YES Network Archives - Page 2 of 8

Saturday Links: Watson, Giambi, YES Network, Kay, Singleton

June 23, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and Rays will continue their three-game series with the middle game later this afternoon. Here are some links and notes to check out in the meantime.

Yankees pursued Watson over the winter

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees tried to sign left-hander Tony Watson during the offseason. He instead signed a luxury tax friendly two-year deal worth $9M guaranteed with the Giants. The veteran left-hander has a 1.82 ERA (1.76 FIP) with 29.6% strikeouts and 44.2% grounders in 34.2 innings this year. He’s a full inning southpaw, not a left-on-left matchup guy.

This is pretty interesting to me. The Yankees were trying to beef up their bullpen even more and they were apparently ready to cut Chasen Shreve loose. Hard to see how both would’ve fit in the Opening Day bullpen. The Giants are hanging around the postseason race at the moment, but if San Francisco slips in the standings these next few weeks, I wonder whether the Yankees would pursue Watson at the trade deadline. Intrigue!

Yankees reached out to Giambi about role in organization

Over the winter the Yankees reached out to Jason Giambi to gauge his interest in joining the organization, according to Brendan Kuty. Giambi didn’t specify what sort of position was discussed, though he did say he was not interested in the managerial opening because he has young kids and doesn’t want that much of a commitment. “I think they kind of tested to see where I was at and I just said I wasn’t ready,” he said.

Giambi, now 47, retired following the 2014 season and his name seems to pop up as a managerial or coaching candidate every winter. I’ve always wondered whether he is actually a candidate for those gigs, or are reporters just talking up a guy who was cool with the media as a player? The Yankees reaching out to Giambi over the winter pretty much confirms that he is indeed a candidate for those types of jobs. Wouldn’t surprise me to see the two sides touch base again in the future.

Kay close to new contract with YES

Michael Kay and the YES Network are close to finishing a new contract, reports Andrew Marchand. It’s a three-year deal worth seven figures a season, and it includes a network option for two more years. With Vin Scully retired, Kay is believed the be the highest paid local play-by-play man in baseball. “I don’t see any end in sight. I want to keep doing this as long as I want to and as long as they want me to,” he said to Marchand.

The new contract means Kay will be the voice of the Yankees through at least 2021 and potentially through 2023. My hot take for the weekend: Kay is one of the top play-by-play guys in the sport. Thanks to the magic of MLB.tv, I’ve listened to every broadcast team in recent years, and Kay is better than most. He can get a little annoying when he goes into radio show mode, but he’s good overall. Interestingly enough, Marchand says Ryan Ruocco could see more time in the booth going forward.

YES trying to woo Singleton back

More YES Network news. According to Marchand, YES Network executives are trying to persuade Ken Singleton to return next season. Singleton has already announced he will retire following this season. Marchand says YES is offering Singleton a reduced schedule heavy on games in Baltimore and Tampa, where he has homes. “It’s flattering (YES) wants me to come back … I found out as a player, nobody is irreplaceable. The game keeps going on,” he said.

I love Singleton. He’s one of my favorite broadcasters ever. I love his insight and I love his stories. As much as I’d love to see him stick around and call games forever and ever, Singleton turned 71 last week, and if the man wants to retire, let him retire. He’s been doing this a very long time and I don’t blame him at all for wanting to skip the road trips and the late nights, and spend more time with his family. It’s not like the YES Network is short on broadcasters, you know?

Saturday Links: Boone, Sixth Starter, Power Rankings, YES

March 31, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and Blue Jays continue their season-opening four-game series with the third game later today. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07pm ET. In case you’re wondering, the minor league regular season begins this coming Thursday, so that’s cool. Anyway, here are some links and notes to hold you over until first pitch.

Boone interviewed with Twins, Cubs

Prior to being named manager of the Yankees, Aaron Boone interviewed with the Twins for a front office job and the Cubs for a coaching position, reports Ken Davidoff. In the weeks after being hired, Boone admitted he was preparing to leave his ESPN gig to get back into the game, and hinted at interviewing with other clubs in addition to the Yankees. Now we know it was with the Twins and Cubs, for different roles.

