NY Yankees News, Information & Community

A short stint with the Yankees and a return to Triple-A could be the best thing for Clint Frazier

May 16, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

In a somewhat surprising move, the Yankees called Clint Frazier up to the big leagues yesterday, mostly to serve as an extra bench bat in the NL park. He was part of the “the Yankees have too many outfielders” non-problem that sorted itself during Spring Training. It was going to be tough for Frazier to make the Opening Day roster anyway. The concussion took him out of the race completely.

In 12 games with Triple-A Scranton the 23-year-old Frazier owns a .362/.423/.703 (218 wRC+) batting line with three home runs, which is obviously great. He recently told Conor Foley he’s been working through some mechanical issues — specifically, his hands have been out of sync with his legs — which isn’t surprising for a guy who missed Spring Training. Frazier feels good though, and he was eager to get back to the big leagues before yesterday’s call-up.

“I know I’m ready,” said Frazier to Mark Sanchez over the weekend. “I don’t think there’s much more I have to prove to myself to know I can go out there and perform. This is the best I’ve felt physically, mentally, every other way, so I know I’m ready. [The Yankees] are doing really good right now, so I’m trying to wait my turn. But obviously my goal right now is try to force their hand, doing everything I can down here. I can’t call myself up.”

Frazier is the fifth outfielder on the roster but he is in the lone outfielder on the bench. Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton are the lineup pretty much every game. If an outfielder were to get hurt, what would Aaron Boone have done before Frazier was brought up? Give up the DH and put Stanton in the outfield? Make Tyler Austin play the outfield? Ronald Torreyes? I’m not sure and I’m glad we didn’t find out.

Brian Cashman indicated Frazier’s time with the Yankees could be brief — “We’ll see. Every day, something could affect the decision-making,” said Cashman to Pete Caldera — but now that he’s on the roster, how will Boone use him? Frazier wasn’t in the lineup against Gio Gonzalez last night, so for at least one night this wasn’t a platoon situation. He was on deck to pinch-hit for Masahiro Tanaka when the final out of the fifth inning was made, so there’s that.

Judge and Stanton will be in the lineup every single day. That much is clear. That means that, in theory, Frazier could share the other two lineup spots with Gardner and Hicks. It’s a fairly straightforward plan but things are never that simple. Like it or not, the Yankees are committed to Gardner and Hicks, and they’re going to play more often than not. And I agree with that. I think they give the Yankees the best chance to win this season.

In that case, does using Frazier as a part-time player — potentially not even as a platoon bat given his absence from the lineup against Gonzalez — make sense for Frazier? Consider:

He just missed two months with a concussion and has only played 16 games since returning.
Add in last year’s oblique injury and Frazier has 101 plate appearances over the last nine months.

Frazier needs to play. The oblique and concussion robbed him of a lot of playing time — “I’ve never had that much downtime. I feel like I’ve had eight months to prepare for this season,” Frazier said to Sanchez — and while winning at the big league level is always the top priority, Frazier’s development is important to the Yankees as well. Miguel Andujar has a clear path to MLB playing time. Frazier doesn’t.

There’s also the “showcase” factor to consider. Frazier is one of the Yankees’ top trade chips, probably their best trade chip among guys they’re actually willing to trade, and letting him rake in Triple-A will probably do more for his trade value than playing sparingly at the MLB level. If there’s an injury and the Yankees can stick Frazier in the lineup everyday — I hope it doesn’t come to this! — great, carry him on the roster. Right now, there’s no spot.

Frazier not having a big league lineup spot is truly a first world problem. Ditto Brandon Drury. I think both guys are legitimate Major League players, and yet, I think the best thing for them right now is playing in Triple-A. It’s either that or playing sparingly in the big leagues. Frazier needs at-bats after the oblique and concussion. Drury is still working through his blurry vision problems. The best place to do that is in the minors because they’ll actually, you know, play.

Cashman admitted yesterday he likes carrying an eighth reliever (groan) and it seems to me Frazier’s stint with the big league team will be short-lived. He could be back in Triple-A by tomorrow and I don’t think that would be a bad thing, not after the oblique and concussion. In a few weeks the Yankees can reassess the situation, assuming an injury doesn’t press Frazier into action first. Having too many highly talented players is a good thing! And although Frazier is on the MLB roster, there’s no clear cut role for him. A return to Triple-A would be a-okay with me.

