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Game 114: Start of the Homestand

August 9, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The seven-game road trip is over and the Yankees are back home in the Bronx for a long eleven-game homestand. I can’t remember the last eleven-game homestand. Usually they cap these things at ten games, but the Yankees lost Monday’s off-day to a makeup game with the Mets, so eleven games it is. Well, whatever. This homestand is a great chance to do some damage in the standings.

On the mound tonight will be J.A. Happ, who has returned from the disabled list and will be making his second start as a Yankee. The first went very well. Too bad the hand, foot, and mouth disease — I still can’t believe not one, but two New York baseball players have landed on the disabled list with that this season — sent him to disabled list. Oh well. At least Happ is back tonight. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. CF Aaron Hicks
5. 1B Greg Bird
6. 3B Miguel Andujar
7. 2B Neil Walker
8. C Austin Romine
9. RF Shane Robinson

LHP J.A. Happ

Texas Rangers
1. DH Shin-Soo Choo
2. 2B Rougned Odor
3. SS Elvis Andrus
4. 3B Adrian Beltre
5. 1B Jurickson Profar
6. RF Joey Gallo
7. C Robinson Chirinos
8. LF Willie Calhoun
9. CF Carlos Tocci

RHP Ariel Jurado

It is hot and humid in New York and will be until the day the sun swallows the Earth. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the ballgame.

Roster Move: As expected, Chance Adams was sent back to Triple-A Scranton to clear a roster spot for Happ, the Yankees announced. Adams was sent down following last night’s game.

Injury Update: Aaron Judge (wrist) still has pain and is not yet swinging a bat. He’s doing pretty much everything else though. He’s scheduled to see the doctor tonight for a checkup … Gary Sanchez (groin) has been cleared to resume running. He’s also ramping up his hitting and defensive rehab work as well … Aroldis Chapman is available. He was available last night too. The Yankees held Chapman out a few days because he was sore following Sunday’s extended outing. He’s good to go now.

Game 109: Chance the Spot Starter

August 4, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Welcome to the big leagues, Chance Adams. Now go pitch in Fenway Park in a nationally televised game against a juggernaut lineup in what is probably the Yankees’ most important game of the season. A win today and there’s still some hope for the AL East title. Another loss and it’s probably time to start focusing on a wildcard spot.

As best I can tell, Adams will be the first player to make his MLB debut with the Yankees as a starter in Boston since Randy Keisler in September 2000. He’s the first to do it outside expanded rosters since Bob Meyer in April 1964. The last two pitchers to make their MLB debut with the Yankees at Fenway Park in any role? Shane Greene in 2014 and Mark Melancon in 2009. Those two worked out well.

I really wish the Yankees would use an opener today. Let David Robertson or even Dellin Betances face the top of the lineup in the first inning, then turn it over to Adams and hope he can get through five innings while only facing the top of the lineup once. Seems like a good idea. Alas. It’ll be Adams from the get-go. Go get ’em, kid. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. CF Aaron Hicks
5. 2B Gleyber Torres
6. 1B Greg Bird
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. C Austin Romine
9. RF Shane Robinson

RHP Chance Adams

Boston Red Sox
1. RF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. 1B Mitch Moreland
4. DH J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 3B Eduardo Nunez
7. SS Brock Holt
8. C Sandy Leon
9. CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

RHP Nathan Eovaldi

The rain has cleared out and they should have no trouble starting this afternoon’s game on time. It’ll be cloudy and humid though. Today’s game will begin at 4:05pm ET and both YES and Fox Sports 1 will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Roster Move: Tommy Kahnle was sent back down to Triple-A Scranton to clear a roster spot for Adams, the Yankees announced. Adams takes an open 40-man roster spot, so no other move was needed.

Injury Update: Aaron Judge (wrist) has not yet started swinging a bat but he did stand in the box during CC Sabathia’s bullpen session, so he’s started tracking pitches. Swinging the bat should happen soon, perhaps tomorrow … J.A. Happ (hand, foot, and mouth disease) is doing much better and is expected to start Thursday, the first day he’s eligible to come off the disabled list.

