ Orioles (three games, Mon. to Weds.), @ Blue Jays (four games, Thurs. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The Yankees returned home Monday for a four-game series with the Royals. Home runs led to a 4-2 win Monday, but the bullpen blew a late lead in Tuesday’s 6-2 loss. Luis Severino dominated in Wednesday’s 3-0 win. The series finale was rained out. The two teams will play the makeup game September 25th.
The Athletics came to town for a three-game weekend series next. The Yankees wasted Masahiro Tanaka‘s gem in Friday’s 4-1 loss, though they rebounded for a 3-2 win Saturday. The bats finally woke up in Sunday’s 9-5 win.
Injury Updates: Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) has resumed playing catch. Greg Bird (ankle) has headed to Tampa to begin playing minor league rehab games. Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) was placed on the disabled list.
Aaron Hicks has been working out at first base. Rob Refsnyder was called up to replace Ellsbury on the roster. The Yankees signed hard throwing righty Kaleb Ort out of an independent league.
The Yankees opened a new cheering section called “The Judge’s Chambers.”

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the interactive Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the Features tab in the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Fan Confidence Poll: May 22nd, 2017

May 22, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 3-3 (32 RS, 29 RA)
Season Record: 25-16 (232 RS, 177 RA, 25-16 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: vs. Royals (four games, Mon. to Thurs.), vs. Athletics (three games, Fri. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The week started with an off-day before the Yankees headed to Kansas City. They used the long ball in Tuesday’s 7-1 win, then pounded MLB ERA leader Jason Vargas in Wednesday’s 11-7 win. The Yankees narrowly avoided getting shut out in Thursday’s 5-1 loss.
A trip to Tampa was next, and the Yankees let a winnable game slip away in Friday’s 5-4 loss. Masahiro Tanaka got hammered again in Saturday’s 9-5 loss. The Yankees avoided the sweep with Sunday’s 3-2 win.
Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) started running and could begin hitting this week. Gary Sanchez (neck) missed one game with stiffness, but has since returned to the lineup. Tyler Austin (ankle) has started a minor league rehab assignment. Dillon Tate (shoulder) is getting “close.” Minor leaguers Ji-Man Choi (hamstring) and Daniel Camarena (shoulder) will miss a few weeks.
Hal Steinbrenner said the Yankees will be “active” in free agency. The Yankees reportedly passed on Ian Happ, Eloy Jimenez, and Bradley Zimmer at last year’s trade deadline.
Gleyber Torres was promoted to Triple-A Scranton yesterday.

Fan Confidence Poll: May 15th, 2017

May 15, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 2-4 (34 RS, 33 RA)
Season Record: 22-13 (201 RS, 148 RA, 22-13 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: Mon. OFF, @ Royals (three games, Tues. to Thurs.), @ Rays (three games, Fri. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The week started with a quick two-game series in Cincinnati. The winning streak hit six with Monday’s 10-4 win, though the Yankees fell to the Reds in Tuesday’s 5-3 loss.
The Yankees returned home for a four-game series with the Astros after Wednesday’s off-day. Jacoby Ellsbury was thrown out at the plate to end Thursday’s 3-2 loss, then the offense got shut down in Friday’s 5-1 loss. Saturday’s game was rained out and made up as part of a doubleheader Sunday. The Yankees came back for an 11-6 win in the first game, but lost the second game 10-7.
Injury Updates: Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) was placed on the disabled list with inflammation. He’ll be shut down two weeks, then reevaluated. Greg Bird (ankle) is still not pain-free. Tyler Austin (foot) could begin playing in minor league rehab games this week.
Chad Green was called up to take Chapman’s roster spot. Rob Refsnyder was called up to be the 26th man for yesterday’s doubleheader. Gio Gallegos was called up earlier in the week.
The Yankees had six players on Baseball America’s updated top 100 prospect list.