I know Boone kinda came out of nowhere as a managerial candidate — it sure surprised me when the Yankees interviewed him — nevermind as a managerial hire, but it sure seems like he’s highly regarded within the game. Multiple teams were interested in bringing Boone aboard in a rather significant capacity despite his lack of experience. Smart teams interested in adding smart personnel to their organization. News at eleven.

Yankees have date in mind for sixth starter

The Yankees are targeting Tuesday, April 24th as a day to bring up a spot sixth starter, Boone told Billy Witz near the end of Spring Training. They’ll play the second game of a four-game series against the Twins at Yankee Stadium that evening. Boone and the Yankees have said they plan to use a spot sixth starter to give the regular starters extra rest from time to time. They’ve done that a whole bunch over the years. Nothing new here.

Thanks to April off-days, the Yankees won’t need a starter to make a start on normal rest until Monday, April 16th, and even then only Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka would have start on normal rest. There’s an off-day on April 18th, giving the other three starters an extra day. Weather could always throw a wrench into things, but right now, whoever starts the third game of the season for Triple-A Scranton would line up for that April 24th start. My guess is Domingo German is atop the sixth starter depth chart the moment.

Yankees top ESPN’s future power rankings

Earlier this month ESPN compiled their annual future power rankings, in which they rank the 30 MLB teams based on how they “will fare over the next five years.” The rankings are based on four components (MLB roster, farm system, finances, front office), which are weighed differently. The Yankees rank first. The Dodgers are second and the Astros are third. (The Marlins are 30th). Here is a piece of write-up:

A strong case could be made that the Yankees are better positioned than any team in baseball, because they have some of the best of all types of elements right now. They have a top farm system, including high-end infielders Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar; their major league team is loaded with young and old talent, from power-hitting outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to 24-year-old ace Luis Severino; and they have the greatest payroll flexibility of any Yankees team since the early 1990s — right before the Paul O’Neill-Tino Martinez dynasty.

The Yankees’ biggest problem? Jacoby Ellsbury and his contract, according to the ESPN crew. And you know what? If Ellsbury and his contract are their biggest problem, that ain’t so bad at all. The big league roster is loaded, the farm system is loaded, the front office is shrewd as hell, and the Yankees have lots of money to spend. They’ll have even more to spend in the future, once they rest their luxury tax rate this season. Yep, the Yankees are in really great shape going forward.

YES Network ratings skyrocketing

The Yankees have a great team and they were one game away from the World Series last season, so, not surprisingly, television ratings are up big time so far this year. The YES Network announced Grapefruit League ratings were up 80% from last year even though only one of their eleven spring broadcasts was in primetime. The spring ratings were better than March Madness ratings, on average.

Furthermore, Opening Day was the YES Network’s highest rated season-opening broadcast in seven years, since the 2011 opener. The Opening Day broadcast drew more viewers in New York than all other sports broadcasts that day, including nationally televised NBA and MLB games on TNT and ESPN, respectively. The Yankees are good, they’re fun, and people are excited. I reckon attendance will be up quite a bit this year as well.

YES Network’s Ken Singleton will retire after 2018 season

March 12, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Earlier today, YES Network announcer Ken Singleton said he is stepping away from broadcasting after the season to spend more time with his family. He’s been calling Yankees games since 1997, back when they were on the MSG Network, and he joined YES full-time when the network launched in 2002.

Singleton, who turns 71 in June, was a hell of a ballplayer back in the day. He was born in Manhattan, grew up in Mount Vernon, and went to Hofstra before being drafted third overall by the Mets in 1967. Singleton played for the Mets (1970-71), Expos (1972-74), and Orioles (1975-84) and retired as a career .282/.388/.436 hitter with 246 home runs and more walks (1,263) than strikeouts (1,246). He won a World Series ring with the 1983 O’s and received MVP votes in seven seasons.