Yankees reportedly calling up Chance Adams to start Saturday

August 3, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees are planning to call up Chance Adams to start Saturday’s game. He’ll be filling in for J.A. Happ, who is out with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Luis Cessa had been tentatively scheduled to start Saturday, but was needed in long relief last night.

Adams, 23, is the team’s No. 8 prospect. He’s had an uneven season with Triple-A Scranton, throwing 98 innings with a 4.50 ERA (4.30 FIP). His strikeout rate is good (24.2%). His walk (11.4%) and ground ball (43.0%) rates are not. Adams took a no-hitter into the seventh inning last time out and he has a 3.32 ERA (3.85 FIP) in his last nine starts and 43.1 innings, so at least he’s trending in the right direction.

Here’s an updated scouting report, via MLB.com:

After sitting at 93-95 mph with his fastball in his first two seasons as pro starter, Adams had offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow and has operated at 91-93 in 2018. His slider has lost a couple of ticks of velocity as well and isn’t as sharp as it has been in the past.

Besides regaining his velocity, the key for Adams to reaching his upside as a No. 3 starter will be refining his changeup into a solid third offering. He also has a curveball that’s his fourth-best pitch yet still qualifies as average. He lives on the corners and the bottom of the strike zone, making it difficult to square him up.

To me, this is the perfect opportunity for the Yankees to use an “opener” a la the Rays. Start a reliever on Saturday, let him get through the big bats at the top of the lineup, then turn it over to Adams and hope he can give you five innings while only facing the top of the lineup once. Maybe David Robertson can do it? Letting Adams face Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and J.D. Martinez in Fenway Park in his first inning as a big leaguer is rough.

Opener or no opener, Adams will be the fourth player to make his MLB debut with the Yankees this season, joining Jonathan Loaisiga, Billy McKinney, and Gleyber Torres. The Yankees have an open 40-man roster spot for Adams, so that won’t be an issue. He’ll be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season and was going to be added to the 40-man anyway. The Yankees are just getting a head start on it.

Taking stock of the Yankees’ trade chips prior to the deadline

June 20, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

We are less than six weeks away from the 2018 non-waiver trade deadline and already the trade winds are beginning to blow. The Rays sent Denard Span and Alex Colome to the Mariners a few weeks ago, and the Royals have since gotten in on the act by trading Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and Kelvin Herrera to the Nationals. The sellers are starting to sell.

The Yankees, clearly, will be buyers prior to the trade deadline. Starting pitching is an obvious need. Adding a reliever could be worthwhile too. It is entirely possible other needs will pop up over the next few weeks as well. The Yankees have luxury tax payroll space and a deep cache of prospects, which allows them to buy basically whatever they want at the deadline. They can get anyone.

“Clearly starting pitching was always a concern. It’s definitely one of the areas we’re going to be looking at,” said Hal Steinbrenner to Scott Orgera at the quarterly owners’ meetings last week. “Purposely left a decent amount of money for just this. If we decide to go get a pitcher and if a pitcher’s available, I think we definitely have the flexibility that would allow me to do just that.”

While no player is ever truly untouchable, the Yankees do have some untouchables. Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino are as untouchable as it gets and Gleyber Torres has joined that group as well. “Come on now. I’ve got to walk around this city,” joke Brian Cashman to Erik Boland the other day when asked whether trading Torres is a possibility. Even with those guys off the table, the Yankees have plenty of trade chips. Let’s take stock.

The Andujar Question

Might as well start here. The Yankees reportedly made Miguel Andujar off-limits in trade talks over the winter and we’ve seen why so far this season. Even with a tiny little recent slump, Andujar is still hitting .290/.317/.519 (125 wRC+) with an 18.1% strikeout rate. A .229 ISO and an 18.1% strikeout rate is one hell of a combination for a rookie. We’ve also seen Andujar hit all types of pitching already.

That said, should Andujar be off-limits? You could argue his trade value is higher right now than ever before because he’s had some big league success and is still so young with so much team control. Andujar’s probably never going to walk much and his defense, which is serviceable, might never be better than, well, serviceable. I’m not saying the Yankees should give Andujar away. I love the kid. I’m just saying he’s not as untouchable as Torres.

