River Avenue Blues

Open Thread: 3/30 Camp Notes

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(AP Photo/Mike Groll)
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)

The Yankees beat the Army Black Knights in their final exhibition game of 2013 this afternoon. Both Brennan Boesch and Melky Mesa went deep while Vidal Nuno threw two scoreless innings. Boone Logan got roughed up, surrendering four runs in one-third of an inning. Other than that, not much else happened. Here is the box score and here are the final notes from Spring Training…

  • Following the game, Joe Girardi confirmed Boesch, Cody Eppley, and Adam Warren have all made the team. The Yankees still need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Lyle Overbay. The deadline to finalize the roster is 3pm ET tomorrow. [Chad Jennings]
  • Brian Cashman confirmed Alex Rodriguez will be at Yankee Stadium for Opening Day on Monday. It’s unclear if he’ll be in uniform and part of the pre-game introductions, but it’s not like the Yankees ever cared about A-Rod getting booed before. [Erik Boland & Bob Klapisch]
  • Minor leaguers Craig Heyer and Evan DeLuca were released. Heyer made my 2011 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List while DeLuca never put it together after signing for $500k back in 2009. [Josh Norris]
  • The next game the Yankees play will actually count in the standings. They’re off on Sunday and will welcome the Red Sox to the Bronx for a three-game set early next week. CC Sabathia vs. Jon Lester is your Opening Day pitching matchup for Monday.

Here is your open thread for the night. The Rangers, Devils, and Nets are all playing, plus MLB Network will air a Spring Training game as well. Talk about any of those games or anything else here. Enjoy.

Travis Hafner scratched from today’s game with “general stiffness”

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3:56pm: Joe Girardi said during the YES Network’s in-game interview that there is no concern about Hafner on his part. They’re just playing it safe.

2:06pm: Travis Hafner has been scratched from this afternoon’s game against Army with what the Yankees are calling “general stiffness.” I’m guessing the team is just being cautious so close to opening day, but Hafner’s lengthy injury history means every little bump and bruise is worth monitoring. We’ll probably find out more after the game.

Exhibition Game Thread: West Point

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The Yankees toured the academy and ate lunch with the cadets today. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
The Yankees toured the academy and ate lunch with the cadets today. (AP)

The Yankees are playing their final exhibition game and what we hope is their final meaningless game of 2013 this afternoon. They’re in West Point for a date with the Army Black Knights, their first visit to the academy since 1974. The Yankees played annual exhibition games against Army in the 1930s, but their appearances have waned over the years.

Army’s top prospect is right-hander Alex Robinett, who last started six days ago and I assume will some work this afternoon. He’s not draft-eligible until 2014. Army is 7-11 overall this season. The Yankees will counter with Vidal Nuno and not Adam Warren, who was originally scheduled to pitch. That’s a pretty good indication Warren will open the year as the long-man — pitching today would have made him unavailable for Opening Day on Monday. Here’s the starting lineup…

  1. CF Brett Gardner
  2. RF Ichiro Suzuki
  3. 2B Robinson Cano
  4. 3B Kevin Youkilis
  5. DH Travis Hafner Brennan Boesch
  6. LF Vernon Wells
  7. 1B Lyle Overbay
  8. SS Eduardo Nunez
  9. C Frankie Cervelli

No word on who will back-up Nuno out of the bullpen today, though most of Joe Girardi’s regular relievers pitched against the Nationals yesterday. I doubt we’ll see any of the late-inning guys. The game is scheduled to begin a little after 2pm ET and can be seen on YES and MLB.tv (no local blackout). Enjoy.

2013 Draft: Draft order finally set

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Now that Kyle Lohse has finally signed a contract, the 2013 draft order is officially set. The Competitive Balance Lottery Round A and B picks can still be traded between now and the draft, but that won’t affect the Yankees unless they somehow acquire one of those picks. I’m betting against that happening.

The Yankees own three of the top 33 picks thanks to the free agent defections of Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano, the first time they’ve held three of the top 33 picks since 1978 (!), when they had three of the top 26 picks. They did have three of the top 42 picks in both 2001 and 2004, however. Add in their second rounder, and the Yankees will own four of the top 66 picks this year. Based on last year’s slot values, the Yankees are looking at a $7.3M or so draft pool for the first ten rounds. Those top three picks are each worth $1.5M+.

