ByAn MRI showed inflammation and no new tear in Mark Teixeira’s right wrist, Joe Girardi announced. The first baseman received a cortisone shot and will be re-evaluated in a few days. He will avoid the DL for the time being. Teixeira is not close to being out of the woods yet, but that’s a surprisingly positive diagnosis. · (28) ·
ByVia Joel Sherman: The Yankees did not make a contract offer to Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig during his free agency last summer. Like many other teams, they simply hadn’t seen enough of him to go all-in. The Dodgers signed him to a seven-year, $42M contract after one workout.
Puig, 22, has gone 20-for-44 (252 wRC+) with four homers and several stellar defensive plays during his two weeks in the big leagues. The Dodgers reportedly outbid the next highest offer by as much as $30M. For what it’s worth, Sherman hears a pair of Yankees scouts filed reports calling Puig an “impact player” soon after seeing him in the minors late last year. New York has become very conservative when it comes to Major League caliber international free agents, but Los Angeles did blow everyone out of the water. This wasn’t exactly a Jose Contreras-esque photo finish. · (105) ·
Cave & Bird both double twice in Charleston win
By · Comments3B Eric Jagielo tweaked his hamstring in Extended Spring Training and will miss a few weeks, reports Robert Pimpsner. The Yankees selected Jagielo in the first round of last week’s draft and signed him for $1.84M a few days ago. That didn’t take very long, did it?
Meanwhile, RHP Mark Montgomery was activated off the DL, according to Donnie Collins. He missed about a week with shoulder fatigue. See? It’s not all bad news.
Triple-A Scranton (7-0 win over Lehigh Valley)
- C J.R. Murphy: 3-6, 1 R, 1 RBI — first hits at this level, this was his third game
- LF Zoilo Almonte: 4-5, 1 R — ten hits in his last 23 at-bats (.435)
- LHP David Huff: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 5/4 GB/FB — 37 of 56 pitches were strikes (66.1%)
- RHP Mark Montgomery: 0.2 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 0/1 GB/FB — five of 11 pitches were strikes … I wonder if they’ll use him as a traditional one-inning reliever now instead of stretching him out for five or six outs
- RHP Chase Whitley: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 30 of 43 pitches were strikes (70%)
By9:26pm: Teixeira has an “aggravated right wrist,” the Yankees announced. He will return to New York to get checked out by the team doctor tomorrow. Probably not a good sign that they aren’t even waiting until the off-day on Monday.
8:32pm: Mark Teixeira left tonight’s game with an apparent right wrist problem after the third inning. Joe Girardi said he “just doesn’t feel like he has the snap in his swing” during the FOX interview while also indicating the first baseman will get the next few days off. Teixeira missed close to three months with a tendon sheath injury earlier this year, and the Yankees indicated there was only a 70% chance he would not require season-ending surgery. · (34) ·
Game 68: Stop the Skid
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Second rounder Gosuke Katoh was with the team yesterday. (Jeff Gross/Getty)
The Yankees are playing no good, very bad baseball these days. They can’t hit and their rotation has gone from outstanding to average of late — 3.96 ERA over the last 30 days and 4.09 ERA over the last 14 days. The bullpen has been dynamite, but there’s only so much those guys can do to help the team win. Someone needs to hit and someone needs to hand the relievers a lead. Here’s the lineup that will faced the mushy shoulder of right-hander Tommy Hanson:
- CF Brett Gardner
- 3B Jayson Nix
- 2B Robinson Cano
- 1B Mark Teixeira
- DH Lyle Overbay
- RF Ichiro Suzuki
- LF Thomas Neal
- SS Reid Brignac
- C Chris Stewart
And on the mound is the rotation leader with a 9.1 K/9, right-hander David Phelps. He is actually starting tonight, I don’t have my days mixed up again.
More perfect weather in Anaheim, but no surprises there. The game is scheduled to start at 7:15pm ET and can be seen on FOX. Sorry to those of you who will be blacked out, but then again the other teams might be more entertaining at this point. Enjoy.
Draft Signing Updates: Judge, Palladino, Giel
By · CommentsThe Yankees signed eighth rounder Georgia Tech OF Brandon Thomas to a below-slot bonus on Friday, now here are some more updates on various other draft deals (draft round in parenthesis):
- Both California HS LHP Ian Clarkin (1s) and California HS 2B Gosuke Katoh (2) worked out with the Yankees before last night’s game. Doesn’t mean they’re close to signing; high picks typically come in for a dog and pony show soon after the draft.
- Fresno State OF Aaron Judge (1s) is still negotiating with the team, according to K. Levine-Flandrup. He’s slotted for just under $1.68M, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was under contract by this time next week. Hard to think this will be a prolonged negotiation.