The Top Chips

Brandon Drury’s presence is the reason Andujar should not be untouchable. The Yankees have an MLB ready third baseman — their Opening Day third baseman, in fact — stashed in Triple-A. Drury is only 25 himself and, with another two weeks or so in the minors, his free agency will be pushed back one year. He’s hitting .360/.470/.529 (187 wRC+) with the RailRiders, and while that’s great, I’d expect a dude with two-plus years as an everyday big leaguer to wreck Triple-A pitching. That’s what Drury is doing.

Ostensibly, Drury does not have as much trade value as Andujar because he’s a little older and doesn’t come with as much team control. He is very clearly a trade chip though. The Yankees can’t keep him in Triple-A much longer. I mean, they could, but at some point there are diminishing returns. I’m not sure Drury is learning much or developing new skills right now. We are fast approaching the point where the Yankees either have to trade him or call him up before he starts to stagnate.

Among the guys we know the Yankees are willing to deal, Clint Frazier is the best trade chip. He’s 23, he’s been destroying Triple-A, he’s had some MLB success, and he’s not far removed from being a top prospect. The Yankees have a full outfield. As much as I would love the Yankees to get Frazier into the lineup on an everyday basis next year, they would be crazy to make him untouchable at the deadline. They reportedly offered him to the Pirates in a potential Gerrit Cole deal and he’s playing center field in Triple-A in what amounts to showcase. He’s available.

Justus Sheffield is, by no small margin, the top pitching prospect in the farm system. He was said to be on the team’s list of untouchables over the winter, though pitchers break and have such a high attrition rate — Sheffield has some command issues himself — that it would be silly to make him off-limits. If the Yankees have a chance to add a quality young pitcher like, say, Blake Snell, of course you trade Sheffield. We’re all hoping Sheffield one day turns into Snell! So trade him for the real Snell. The Yankees won’t deal Sheffield for a rental. But a young guy with years of team control? All bets are off.

The Second Tier

A few months ago Estevan Florial would’ve been among the top chips. Right now he’s coming back from wrist surgery — a fairly common wrist surgery, but still wrist surgery — and his swing-and-miss issues still exist. Because of that, I think he’s more of a second tier trade chip right. I don’t think Florial can headline a package for an impact pitcher at the moment. I also don’t think the Yankees will move him while his stock is down, unless it’s a deal they can’t refuse.

Many of the second tier guys are MLB ready or near MLB ready depth pieces. Tyler Wade. Billy McKinney. Chance Adams. None of them can headline a package for an impact player right now, but a deal for a lesser player? Or as the second or third piece in a larger trade? For sure. Wade is a legitimate shortstop and middle infielder with speed and those guys are hard to find. McKinney has a sweet swing and some power. I’m sure some teams still buy Adams as a starter. Good depth players who the Yankees can’t fit on the roster. Of course they’re available.

Among their tippy top prospects, I get the sense the Yankees are more willing to deal Albert Abreu than anyone. He’s had some injuries — this year’s appendectomy is nothing, but last year he had elbow and lat problems — and while the stuff is excellent, the command is far from it. Between the injuries, the lack of command, and the distance to the big leagues (he’s in High-A), Abreu strikes me as a top 100 caliber prospect the Yankees would be very open to moving. He has a long way to go to be the pitcher he has the potential to be and the Yankees are in win-now mode.

The Impending Rule 5 Draft Guys

When you have a great farm system, you’re going to lose players in the Rule 5 Draft. There aren’t enough roster spots to go around and the system is designed to give blocked players an opportunity. The Yankees lost eight total players in the last two Rule 5 Drafts (four each year), six more than any other team. Seven of those eight players came back — Luis Torres is the only exception — but still. You don’t want to risk losing players for nothing.