After retiring as a player, Singleton joined the broadcast booth and called games for the Blue Jays (1985-86) and Expos (1987-96) before covering the Yankees. He’s the only former player in the YES Network’s rotation who didn’t play for the Yankees, which tells you how good he is in the booth. They want him anyway. We interviewed Singleton five years ago about his career, both as a player and broadcaster, so make sure you check that out even though it is a bit dated.

Personally, Singleton is my favorite broadcaster in baseball, regardless of team. I love listening to him talk about hitting. He’s smart, he’s funny, and I feel like I learn something every time he is behind the microphone, regardless of whether he’s doing play-by-play or color commentary. I’m bummed Singleton won’t call games beyond this year but I’m happy for him. He’s been at this a long, long time. Seems like the best thing the Yankees can do is send him out with a World Series championship, no?

Saturday Links: Otani, Denbo, Judge, Sanchez, YES Network

October 7, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and Indians have an off-day today as the ALDS shifts from Cleveland to New York. The best-of-five series will resume with Game Three tomorrow night. Here are some links to check out in the meantime.

Otani dazzles in possible final start in Japan

Shohei Otani, who may or may not come to MLB this offseason, made what could be his final start for the Nippon Ham Fighters earlier this week. He struck out ten in a two-hit shutout of the Orix Buffaloes, and Jason Coskrey says dozens of MLB scouts attended the game. Otani finished the season with a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings and a .340/.413/.557 batting line in 63 games. He missed time with quad and ankle problems, hence the limited time on the mound.

Joel Sherman says the Yankees are “known to be extremely interested” in Otani, who, if he does come over this year, will come over under the old posting rules. That means the (Ham) Fighters will set a $20M release fee. MLB and NPB are currently renegotiating the posting agreement for other players going forward. The Yankees have roughly $2M in international bonus money to offer Otani based on my estimates, though if he comes over this year, it won’t be for top dollar. Basically no team has much international money to offer. Otani will go wherever he thinks is the best fit based on his own personal preferences. Good luck predicting that.

Denbo expected to join Marlins

Folks in baseball expect Yankees vice president of player development Gary Denbo to join Derek Jeter and the Marlins this offseason, reports Jon Heyman. Marlins general manager Mike Hill is expected to remain on, with Denbo coming over to head up their player development department, the same department he runs for the Yankees now. Denbo’s contract is up after the season, so he’s free to come and go as he chooses.

Jeter and Denbo are very close and go back a long away, and I figured Jeter would try to poach him once we found out he was buying the Marlins. Denbo has done a phenomenal job turning around the farm system and the Yankees will miss him, assuming they can’t convince him to stay. Who will take over the farm system? I have no idea. The Yankees will find someone. I’m curious to see which Yankees farmhands the Marlins try to acquire going forward. You know Denbo has some personal favorites in the system.

Judge had most popular jersey in 2017

The most popular player jersey this season, according to sales on MLB.com, belongs to Aaron Judge. Here is the press release. The average age of the top 20 players in jersey sales is 27, so that’s fun. Here’s the top five:

Aaron Judge, Yankees
Kris Bryant, Cubs
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, Nationals

Also in the top 20 jersey sales: Gary Sanchez. He ranked 15th in jersey sales overall and sixth among AL players, behind Judge, Mike Trout, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, and Jose Altuve. Only two pitchers in the top 20, which is kinda weird. Kershaw is fourth and Noah Syndergaard is 19th. The people love dingers, I guess.

YES Network ratings up 57%

Not surprisingly, the YES Network’s rating were up a whopping 57% this season, the network announced yesterday. This season’s ratings were the best in five years. Primetime game broadcasts on YES had higher ratings than the primetime schedules of all other cable networks in New York, plus ratings for non-game broadcasts (pregame and postgame shows, etc.) were up as well. Ratings outside the city also increased substantially. Turns out if you put a very good and very fun team on the field, people will watch. Who woulda thunk it?

Saturday Links: Payroll, Bird, New CBA Details, YES Network

August 5, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and Indians will continue their four-game series with the third game later today, though not until 7pm ET. Man do I hate Saturday night games. I might have mentioned that a few times over the years. Anyway, here’s some news and notes to check out.