- Howard JuCo RHP David Palladino (5) signed for $371k, reports KL-F. He agreed to terms earlier this week. The big (listed at 6-foot-9) righty was slotted for just about $278k, so he got almost a hundred grand over-slot. Good for him. They must really like his arm.
- Texas HS OF Kendall Coleman (11) signed for $150k, reports KL-F. Like Palladino, he agreed to terms a few days ago. Any money paid to a player drafted after the tenth round in excess of $100k counts against the draft pool, so Coleman chips $50k off the ledger.
- Missouri HS 3B Drew Bridges (20) received a call from the Orioles gauging his price in the third round and from the Yankees in the sixth round, reports Anvil Welch. “The Yankees are coming in this week or next to talk contract … I’ll make a decision after the meeting. If I get the money I’m asking, I’ll sign. If not, I’ll go to Missouri State,” he said. I’m guessing Bridges is just a backup plan in case the team winds up with some extra draft pool cash.
- Florida HS LHP Nestor Cortes (36) hopes to sign and will pitch in a summer league in the coming weeks, reports KL-F. Sounds like a typical summer follow situation, where the Bombers scout him further in the coming weeks before deciding whether to make an offer.
- According to Baseball America, the Yankees have signed UNLV RHP Andy Beresford (19), Western Oklahoma JuCo RHP Alex Polanco (23), Adelphi RHP Dillon McNamara (27), and Hawaii Pacific 3B Chaunsey Sumner (32). No word on the bonuses, but I doubt they’ll impact the draft pool. Polanco is Placido’s nephew and McNamara is a local kid from Staten Island.
- The Yankees have signed Columbia RHP Tim Giel as an undrafted free agent according to his Twitter feed. He was the top prospect in the Ivy League coming into the spring. No word on his bonus, but anything in excess of $100k counts against the draft pool. An undrafted free agent getting that big a bonus is unheard of, however. He’s a four-pitch righty who relies more on location than pure stuff. Here’s some video.
All of the team’s draft selections can be seen at Baseball America, and you can keep track of the draft pool situation with our 2013 Draft Pool page.
ByIn yesterday’s Extended Spring Training rehab start, Michael Pineda allowed no runs on three hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out five and threw 57 of 74 pitches for strikes (77%). I wouldn’t worry too much about the specific results — ExST is a very controlled environment — the important thing is that he and his surgically repaired shoulder threw those 74 pitches and came through in one piece.
No word on what the next step will be, but High-A Tampa will be done with their All-Star break on Monday. Pineda could make his next rehab start there, or they could bump him up to Double-A Trenton, who will be on the road in Akron next week. We’ll find out eventually. Either way his 30-day rehab window expires on July 8th. · (22) ·
When the cavalry arrives
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(Al Bello/Getty)
With a little luck, it shouldn’t be too much longer until some of the prominent Yankee regulars start returning from their respective DL stints. Although Cashman’s cast of fill-ins have generally done a fine job keeping the team in contention, the team will surely benefit from the return of its traditional starters. Let’s take a look.
Once upon a time, Alex was one of the best players on the planet. Unfortunately, this really hasn’t been the case for the past several years. In addition to an increasing number of injuries and subsequent trips to the DL, he’s appears to have lost bat speed and continues to produce more dramatic batting splits as time goes on.
In 2012, A-Rod batted .272/.353/.430 (.342 wOBA, 114 wRC+) with 18 home runs. Frankly, given his age and health, who really knows whether he can produce at even this level moving forward. For what it’s worth, ZiPS projected Alex at .253/.335/.412 in 2013 (.327 wOBA). If I had to guess, he’ll probably hit about 8-10 home runs once he returns, assuming his activation date still falls around the All-Star break.
Is he the guy who’s going to turn the team’s offense around and ensure the 28th championship and live up to his mega contract? No. He is not, nor should that be the expectation at this point. I think we have to look at A-Rod in terms of incremental benefit. Basically, is he better than league average, and at the very least, does he represent an upgrade over what the team currently has?
(click for larger)
Given that the Yankees have received fairly lousy production from their third basemen so far, I’d say there is a distinct possibility that the answer is “Yes!” to the latter question. According to B-Ref, league average would be approximately .255/.320/.408, so that benchmark may be attainable too.
Defensively, I imagine he’ll be stiff as a board out there, but what else is new as far as Yankee infielders are concerned? Joe Girardi will likely give him some time at DH as well, along with a few off days or partial off days to keep him fresh. Color me naive, but I’m actually looking forward to seeing A-Rod back on the field if for no other reason than Kevin Youkilis looks completely cooked (and now injured).
Of course, A-Rod’s difficulties with Biogenesis could certainly complicate the matter depending how that plays out.