As a result, the Yankees have been active trading fringe 40-man roster players in recent years. That way they get something in return rather than potentially nothing. Zack Littell went to the Twins in the Jaime Garcia trade, and Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo went to the White Sox in the big Todd Frazier trade. They were traded weeks before they had to be added to the 40-man roster for Rule 5 Draft protection purposes. Here are this offseason’s notable Rule 5 Draft eligibles:

Catchers: None
Infielders: Diego Castillo, Dermis Garcia, Kyle Holder, Hoy Jun Park
Outfielders: Florial (I think)
Pitchers: Abreu, Adams, Sheffield, Cody Carroll, Juan De Paula, Freicer Perez (I think), Josh Rogers, Dillon Tate

Two names immediately jump out as potential “trade them before you have to add them to the 40-man roster” candidates: Rogers and Tate. Rogers is the left-handed Littell to me. Great minor league performance to date, good pitchability, not blow-you-away stuff. I don’t think it’s crazy to worry his lack of grounders (39.9% in Triple-A) and lack of swings and misses (9.0%) won’t translate well to Yankee Stadium, even as a lefty.

As for Tate, he was the fourth overall pick in the draft three years ago and he’s been very good this season, throwing 66.2 innings with a 3.11 ERA (3.38 FIP) at Double-A. You’d like to see more strikeouts (22.9%) from a dude with his stuff, but the walk (5.9%) and ground ball (50.8%) numbers are good. I wonder if this is a situation where his trade value exceeds his real life value. There’s a decent chance Tate is a reliever long-term. A good one, but still a reliever. Another club might view him as a no-doubt starter and fall in love with the whole “former No. 4 pick” thing.

Regardless of what the Yankees do with Rogers and Tate — right now I’d bet on Tate being added to the 40-man roster and Rogers not, assuming they aren’t traded — there is going to be some roster shuffling in the coming weeks. A few of these Rule 5 Draft eligibles could be moved prior to the trade deadline or soon after the season. Aside from Sheffield, there’s no stud here that will net you an impact big league player. These guys are for depth moves or to fill out a larger package.

The Lower Level Guys

Moreso than ever before, teams are taking very low level minor leaguers in trades. And I don’t mean low level as in not highly regarded. I mean the low levels of the minors. One of the prospects in the Kelvin Herrera trade was a 17-year-old in rookie ball. The second piece in last year’s Justin Wilson/Alex Avila trade was an 18-year-old in Single-A. The Yankees traded 20-year-old Blake Rutherford last year.

Teams are trying to acquire these talented young players before they break out into top prospects — the Yankees themselves have done this with the Nick Rumbelow trade (18-year-old Juan Then) and the Jake Cave trade (20-year-old Luis Gil) — and the Yankees have some of these players to offer, I think. Then is one. So is Saul Torres, Alex Vargas, Roansy Contreras, and Pablo Olivares. Guys like that are involved in trades more than ever before.

Could Luis Medina, Everson Pereira, or Ezequiel Duran be trade chips? They’re all teenagers and they’re all on the cusp of becoming excellent prospects, but of course they’re trade chips. The Yankees are a bona fide World Series contender. They’d be nuts to let a teenager in rookie stand in the way of a win-now trade. I’m not saying they should give those guys away! But they have value and they’re in demand, and they’re so far away from the big leaguers that they can’t be untouchable.

* * *

Trading players off your big league roster is not usually something a contending team does, but it is definitely possible. Neil Walker could go in a deal to offset salary a la Tyler Clippard last year, for example. I’d be surprised if the Yankees traded a reliever. I’d be even more surprised if they traded Sonny Gray, even in a deal for another starter. To me, the master plan is add a starter and get Gray on track, not replace Gray.

Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are on the big league roster right now — they’re not just on the roster, they’re making starts every fifth day — and they’re trade chips for sure. German has shown promising swing-and-miss ability and everyone loves Johnny Lasagna, but they both have scary injury histories, and if they can help the Yankees get a potential difference-maker, of course they’ll trade ’em.

All of that is the long way of saying the Yankees have trade chips in all shapes and sizes. Once upon a time they were dealing from a pool of, like, three desirable prospects. Now they have pitchers, position players, MLB ready guys, far away guys, you name it. The Yankees can meet pretty much any asking price. That doesn’t mean they will. If the Yankees lose a bidding war this year, it’ll be because they don’t want to give up the pieces, not because they don’t have the pieces.