Fan Confidence Poll: May 8th, 2017

May 8, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 5-1 (39 RS, 30 RA)
Season Record: 20-9 (167 RS, 115 RA, 20-9 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: @ Reds (two games, Mon. and Tues.), Weds. OFF, vs. Astros (four games, Thurs. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The week started with a three-game set against the Blue Jays. Luis Severino got hammered in Monday’s 7-1 loss, but the Yankees rebounded thanks to two Aaron Judge home runs in Tuesday’s 11-5 win. The Yankees rallied for a come-from-behind 8-6 win Wednesday.
Following Thursday’s off-day, the Yankees went to Chicago for a three-game interleague series with the Cubs. Brett Gardner‘s late home run led to Friday’s 3-2 win. The Yankees clobbered the Cubs in Saturday’s 11-6 win, then they finished off a sweep with a marathon 5-4 win Sunday.
Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a bone bruise. Jacoby Ellsbury (elbow) missed a few games, but has since returned to the lineup. Tyler Austin (ankle) has started taking batting practice. Pitching prospects Albert Abreu (unknown) and Ian Clarkin (unknown) were placed on the minor league disabled list.
Gary Sanchez returned from his biceps injury in time for the Cubs series. Kyle Higashioka was sent down to clear a roster spot. Rob Refsnyder was called up when Bird got hurt. Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa, and Chasen Shreve were involved in bullpen shuttle moves.
The Yankees acquired pitching prospect Yoiber Marquina from the Indians to complete the Nick Goody trade.
Aaron Judge was named AL Rookie of the Month, so that’s cool.

Fan Confidence Poll: May 1st, 2017

May 1, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 4-1 (36 RS, 23 RA)
Season Record: 15-8 (128 RS, 85 RA, 16-7 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: vs. Blue Jays (three games, Mon. to Weds.), Thurs. OFF, @ Cubs (three games, Fri. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The week started with back-to-back off-days. Monday was a scheduled off-day, then Tuesday’s series opener against the Red Sox was rained out. It’ll be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, July 16th. The Yankees’ young players made their presence felt in Wednesday’s 3-1 win, then Masahiro Tanaka threw a complete game shutout in Thursday’s 3-0 win.
The Yankees came home for a three-game weekend series with the Orioles. They mounted a stunning comeback for an 14-11 win Friday night, then bludgeoned the Orioles in Saturday’s 12-4 win. Sunday’s 7-4 loss was a weird extra innings game.
Injury Updates: Gary Sanchez (biceps) is likely to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton tomorrow. Donovan Solano (calf) was placed on the Triple-A disabled list with a Grade II strain and will be out a while.
Pete Kozma was designated for assignment Friday when Didi Gregorius was activated off the disabled list. The Rangers claimed him on waivers. Top prospect Gleyber Torres was activated off the Double-A disabled list that day as well.
Derek Jeter is part of an ownership group that reportedly has a $1.3 billion deal in place to buy the Marlins.
The Yankees will have a $6,912,800 bonus pool for the 2017 amateur draft.

Poll: Finding a role for Chad Green

April 26, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Eighteen games into the 2017 season, the surprise story for the Yankees has been their rotation. The five starters have a combined for a 4.05 ERA (4.00 FIP) in 104.1 innings, and they’ve been especially good over the last two weeks or so. Luis Severino looks like the 2015 version of himself, not the 2016 version, and rookie Jordan Montgomery has acquitted himself well. Masahiro Tanaka has been New York’s worst starter thus far, weirdly. That won’t last all season.

Beyond the current top five, the Yankees also have some pitching depth stashed away for emergencies. Adam Warren and Bryan Mitchell are in the bullpen and could be candidates to start at some point, if necessary. In Triple-A the Yankees have Chad Green and Luis Cessa, both of whom had stints in the rotation last season and handled themselves relatively well. Others like Daniel Camarena and Chance Adams could be options at some point too.

Early on the Yankees lined both Montgomery and Green up for the fifth starter’s spot simply to make sure they had two pitchers ready to go. They planned to wait until April 16th to use the fifth starter, but that didn’t happen. The Yankees decided to use their fifth starter, Montgomery, earlier to make sure everyone else in the rotation got an extra day of rest. I see no reason to regret that decision. The rotation has been pretty good lately.

While Montgomery has held down the fifth spot, Green has been sitting in the minors as a depth arm, taking the ball every fifth day. He has a 2.05 ERA (1.90 FIP) with 31.8% strikeouts and 4.6% walks in 22 innings spread across four outings. This is nothing new for him, of course. Last season Green threw 94.2 Triple-A innings with a 1.52 ERA (2.17 FIP) and great strikeout (27.4%) and walk (5.8%) rates. He dominates at that level.

What we don’t know is whether Green can dominate — or even pitch at the league average rate — at the MLB level. Green will turn 26 next month, so he’s not a young kid, and when you’ve got a pitcher that age throwing that well in Triple-A, you’d hate to waste those bullets, so to speak. Why let him manhandle the minors when he could help you win at the big league level, you know? The Yankees have three options with Green.

Keep him in Triple-A

There’s nothing wrong with stashing Green in Triple-A for the time being. It stinks for him because he wants to be in the big leagues, but it makes sense for the Yankees, who will inevitably need a sixth starter at some point. They’d surely like to have Green (and Cessa) all ready to go when time comes.