Payroll is frozen for 2017

According to Bob Klapisch, Hal Steinbrenner has told Brian Cashman payroll will remain frozen for the remainder of the season. The Yankees took on quite a bit of salary at the trade deadline in David Robertson, Todd Frazier, and Sonny Gray, though they got the Twins to eat the remainder of Jaime Garcia’s contract. Apparently that’s it though. No more payroll can be added this season.

Two things about this. One, if payroll is indeed frozen, the Yankees aren’t going to get the bat(s) they pretty clearly need. Well, no, that’s not necessarily true. It just means they’d have to give up better prospects to get the other team to pay the remainder of the player’s salary. And two, man I hate hearing payroll is frozen. I mean, it’s Hal’s team and he can do whatever he wants, but the division is so winnable and the Yankees have played one postseason game since 2012, and they won’t take on more money if necessary? Blah.

Bird still the long-term first baseman

Not surprisingly, Cashman confirmed to Joel Sherman that Greg Bird remains the club’s first baseman of the future, even after his ankle surgery and what is essentially another lost season. That’s why they didn’t look for long-term first base help at the deadline like they did rotation and bullpen help. They sought out rentals only and, obviously, came up empty.

Bird, who will turn 25 in November, has resumed hitting following surgery and it’s possible he will rejoin the Yankees later this month. I never really expected the Yankees to pivot away from Bird as their first baseman going forward. They clearly love him, and they’re going young wherever possible, so it makes sense to try him again. Clearly though, the Yankees will need some sort of first base protection. Basically what Chris Carter couldn’t provide this year

New CBA includes draft penalties for payroll

MLB and the MLBPA finally completed the Collective Bargaining Agreement and got everything in writing last month, and according to J.J. Cooper, there’s a provision that levies draft pick penalties based on team payroll. Simply put, spend more than $237M on player payroll, and your top draft pick gets pushed back ten spots. From Cooper:

But the penalties really kick in for a team that spends more than $237 million in 2018. Not only will the franchise be hit with a 42.5 percent or 45 percent surcharge tax on top of the competitive balance tax, but the team will also see its first draft pick dropped 10 spots. That pick is protected, but that protection is relatively meaningless, as the penalty is applied to the team’s second draft pick only if it’s one of the top six picks in the draft. It would be hard to envision a team finishing with a top-six pick (meaning it had one of the six worst records in baseball) with a $237-plus million payroll.

These penalties are on top of the luxury tax penalties. So if your payroll exceeds $237M, you have to pay the luxury tax and your top draft pick gets moved back. Now a $237M payroll is substantial — the Yankees have only topped that twice ($237.1M in 2013 and $243.8M in 2016) — though salaries and revenues around baseball are only going up. It wouldn’t take much for many teams to get to $237M within the next two or three years. This new CBA is pretty terrible for the players. There are so may mechanisms in place designed to suppress salaries.

International play coming in 2018

As part of the new CBA, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to move 13 series to foreign countries from 2018-21, reports Bill Shaikin. Commissioner Rob Manfred has made it no secret he wants to grow the game globally and this is one way to do it. Here, via Shaikin, are the international play details:

2018: Opening series in Asia, April series in Mexico, May series in Puerto Rico.
2019: Opening series in Asia, April and May series in Mexico, June series in the United Kingdom.
2020: Opening series in Asia, April series in Mexico, May series in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, June series in the United Kingdom.
2021: April and May series in Mexico.

The Yankees, as the most popular team in baseball and one of the most recognizable brands in the world, will inevitably be sucked into a few of these series. That’s not per Shaikin’s report. That’s just me saying. When you’re playing games overseas and trying to increase interest in baseball, you send the Yankees because people are going to pay attention. I foresee a trip to Asia and Mexico in the team’s future.

YES ratings up considerably in first half

Not surprisingly, the young and exciting (and contending!) Yankees have led to a substantial increase in YES Network ratings. Ratings were up 57% in the first half this season, including a 73% increase in the ages 18-49 demographic. YES has already had 18 games this year with a higher rating than the best game last year — Monday night’s game against the Tigers was the network’s highest rated game since Derek Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium in 2014 — and ratings overall are the best in five years. Build a team with good young players, and people watch. Ratings are up now. Soon attendance will shoot up as well.