Poll: Replacing Masahiro Tanaka

June 11, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Subway Series series win over the Mets this weekend came at a price. Masahiro Tanaka went down with “mild” strains of both hamstrings Friday night. He said he first felt tightness in his hamstrings in the third inning, and when he ran the bases in the sixth, things got worse. Strained both hamstrings in one game? A very Mets injury, that is. Fitting it happened at Citi Field.

Tanaka has since been placed on the disabled list and, over the weekend, Brian Cashman said it would be “weeks” until Tanaka returns. That’s not good. The Yankees are already without Jordan Montgomery. Losing another starter is bad news. Injuries are part of baseball though. Every team deals with them and the teams that deal with them the best are often the ones left standing at the end of the year.

“It’s certainly unfortunate, but it creates an opportunity for others,” said Cashman to Dan Martin. “We’re forced to find some things out in other areas with some other personnel. That’s always healthy, too. We’re always open to outside help, no matter what time of year it happens to be. But we also have internal options we can rely on … It’s always important to have depth, no doubt about that.”

Today’s off-day gives the Yankees the flexibility to start Tanaka’s replacement pretty much whenever they want. They’ve indicated the replacement will start Friday — that gives Luis Severino an extra day before his next start — but, if they want, they could push Tanaka’s rotation spot back to Saturday. Who will they call up? Who should they call up? I see five potential call-up candidates.

The Case for Chance Adams

Adams! Cut that hair! (Joe Vasile/SWB RailRiders)

Truth be told, it’s difficult to argue Adams should be first in line to replace Tanaka. Among actual prospects, Adams was the Yankees’ most MLB ready minor league pitcher coming into the season, but he’s struggled so far this year, pitching to a 5.43 ERA (4.70 FIP) with 27.7% strikeouts and 11.1% walks in 12 starts and 54.2 innings for Triple-A Scranton. Yuck.

Adams had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow in the offseason, and it’s entirely possible — if not likely — the surgery is to blame for his poor performance. He did not have a normal offseason and he was still working to rebuild arm strength in Spring Training and early during the regular season. We’re in June now though, and you’d think Adams would be back to normal by now, but apparently not.

Despite the lack of 2018 success, Adams could be the best Tanaka replacement option given his track record and his Triple-A experience. He pitched at the level pretty much all last season and had success, and that’s not nothing. Adams will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season, so he has to be added to the 40-man roster anyway. The Yankees could get a little head start on things and call him up now.

The Case for A.J. Cole

Cole’s done nice work since joining the Yankees, hasn’t he? He hasn’t pitched much, but when he has, he’s been effective. Cole has embraced the team’s anti-fastball philosophy and pitched to a 0.82 ERA (3.74 FIP) with 27.9% strikeouts and 14.0% walks in pinstripes. The walks are high, otherwise that’s pretty great. Might be worth giving him a shot in the rotation to see whether that anti-fastball success carries over into a starting role.

Two problems here. One, Cole has thrown a whopping eleven innings in pinstripes, so that success comes in a small sample. And two, Cole has thrown a whopping eleven innings in pinstripes! He’s not really stretched out. Cole hasn’t thrown more than 2.1 innings or 40 pitches in an outing in close to two months now. Asking him to throw even a modest five innings or 75 pitches might be unrealistic. That said, Cole’s on the roster, he’s pitched well, and he’s been a starter pretty much his entire career. It would be silly to rule him out as a rotation option.

The Case for David Hale

Calling up Hale would be the easy move. He’s already had two big league stints with the Yankees this season and they keep bringing him back, so they like something about him. Hale’s back with Triple-A Scranton now and he’s stretched out — he threw 5.1 innings and 88 pitches last Tuesday — so it’s an easy move. Call him up, slot him into the rotation, and let him run with it. No need to rush a prospect. Hale represents the path of least resistance and when no option stands out from the rest, the easiest move is often best.