Are we all feeling super confident about the Yankees ageless Captain? Of course not. Derek is pushing 39 (!) years old at this point, and is coming off of a pretty substantial ankle injury. Personally speaking, I think Derek is the biggest wild card here. Unlike Alex, who has been steadily declining the past few seasons, Jeter’s been more sporadic with his performance. After having arguably the worst season of his career in 2011 (and really a very mediocre year by his standards in 2010), he bounced back and was effective in 2012. ZiPS has Jeter batting .277/.344/.369 (.311 wOBA) when he returns which would represent a drop off from last year. Still, I think he too would have to fall into the better-than-the-alternatives category and given how tight the A.L. East is, every bit counts.
My guess is he’ll spend a fair amount of time DH, which still leaves plenty of room on the roster for the likes of Jayson Nix or Eduardo Nunez (if he ever returns). Honestly though, this would probably be an ideal scenario as it would allow the team to deploy a more capable defensive alternative to Jeter while still retaining whatever’s left of his bat.
While I typically don’t put much stock into the intangibles, I tend to change my stance a bit when it comes to Derek Jeter. Every time I doubt him, he proves me wrong. Great players don’t always follow the trend line neatly. Eventually Father Time will catch up and he’ll stink. Whether that’s this season remains to be seen, but until I see it, he’ll have the benefit of the doubt. Having his name back in the lineup card will be a welcome addition.
The Grandy-man can! He will be back, and he will be fine. That’s my official stance. His two freak injuries this season were unfortunate and frankly, I’m still a little worried that the power may be sapped a bit after having his forearm/hand broken. Still, he’s still relatively young and seemed to be just starting to contribute positively during his brief return. If I were a betting man, I’d mark him down for 10-15 home runs once he returns. His 2012 campaign, which resulted in a .232/.319/.492 (116 wRC+) line, seems like a reasonable starting point though I certainly wouldn’t mind a little bit more contact and a little less feebleness against lefties, but such is life.
Aside from Granderson’s personal contributions, he’ll also offer the gift of outfield reconfiguration. All of a sudden, there won’t be black holes sitting in both corner outfield positions. Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells can go back to situational hitting (and dare I say, even show some improvement). Between Grandy, Jeter and A-Rod, you’d have to think Travis Hafner would benefit from some additional rest as well. If this is the last year we get to see Curtis in pinstripes, hopefully he’ll make the remainder of it a good one.
Futility Now: Yankees drop series opener 5-2 to Angels
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That is the season in a nutshell right there. A routine infield pop-up falling between Reid Brignac and David Adams on June 14th. That play led to a run (of course) in the eventual 5-2 loss to the Angels. The free-falling New York Generic White Guys have now dropped four straight and 12 of their last 19 games. Let’s recap Friday’s loss:
- Two Strikes, Two Outs: Andy Pettitte made some really bad two-strike pitches in this game. He hung some breaking balls and caught too much of the plate with some fastballs, leading to three two-strike hits that led directly to runs for the Halos. All five runs scored with two outs as well. Andy allowed eleven hits in his seven innings of four-run ball, striking out four and walking one. Sixty-eight of his 101 pitches were strikes (67%). As has been the case all season, the Yankees don’t win if they get something less than a very good pitching performance.
- A Flag Day Miracle: I think we were all wondering how the Bombers were going to blow their bases loaded situation in the fourth, but instead Adams put together a very nice at-bat that culminated with a two-strike, two-run, ten-hop ground ball single back up the middle. It was their first run(s) in 20 innings (!) and the only two runs they scored in the game. For the fourth time in the last five games, the Yankees scored no more than two runs.
- Is Anyone Paying Attention?: The Bombers allowed Chris Iannetta to steal second base uncontested in the eighth inning — he ran, a pitch was fouled off, then he ran again, so it was no surprise — and the run eventually came around to score. It’s the fourth time (five total steals) in the last three days they allowed a runner to steal a base without even attempting to hold him on. New York can’t score runs to save their lives, so you’d think they’d make a point of preventing opposing runners from taking the extra base. This needs to be cleaned up immediately.
- Leftovers: Robinson Cano had a chance to get the club back in the game when he batted with two on and no outs in the eighth, but he instead flew out to right … the Yankees had six hits (all singles, of course) and four walks as a team, that’s all … Chris Bootcheck made his Yankees debut and allowed a run in the eighth. He’ll be the guy you forget in the end-of-year “Name the 2013 Yankees” Sporcle quiz … for the second day in a row, Vernon Wells threw a runner out at the plate in a tie game. It helped that the corpse of Albert Pujols was running, but it was still a strong and accurate throw. Bravo.
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs the WPA Graph, and ESPN the updated standings. The Rays lost and the Orioles beat the Red Sox, so the Yankees are two back of Boston, one back of Baltimore, and two up on Tampa in the loss column. David Phelps and Tommy Hanson is your pitching matchup for game two of this series, which will be one of those always enjoyable FOX Saturday night broadcasts.