The Yankees are sticking with Andujar at third base, which is the best thing for them and the best thing for him

May 16, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

On Monday, the Yankees made it official: Miguel Andujar is their third baseman. The Yankees activated Brandon Drury off the disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton, where he will continue working through his ongoing migraine and vision issues. He’s doing better. Apparently the Yankees have seen enough from Andujar in the early going to stick with him at third base.

Drury went on the disabled list seven games into the season, and since then, Andujar has put up a .284/.297/.463 (101 wRC+) batting line while flashing the tools that made him a strong prospect and the warts that prevented him from being an elite prospect. His hands are lightning fast — who can forget the seven-game run in which he went 15-for-29 (.517) with eight doubles, one triple, and three homers? — and he has a knack for getting the bat on the ball.

At the same time, Andujar has shown he will swing at basically anything, and his defense has been sketchy. I don’t think the glovework is as bad as the defensive stats suggest — going into last night’s game Andujar ranked dead last among all third basemen in DRS (-6) and UZR (-3.6) — but clearly there is room for improvement. Here’s what Aaron Boone told George King about Andujar’s progress:

“I think the thing that I have been most pleased with is he obviously had that couple of weeks’ stretch where he was hitting extra-base hits all the time and impacting the ball. But I think what he has shown me here in the last week or two where he hasn’t been on fire at the plate is he is still giving competitive at-bats, still coming up with big hits for us. Even when he is not completely locked in I still feel he is a presence,” Boone said. “The defense continues to improve, he is working really hard and making all the plays. I think he is close offensively [to] kind of getting locked back in again where he impacts the ball.”

Despite his ongoing seven-game hitting streak — Andujar is 9-for-28 (.321) in the seven games — Andujar has cooled down at the plate these last few weeks, which was bound to happen. He wasn’t going to continue ripping two extra-base hits a night all season, you know? Last night’s double was Andujar’s first extra-base hit in 14 games and he’s drawn one walk in his last 101 plate appearances. His 2.2% walk rate is an eyesore.

Not surprisingly, pitchers have adjusted to Andujar since his extra-base hit streak, specifically by throwing him fewer fastballs and fewer pitches in the zone. Makes sense, right? Andujar has shown he will swing at anything, so why give him good pitches to hit (i.e. fastballs in the zone)? A relevant graph:

Yep. Fewer fastballs and fewer pitches in the zone. It was bound to happen. Now it’s up to Andujar to adjust, and the adjustment is crystal clear: Stop chasing out of the zone. Easier said than done! But that’s it. Get that 38.2% chase rate closer to the 29.2% league average and things’ll take care of themselves. Andujar will get himself into better counts and see better pitches to hit once he shows more discipline. Until he does, pitchers won’t challenge him.

I think optioning Drury to Triple-A is as much about Andujar’s development as it is Drury’s ongoing battle with blurry vision. The Yankees want to get Drury right and soon, because he’s a good player and there’s always room for more good players on the MLB roster. Remember, he’s only 25. Drury is a potential long-term keeper himself. Having Drury and Andujar push each other at third base is a good thing. Competition is healthy.

I also think the Yankees believe — and I agree with this 100%, by the way — Andujar needs to face big league pitching to improve. Want him to stop chasing out of the zone and do a better job against non-fastballs? Okay, but he’s not going to learn to hit big league pitching in Triple-A. Send Andujar down and he’s going to hammer Triple-A pitching because Triple-A pitchers are not as good as big league pitchers. There’s not as much to be learned from that.

There is a case to be made for sending Andujar to Triple-A to work on his defense. Offensively though? Andujar is at the point where he needs to face big league caliber pitching to improve. He needs to be challenged, so the Yankees are balancing offensive development with defensive development, and they’re prioritizing offense, because Andujar is always going to be a bat first guy. Emphasize the carrying tool and let everything else catch up.

Andujar has 138 plate appearances with the Yankees this season. There’s been a lot of good and some bad. Like most young players, he’s had his ups and downs, and the downs have been more recent. I understand why some may want Drury at third base and Andujar to go to Triple-A, I totally get it, but this is a 23-year-old (a just turned 23-year-old at that) who’s done some good things and deserves more time to learn on the job.

Development does not stop at the big league level. Hell, more development takes place in MLB than in the minors. The Yankees have a deep lineup, deep enough to let Andujar go through his growing pains without sabotaging their chances to contend, and Drury being optioned tells us they’re willing to be patient with Andujar, and let him find his way. Improved plate discipline is the No. 1 goal, and Andujar won’t develop MLB caliber plate discipline in Triple-A.