The Case for Jonathan Loaisiga

It sure appears the Yankees are preparing Loaisiga for a call-up. Or, at the very least, they’re preparing him as a backup plan in case Plan A falls though. Loaisiga made a 49-pitch tune-up start yesterday, one week after Double-A Trenton manager Jay Bell insinuated Loaisiga was being prepped for a call-up during the doubleheader in Detroit. The rainouts in Baltimore meant a spot starter wasn’t needed, however, so he didn’t get the call.

There are several reasons the Yankees could turn to Loaisiga as Tanaka’s replacement. First of all, he’s already on the 40-man roster, which makes a call-up easy. Cole is the only other pitcher in this post on the 40-man roster. Secondly, Loaisiga is a rising star in the farm system, and prior to yesterday, he had a 2.30 ERA (2.39 FIP) with 31.6% strikeouts and 2.3% walks in 43 innings this season.

Third, Loaisiga’s stuff matches the numbers. He’s mid-90s with his fastball and he backs it up with a quality curveball and a quality changeup, and he throws lots of strikes. Lots and lots of strikes. This isn’t a dude with shiny minor league numbers and iffy stuff. And fourth, Loaisiga has an ugly injury history. The Yankees may want to get whatever they can out of him now before he breaks down again. Sounds harsh, but these types of moves happen all the time.

“He’s had some good games this year. He was impressive in Spring Training. He’s a young guy and hasn’t pitched a whole lot,” said pitching coach Larry Rothschild to Coley Harvey yesterday when asked about a potential Loaisiga call-up. The Yankees are playing coy right now like they always seem to do in these situations, but everything seems to be pointing to Loaisiga getting the call. Is he the right choice though? That’s up for debate!

The Case for Justus Sheffield

The best pitching prospect in the farm system — and not by a small margin either — is southpaw Justus Sheffield, who came over in the Andrew Miller trade. He’s one of the best pitching prospects in the minors overall, and this season he owns a 2.60 ERA (2.97 FIP) with 29.3% strikeouts and 12.9% walks in 55.1 innings around a minor shoulder injury. Sheffield has made four starts back from the injury, so it’s not too recent.

As luck would have it, Sheffield and Tanaka are on the same schedule. Sheffield started in Triple-A on Friday, the same night Tanaka hurt his hamstrings. It’s be an easy one-for-one swap. No schedules have to be altered or anything like that. And Sheffield is thinking about a call-up too. He’s not oblivious to what’s happening in the Bronx.

“Do I want to be the sixth starter? Do I want to be in the big leagues? For sure,” said Sheffield to Conor Foley over the weekend. “Am I shooting for that? Is that my goal? Yes, but thinking about it is not going to help me put my work in every four days and getting out there my fifth day.”

Simply put, the case for calling up Sheffield is that he offers the most upside among the available in-house options. A southpaw with mid-90s gas and this slider …

… has a chance to be really freaking good. Sheffield is having success in Triple-A now — he’s thrown more innings at Triple-A (27.1) than Loaisiga’s thrown at Double-A (25), if you care about such things — and he’s going to have to be added to the 40-man roster after the season anyway, so there’s not much harm in starting the clock now. Sheffield has a chance to be an impact pitcher, and countless top prospects got their first chance because someone got hurt.

* * *

The Yankees have ruled out Luis Cessa — he’s making his first minor league rehab start tonight — replacing Tanaka, though I suppose they could do something wonky and replace Tanaka with a bullpen game a la the Rays, but nah. Good teams don’t do that. I think we can safely eliminate that possibility. “We pretty much, I think, have an idea of what we’re going to do. We’re not going to deal with it now because we don’t have to, because things can change injury-wise,” said Cashman to Bryan Hoch.

Over the last few years the Yankees have done a really good job evaluating their own prospects. With the exception of Tyler Wade, the kids they’ve called up have all been ready to step right into the lineup and produce. If the Yankees call up Adams, Loaisiga, or Sheffield, I trust that they’re ready. And, if the Yankees go with Cole or Hale, I trust them that the kids aren’t ready.