That draft pool number figures to change depending on what the slot values are this summer, but either way the Yankees are going to have a ton of money to spend on the draft this summer. They really need to knock it out of the park with those high selections, grabbing talent and not just good makeup. Gary Sanchez, Slade Heathcott, and Mason Williams all had some kind of makeup concern in the past and now they’re arguably the three best prospects in the system. Talent reigns supreme and the Yankees have a chance to add a lot of this summer.

Open Thread: 3/29 Camp Notes

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(Photo via the Yankees)
Opening Day is a comin’. (Photo via the Yankees)

The Yankees made relatively quick work of the Nationals in Nationals Park this afternoon, winning the game behind strong work from Andy Pettitte (two runs in six innings) and the bullpen (scoreless innings from Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera). Kevin Youkilis hit a solo homer while Eduardo Nunez plated two with a single. Nunez, Robinson Cano, and Vernon Wells each had two hits, including doubles for Cano and Wells. Here’s the box score and here’s the rest on the team…

  • Vidal Nuno, Dan Johnson, Thomas Neal, Melky Mesa, Jim Miller, Preston Claiborne, Branden Pinder, Juan Cedeno, Bobby Wilson, Josh Spence, Jose Pirela, and Gil Velazquez were all sent to minor league camp. Nuno had an outside chance to grab a bullpen spot in the wake of Clay Rapada’s injury. Sure seems like Adam Warren and Cody Eppley will open the season in the bullpen.
  • The Rivera farewell tour (unexpectedly) kicked off on Friday. The Nationals congratulated him on his career before today’s game and former bullpen-mate Rafael Soriano presented him with a signed Nationals #42 jersey. Neat. [James Wagner]
  • Mark Teixeira was taking ground balls with the team in D.C. today and hopes to begin swinging a bat two-handed in two weeks. He’s been swinging one-handed since Sunday and will have a checkup on his wrist on Monday. Teixeira says he expects to be back in a big league game by May 1st, which is … optimistic. [Andy McCullough & David Waldstein]
  • Derek Jeter will not do anything until Monday, Brian Cashman confirmed. They want to make sure he’s 100% with no lingering soreness before returning to baseball activities. [Dan Barbarisi]
  • Brennan Boesch took some ground balls at first base this afternoon — he played the position in high school and college — with some coaching tips from Teixeira. Looks like the Yankees are preparing him as an emergency first base option. [Barbarisi & McCullough]
  • Right-hander Diego Moreno is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but is expected to get into games soon. He was acquired from the Pirates in the A.J. Burnett trade last year. [Tim Williams]
  • Remember that Jose Mojica trade from earlier in the week? As it turns out, he was dealt to the Phillies for no compensation. Not surprising. [Josh Norris]
  • The Yankees will be in West Point for an exhibition game against Army on Saturday, their last meaningless game of 2013. Adam Warren gets the start and the game will be broadcast on YES.

Here is your open thread for the evening. The Devils, Knicks, and Nets are all playing, plus MLB Network will air some Spring Training game as well. Talk about any of that stuff and more. Enjoy.

Yankees outright Sam Demel; Dan Otero claimed by Oakland

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The Yankees have outrighted right-hander Sam Demel to Triple-A Scranton, the team announced. Both Ben Francisco and Jayson Nix were added to the 40-man roster in the wake of this move and the earlier David Aardsma move. Demel was claimed off waivers from the Astros earlier this week, but it’s no surprise he was cut so soon.

In other news, right-hander Dan Otero has been claimed off waivers by the Athletics. He had been designated for assignment to clear a spot for Demel. The Yankees grabbed Otero off waivers from the Giants earlier this week.

Yankees designate David Aardsma for assignment

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This is surprising. The Yankees have designated right-hander David Aardsma for assignment, presumably to make room on the 40-man roster for their various scrap heap pickups. Joe Girardi said he was unable to provide distance out of the bullpen and “didn’t really fit.”

Aardsma, 31, missed the last two years due to injury but had a strong spring and looked poised to assume a middle relief role this season. The Yankees signed him to a one-year, $500k deal last year with a $500k option for this year, so he was cheap if nothing else. I know they need the 40-man space, but Aardsma was their fourth best right-handed reliever. Very weird, but ultimately not a huge loss.

In other news, right-hander Shawn Kelley has been told he made the team thanks to his ability to throw multiple innings. Jayson Nix, Lyle Overbay, and Ben Francisco were also told they were on the club. No surprised there.