“Miggy just got here. He’s going to have to prove himself every day,” said Brian Cashman to Bryan Hoch yesterday. “He’s doing a nice job. We’re happy with what we’ve seen, we’re proud of the player he’s becoming. We also acquired Brandon Drury because we believed in his abilities, too, and his upside. When you’re down there, you’re fighting to get up here, and when you’re up here, you’re fighting to continue to prove that you belong.”

Yankees & Nationals suspended due to rain, game will resume at 5pm Wednesday

May 15, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

The Yankees have grabbed a suspended game from the jaws of defeat. Tuesday night, their series opener with the Nationals was suspended due to rain after the top of the sixth with the score tied 3-3. The game will resume at 5pm ET tomorrow, with the regularly scheduled series finale still set for 7pm ET. Here is the box score for the still ongoing game.

Thanks mostly to Tyler Austin, the Yankees rallied to tie the game after falling behind 3-0 early. Austin smacked a two-run home run in the fourth inning and added a long game-tying sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Had the Yankees still been trailing after the top of the sixth, it would’ve been an official game and a Nationals win rather than a suspended game.

Masahiro Tanaka had a shaky start, allowing an Anthony Rendon solo homer in the first and two more runs in the second. He settled down and retired the final eleven batters he faced. Interestingly enough, Tanaka abandoned the windup and pitched exclusively from the stretch after the second inning. Hmmm. That suggests his mechanics were out of whack and he wanted to simplify things.

Both teams had chances to tack on runs early in the game. The Yankees left runners on second and third bases in the first and second innings — they had men on second and third with no outs in the second and didn’t score — and came away with only one run after loading the bases with no outs in the fifth. Gio Gonzalez put ten men on base in five innings and the Yankees scored only three runs. Annoying! Washington stranded a runner on third in the second.

Wednesday’s weather forecast isn’t much better, and although both teams have an off-day Thursday, Aaron Boone said it is his understanding that day is not available for makeup games because the Yankees are leaving for Kansas City tomorrow night. I dunno. We’ll see. Also, both teams are allowed a 26th man for tomorrow night’s regularly scheduled game, though the 26th man won’t be eligible for the completion of this game.

As best I can tell this is the Yankees’ first suspended game since Game One of the 2011 ALDS against the Tigers. Remember that? I’m convinced the Yankees lost the series because of the rain. It forced them to use CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova in Game One rather than Games One and Two. Oh well. I can’t find New York’s last regular season suspended game. I seem to remember one against the Royals when A-Rod was going for his 600th homer? Whatever.

I assume both teams will go right to the bullpen rather than get cute with a starter or something when the game resumes tomorrow. When the game does resume, it’ll be the start of the bottom of the sixth, with Bryce Harper due to lead off. (Chasen Shreve had been warming before the rain.) The Yankees are due to bring Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Didi Gregorius to the plate in the top of the seventh.

DotF: Thompson-Williams homers three times in doubleheader

May 15, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Got a couple quick injury notes to pass along before we get to tonight’s games:

LHP Justus Sheffield (shoulder) is listed as Triple-A Scranton’s scheduled starter for Saturday. He’s only going to spend the minimum seven days on the disabled list. Phew.
RHP Domingo Acevedo (blister) traveled to Tampa to continue his rehab work down there, reports Matt Kardos. He’ll begin pitching in Extended Spring Training games soon.
RHP Anyelo Gomez (shoulder) is still three or four weeks away, Triple-A Scranton manager Bobby Mitchell told Conor Foley. Gomez has had on-and-off shoulder trouble all year.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (4-3 win over Lehigh Valley, walk-off style)

SS Tyler Wade: 1-4, 1 K
C Kyle Higashioka: 0-4
DH Adam Lind: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K — second homer in 17 games this year
3B Vince Conde: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K — walk-off walk
LHP Nestor Cortes: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 1/6 GB/FB — 54 of 80 pitches were strikes (68%) … at one point he struck out seven straight batters
RHP Cody Carroll: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K — nine of 16 pitches were strikes … 26/7 K/BB in 16.1 innings

[Read more…]

Game 41: Rainy D.C.

May 15, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

For the first time this season, the Yankees are heading over to the land of no DH. Tonight they start a quick two-game series in Washington and hey, this might be a World Series preview. The Yankees and Nationals are both very good, and if they qualify for the postseason, anything can happen. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. There’s a lot of season remaining.