Friday Links: A-Rod, YES, Judge, Frazier, Gagne, Littell

February 24, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Guest instructor Al from Miami. (Presswire) — Guest instructor Al from Miami. (Newsday)

The Yankees are, at this very moment, playing their first Grapefruit League game of the season. Turn on YES or MLB.tv to watch. Here’s our game thread. Don’t miss it. Here are some bits of news and notes to check out in the meantime.

A-Rod to meet with YES

At some point this spring Alex Rodriguez will meet with executives from the YES Network, report George King and Bryan Hoch. The exact reason for the meeting is unclear. It could be something, it could be nothing. Maybe just a meet-and-great or some promo work. Or maybe the two sides will discuss a broadcasting role. YES has a small army of ex-Yankees on their rotating panel of analysts.

Rodriguez has done analyst work with FOX the last two postseasons and he’s been really good. Critics have praised him and diehard fans seem to like him too. A-Rod certainly knows the game and he seems comfortable talking about it in depth on camera. Again, I have no idea why exactly Alex and YES are meeting. It really could be nothing. I selfishly hope it’s about potential broadcasting work though. That would be awesome.

Judge among Law’s top impact prospects for 2017

Keith Law (subs. req’d) recently ranked his top 19 prospects based on potential 2017 impact. Not surprisingly, Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson sit in the top two spots. They’re the two best prospects in baseball in my opinion, and both are locked into big league starting jobs this year. Aaron Judge is seventh on Law’s list and Clint Frazier is among the honorable mentions.

I expect (Judge) to take some time to bring (his strikeouts) down this year, but that’s been his history with each promotion in pro ball. Judge is a giant, at 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, so his strike zone is just as big, but he has enormous raw power and is an above-average right fielder. As long as the contact he makes continues to be hard contact, he’ll have value even if he’s among the league leaders in Ks.

I don’t think the Yankees will hesitate to send Judge to Triple-A to start the season if they feel it’s best for him. I also think they understand he’s going to come with growing pains. We saw them late last year and they’re not necessarily over. At some point they’re just going to have to stick it out with Judge and let him work through the problems, and perhaps that means a .205 average with 185 strikeouts in 2017. Perhaps moreso than any other young player in the system, Judge is going to require a lot of patience, both from the Yankees and fans.

Gagne considering comeback attempt

Eric Gagne, who turned 41 last month, is considering a comeback attempt, according to Ken Gurnick. Gagne hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2008 — he was one-and-done on the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot — but he has thrown in various independent leagues the last few years, and he’ll pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Gagne’s agent told Gurnick he sat 93-95 mph in indy ball last year (eh) while Jon Heyman hears he’s throwing 92-93 mph in bullpen sessions right now.

Gagne at his peak was one of the most dominant forces in baseball history. From 2002-04 he had a 1.79 ERA (1.57 FIP) with 38.6% strikeouts and 6.1% walks in 247 innings. During his 2003 Cy Young season he struck out 137 and walked 18 unintentionally in 82.1 innings. Insane. This is the time of year for comeback attempt stories, and hey, if Gagne looks good during the WBC, I’m sure some team will offer him a minor league deal. Maybe even the Yankees.

Littell among top “control” prospects

A few weeks ago Matt Eddy put together a list of the best “control” prospects in the minors. In this case control is not referring to the ability to throw strikes. FIP is based on three things the pitcher controls: strikeouts, walks, and home runs. Eddy removed strikeouts and examined the best prospects at limiting walks and homers, and he also threw in the ability to hold runners for good measure. Zack Littell ranked third on his list.

Of the dozen prospects traded by the Mariners this offseason, Littell looks like one of the more promising. The Yankees acquired the 21-year-old North Carolina prep in a straight-up trade for lefty reliever James Pazos. Littell brings a cerebral approach to the mound, which helps his high-spin fastball and above-average breaking ball play up.