Also, keep in mind the single biggest reason Green is in Triple-A is his changeup, or lack thereof. He’s worked to add a changeup (or a splitter) throughout his pro career and hasn’t had much luck. Last season big league lefties hit .287/.351/.663 (.421 wOBA) against him because he had nothing to disrupt their timing. His Triple-A numbers are great, but until the Yankees see progress with his changeup, they might not want to call Green up. Keep him in Scranton and tell him to throw 30 changeups a start until he’s needed in the Bronx.

Put him in the MLB rotation

The Yankees did this for a while last season because they had no other choice, basically. They lost Nathan Eovaldi to injury and Ivan Nova was traded away, and they needed starters. Green had a 5.94 ERA (6.09 FIP) in eight starts and 36.1 innings. That’s terrible, but last year is last year and this year is this year. Green has some MLB experience now and could use that experience to have more success his second try at the show. Happens all the time.

The question with this option is who does Green replace? No one in the current big league rotation deserves to be demoted. I suppose you could argue Green should replace CC Sabathia. Sabathia will be 37 in July and he’s an impending free agent with no real long-term future in pinstripes. The Yankees might bring him back on perpetual one-year contracts Andy Pettitte style, but that’s far from a guarantee. Green, on the other hand, is 25 and could have a long-term role here. The Yankees are in the middle movement, right? Go with the kid!

That’s not going to happen, of course. Sabathia pitched well enough last year and has pitched well so far this year, and let’s not kid ourselves, his $25M salary buys him some rope. If Green were to join the rotation for any reason other than trade or injury, it would almost certainly come at the expense of Montgomery, the low man on the rotation totem pole.

Put him in the MLB bullpen

Tyler Clippard and all his fly balls still make me nervous, but how good has the bullpen been so far? They collectively have a 1.39 ERA (2.10 FIP) in 51.2 innings. Very nice. There’s always room for improvement though, and Green has a big fastball — he averaged 94.4 mph with his heater as a starter in 2016 — and a promising slider. Let him air it out in short relief and very good things may happen. (I predicted they will!)

Making room in the bullpen would be pretty easy. Jonathan Holder, who is very clearly a favorite of the Yankees, has managed to put ten men on base in 5.1 innings despite not walking anyone. Impressive. Sending him down to Triple-A to clear room for Green is an easy move. The Yankees could also send Mitchell to Triple-A to stretch him back out to start as well. That’s an option too.

Point is, Green chances of success as a starter aren’t great right now because he doesn’t have a changeup. He does have a great fastball though — hitters swung and missed at his fastball 16.2% of the time last year, which is nuts (that’s basically triple the MLB average) — not to mention a useful slider. Green truly has the potential to overpower hitters as a reliever, and there’s no such thing as having too many of those guys in your bullpen.

* * *

My guess is the Yankees will keep Green in Triple-A for the time being. Things with the pitching staff are going well right now and hey, why fix what isn’t broken? Eventually the Yankees will need another arm, and when they do, Green will be among the first considered. I want to know what you would do with Green, however. What’s the best course of action with this soon-to-be 26-year-old right-hander?

What should the Yankees do with Chad Green?

Fan Confidence Poll: April 24th, 2017

April 24, 2017 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Record Last Week: 3-3 (32 RS, 22 RA)
Season Record: 11-7 (92 RS, 62 RA, 12-6 pythag. record)
Opponents This Week: Mon. OFF, @ Red Sox (three games, Tues. to Thurs.), vs. Orioles (three games, Fri. to Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

The week started with the three-game home series against the White Sox. The Yankees stretched their winning streak to eight games with a 7-4 win Monday. The streak ended with Tuesday’s 4-1 loss. The Yankees took the series with a 9-1 win Wednesday.
Following Thursday’s off-day, the Yankees headed out to Pittsburgh for a three-game interleague series. The Yankees lost 6-3 Friday, but Chris Carter‘s clutch home run contributed to Saturday’s 11-5 win. A ninth inning rally fell short in Sunday’s 2-1 loss.
Injury Updates: Didi Gregorius (shoulder) has started a minor league rehab assignment. Gary Sanchez (biceps) has started throwing and hitting. Gleyber Torres (shoulder) has been placed on the minor league disabled list with tendinitis. He is not expected to miss much time.
Aaron Judge is open to participating in the Home Run Derby. Johnny Barbato was traded to the Pirates for cash or a player to be named later.
Once again, Forbes estimates the Yankees are the most valuable franchise in baseball by a lot.