Both the Yankees and Nationals come into this series playing very well. The Yankees are 19-3 in their last 22 games whereas the Nationals are 13-2 in their last 15 games. They just swept four games from the first place Diamondbacks in Arizona. Of course, the Yankees have played the majority of those last 22 games against very good teams, so they’re up for the challenge. Here are the starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Aaron Hicks
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. LF Giancarlo Stanton
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. SS Didi Gregorius
6. 1B Tyler Austin
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. RHP Masahiro Tanaka
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

Washington Nationals
1. SS Trea Turner
2. RF Bryce Harper
3. 3B Anthony Rendon
4. LF Matt Adams
5. 2B Howie Kendrick
6. 1B Mark Reynolds
7. CF Andrew Stevenson
8. C Pedro Severino
9. LHP Gio Gonzalez

Aaron Boone’s a “hit the pitcher eighth” guy, eh? Well, anyway, the weather forecast in Washington is a problem. There are on and off thunderstorms in the forecast pretty much all night, so we could be in for a delay(s) at some point. Sure hope not. Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy the game.

Roster Move: Welcome back, Red Thunder. Clint Frazier has been called up and David Hale has been designated for assignment, the Yankees announced. They now have a seven-man bullpen and four-man bench. Well, five-man bench this series, because of whole no DH thing.

2018 Draft Prospect Profile: Anthony Seigler

May 15, 2018 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Anthony Seigler | C

Background
The 18-year-old Seigler attends Cartersville High School in the Atlanta suburbs, which has produced scores of pro athletes over the years. He is committed to Florida.

Scouting Report
Seigler is one of the most unique players in the draft class. For starters, he’s a switch-thrower with good velocity from both sides. He’s also a switch-hitter who has performed well against elite competition in showcase events, though he’s more of a doubles guy than a homers guy. Seigler knows the zone and projects as a high on-base hitter with good contact rates. Behind the plate, he’s a good receiver with a strong arm, and he’s a good enough athlete and runner that he’s capable of playing other infield positions, including second base. Seigler, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 lbs., is a very well-rounded prospect with a grinder mentality. The kid is tough as nails.

Miscellany
The various scouting publications all have Seigler ranked outside the first round at the moment. Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranks him as the 43rd best prospect in the draft class, Baseball America ranks him 47th, and MLB.com ranks him 53rd. The Yankees hold the 23rd pick, and, according to Baseball America, scouting director Damon Oppenheimer has personally scouting Seigler, which is not nothing. Catchers with offensive potential always get drafted higher than expected and Seigler strikes me as a potential first rounder despite the pre-draft rankings. Switch-hitting catchers who are good defensively are always in demand.

5/15 to 5/16 Series Preview: Washington Nationals

May 15, 2018 by Domenic Lanza Leave a Comment

Future Yankee Bryce Harper. (Patrick McDermott/Getty)

For the first time this season, the Yankees are heading to the so-called Senior Circuit for interleague play. They’ll play the next two days without the DH (boo hiss).

The Last Time They Met

The Yankees and Nationals had a pair of two-game sets back in 2015, with one coming in May and the other in June. The Yankee dropped three of those four games, despite outscoring the Nationals 18 to 17 (which is what happens when you drop two one-run games and a two-run game). Some notes:

Didi Gregorius started just two of the four games, sitting in favor of Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan once apiece.
There are several candidates for most forgettable Yankee from this series, including Jose Pirela, Garrett Jones, David Carpenter, and Esmil Rogers. And that’s excluding Yankees that we’d like to forget, such as Chris Capuano and the aforementioned Stephen Drew.
Dellin Betances was at peak dominance at that point in time, tossing 3 hitless innings and striking out 4 in two appearances. By the time the second set was over he had a 0.28 ERA (not a typo) and 54 strikeouts in 32.1 IP.
Bryce Harper was in the midst of his MVP season, and he wasn’t fooled by Yankees pitching. He went 4-for-13 with a double, two home runs, and two walks in those four games.

You can find Katie’s Yankeemetrics posts for the two sets here and here.

Injury Report

Health has not been the Nationals strong suit in 2018, as their disabled list is littered with notable players. Relievers Joaquin Benoit and Koda Glover are out with forearm and shoulder soreness, respectively, and starter Joe Ross is still recovering from 2017 Tommy John Surgery. Catcher Matt Wieters was put on the disabled list on Friday, and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman followed on Saturday; they joined second baseman Daniel Murphy (yet to play in 2018) and outfielder Adam Eaton (out since April 9) … and you get the point.