I’m still amazed the Yankees were able to get a solid starting pitcher prospect for Pazos, who throws hard and doesn’t do much else. Littell did not make my top 30 prospects list but Baseball America ranked him 24th in the system in their 2017 Prospect Handbook. The Yankees managed to use the industry’s obsession with lefties and velocity to turn Pazos and Justin Wilson into three pretty nice young arms at a time when reliable starters are hard to find and not cheap to acquire. Neat.

Wednesday Links: Rothschild, CBA, Steinbrenner, YES

October 5, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

At noon today, Brian Cashman will hold his annual end-of-season State of the Yankees press conference. These things rarely bring major news — usually the only announcements are coaching changes — but Cashman is very candid by GM standards, so it’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say about the 2016 season and the team going forward. Until then, here are some links and bits of news to check out.

Rothschild hopes to return in 2017

The contract of pitching coach Larry Rothschild expired after the season, and he told Dan Martin he hopes to return in 2017. “We’ll see what happens,” said Rothschild. This is probably one of the things Cashman will discuss at today’s press conference. Rothschild has been New York’s pitching coach since the 2011 season, and since then the Yankees lead all AL teams in pitching WAR. They’re third among all 30 clubs.

Of course, evaluating a pitching coach (or any coach) is not nearly as simple as looking at WAR. I said what I had to say about Rothschild last month. I think the vast majority of the team’s pitching issues stem from their obsession with raw stuff over command and refinement. The Yankees have now missed the playoffs three times in the last four years, and they’ve replacing their hitting coach each of the last two offseasons. It wouldn’t surprise me if Rothschild is let go in a scapegoat move. We’ll see.

Manfred hopeful new CBA will be done soon

While speaking to reporters over the weekend, commissioner Rob Manfred said he is hopeful MLB and the MLBPA will finalize the new Collective Bargaining Agreement soon after the end of the postseason, according to Bob Nightengale and Ben Nicholson-Smith. “Both parties still have significant issues on the table,” said Manfred, who added this is not a “rip the agreement up, start over type of negotiation.”

I’m not in any way worried about a work stoppage — revenue is at an all-time high and both sides have too much to lose — though I am curious to see how the new CBA changes free agent compensation, the draft, and international free agency. My guess is the IFA system is changed pretty drastically. I don’t think MLB likes teams making a mockery of the system, like the Yankees did with their 2014-15 signing spree. Either way, change is on the horizon.

Steinbrenner among ten on Today’s Game Era ballot

Earlier this week, the Hall of Fame announced the ten-person Today’s Game Era ballot, according to the Associated Press. Among the ten are former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. The Boss was previously up for Hall of Fame election through the Expansion Era committee, though he didn’t receive enough votes. The Today’s Game committee will announce their voting results during the Winter Meetings in December. Twelve of 16 votes are needed for induction.

The Hall of Fame restructured their voting committees recently — the Veterans and Expansion Era committees are no more, and have been replaced by the Today’s Game (1988-present), Modern Baseball (1970-87), Golden Days (1950-69), and Early Baseball (1871-1949) committees — and the new ones meet every few years. Steinbrenner, who I think should be in the Hall of Fame, is on the Today’s Game ballot with Mark McGwire, Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella, John Schuerholz, and Bud Selig.

YES ratings down in 2016

Surprise surprise: YES Network ratings were down this past season, according to Eben Novy-Williams. YES averaged approximately 218,000 viewers per game in 2016, down from roughly 233,000 per game last year, as best I can tell. Part of that is the squabble with Comcast; Comcast stopped carrying YES this year because they didn’t want to pay the rights fee. There are 900,000 or so Comcast subscribers in the Tri-State Area and I’m sure more than a few are Yankees fans.

From 2002-11, the first decade of the YES era, the network averaged about 400,000 viewers per game. Interest has waned in recent years thanks to some retirements (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, etc.) and non-playoff seasons. Novy-Williams says SNY had higher ratings than YES for the first time ever this season — SNY averaged a little less than 264,000 viewers per game in 2016 — which isn’t surprising given the Comcast issue and the fact the Mets went to the World Series a year ago.