Also, keep in mind that whoever replaces Tanaka isn’t automatically guaranteed to stay in the rotation. If that pitcher doesn’t perform, the Yankees have other options and can make a change. Anyway, this is all ripe for a poll, so let’s get to it.

Who *should* replace Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation?

DotF: Loaisiga makes Double-A debut in Trenton’s win

May 3, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Baseball America updated their top 100 prospects list today. Most players moved a spot or two, largely because someone graduated or got hurt. SS Gleyber Torres is still ranks as the No. 6 prospect, but 3B Miguel Andujar made a big jump from No. 57 to No. 29. OF Estevan Florial (No. 36), LHP Justus Sheffield (No. 39), RHP Albert Abreu (No. 73), and Chance Adams (No. 78) all make the top 100 as well. Now here are some promotion notes from vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring (via YES):

LHP Justus Sheffield is moving up to Triple-A Scranton. “He’s going to continue to develop, work on the fastball command,” said Naehring. Sheffield just started Tuesday, so his next start is a still a few days away. He spent last season with Double-A Trenton, hence the quick promotion.
RHP Luis Medina is “probably going to move on to Charleston soon,” said Naehring. Medina, who is only 19, is currently in Extended Spring Training. Soon he’ll be in full season ball.
RHP Nick Nelson is being promoted to High-A Tampa, according to Naehring. Nelson spent all of last season with Low-A Charleston, so it’s no surprise he’s getting a quick promotion.

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

RF Tyler Wade: 1-4, 1 3B — played center field earlier this week, and now he’s in right field
SS Thairo Estrada: 0-3, 2 K, 1 HBP
3B Brandon Drury: 2-3, 1 BB — here’s video of his first single and second single … Matt Kardos says the Yankees are moving Drury’s rehab to Trenton tomorrow because the RailRiders are about to go on the road trip, and the Yankees want him close to New York so he can continue getting treatment and whatnot
1B Mike Ford: 1-4
C Kyle Higashioka: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K — four homers in 20 games
CF Clint Frazier: 1-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 K — threw a runner out at third … this was his first start in center field since 2016, when he was still with the Indians … here’s video of the triple … after the triple, he scored the game-winning run on DH Ryan McBroom’s walk-off sac fly
LHP Nestor Cortes: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 37 of 57 pitches were strikes (65%)
RHP J.P. Feyereisen: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 25 of 36 pitches were strikes (695) … 10/7 K/BB in 13 innings

[Read more…]

Chance Adams had surgery to remove elbow bone spur during the offseason

April 4, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, at Triple-A Scranton’s media day, right-hander Chance Adams confirmed he pitched with a bone spur in his elbow late last season. He then had offseason surgery to remove it. The Yankees never did announce the surgery, though that isn’t uncommon for a non-40-man roster player.

Adams, 23, had a 2.45 ERA (3.70 FIP) in 150.1 innings at Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton last season, though he struggled down the stretch, allowing 13 runs in his final four starts and 22 innings. He didn’t have a good Spring Training at all (4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 HR). Here’s what I wrote in our farm system preview:

Larry Rothschild recently told Brendan Kuty that Adams’ arm strength wasn’t quite where the Yankees hoped it would be this spring, and hopefully that’s just a “he threw by far the most innings of his career last year and is taking a little longer to get to full strength than expected” thing and not a “he’s out of shape” or “he’s hiding an injury” thing.

So I guess it was a “he’s hiding an injury” thing, though in this case, Adams and the Yankees were only hiding the injury from us. It’s not like he tried to pitch through discomfort this spring and didn’t tell the Yankees. The bone spur could definitely explain last year’s fade and the tough spring. For what it’s worth, Adams told Conor Foley he “didn’t really think about” how it impacted his pitching.

The good news is Adams is healthy now — he’ll start Opening Day for the RailRiders on Friday — and there was no structural damage in his elbow. You never want a pitcher to have surgery on his arm, but getting a bone spur removed is fairly routine. They go in, take it out, and it’s done. I ranked Adams as the No. 7 prospect in the farm system. Hopefully he stays healthy this year and gets back to where he was before the bone spur.