Their Story So Far

The Nationals are 24-18 with a +35 run differential, and trail the first-place Braves – the Braves! – by two games. They’ve been red hot for the last weeks to, going on a 13-2 tear since dropping to a season-worst 11-16 on April 28. Their most recent series came against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, where they swept the AL West leaders in a four-game set.

Injuries have hurt the Nationals quite a bit, as most of their regular position players and starting pitchers have been playing up to their baseline, if not surpassing it. Several of their replacements have struggled mightily, though, and the bullpen has wasted many great outings by their starters. More on that to come.

The Lineup We Might See

First-year manager Dave Martinez has mixed and matched with his lineup quite a bit over the first two months, with every spot in the lineup turning over regularly – and that includes pitchers batting eighth or ninth, depending on the match-up. Even Bryce Harper has moved around, batting first, second, and third. Over the last few games, however, Martinez seems to have settled on this:

Trea Turner, SS – .275/.386/.425, 5 HR, 13 SB
Bryce Harper, RF – .236/.400/.543, 13 HR, 4 SB
Anthony Rendon, 3B – .271/.361/.447, 3 HR, 0 SB
Matt Adams, 1B – .274/.389/.642, 10 HR, 0 SB
Howie Kendrick, 2B – .299/.329/.469, 4 HR, 1 SB
Michael Taylor, CF – .186/.253/.310, 3 HR, 10 SB
Pedro Severino, C – .268/.384/.338, 0 HR, 1 SB
[Pitcher]
Andrew Stevenson, LF – .263/.302/.316, 0 HR, 0 SB

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Tuesday (7:05 PM EST): RHP Masahiro Tanaka vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez

To give you an idea of how good the Nationals starting pitching has been this year, consider the following: Gonzalez has a 2.22 ERA (181 ERA+) in 44.2 IP, and he might be their third-best starter right now. Gonzalez has somewhat quietly put together a terrific career, with a 3.60 ERA (113 ERA+) in 1687.2 IP, and he’s seventeenth among active pitchers in WAR. He’ll be 33 in September, and this is his walk year, so this may be his last chance to make his case for a big-time contract – and so far so good.

Gonzalez is a four-pitch guy, with a low-90s four-seamer, a low-90s sinker, a low-80s change-up, and a loopy curveball in the high-70s. He throws all four regularly, too, so he’s a bit difficult to predict from at-bat to at-bat.

Last outing (vs. SDP on 5/9) – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Wednesday (7:05 PM EST): LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Max Scherzer

There’s no beating around the bush here: Scherzer is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and has been for about half a dozen years now. Take a look at his line through 9 starts – 58.2 IP, 35 H, 13 BB, 91 K, 1.69 ERA (237 ERA+), 1.75 FIP. He’s basically an older version of Luis Severino and, experience and resume aside, I don’t think that’s an insult to either. And way back when he was involved in a three-way trade that saw the Yankees land Curtis Granderson, the Tigers land Scherzer, and the Diamondbacks end up with … Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy.

Scherzer utilizes five pitches – a mid-90s four-seamer (which he throws about 50% 0f the time), a high-80s cutter, a mid-80s change-up, a mid-80s slider, and a high-80s curve.

Last outing (vs. ARI on 5/11) – 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 11 K

The Bullpen

The Nationals bullpen has been a point of weakness throughout the young season, with closer Sean Doolittle (1.45 ERA and 28 strikeouts against 1 walk in 18.2 IP) representing the only sure thing out there – the group as a whole is 23rd in the majors in HR/9 and 24th in ERA+. Set-up man Ryan Madson (4.19 ERA) has blown two saves, and the unit’s innings leader (Brandon Kintzler) has a 4.64 ERA and -0.17 WPA. There’s talent here, to be sure, but this has to be a bit disconcerting for an organization that has had a yearly struggle with fielding a strong bullpen.

Yankees Connection

Shawn Kelley spent two uninspiring seasons in the Bronx, pitching to a 4.46 ERA (88 ERA+) in 105 IP between 2013 and 2014. He has been solid since leaving, though, with a 3.48 ERA (118 ERA+) in 142.1 IP over the last three-plus seasons.

And the recently-signed Mark Reynolds spent part of 2013 with the Yankees, slashing .236/.300/.455 with 6 home runs in 120 PA.

Who (Or What) To Watch

Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Max Scherzer are must-see TV. And I’m interested to see how the Crafty Lefty incarnation of Sabathia attacks Harper, too.