JUSTIN TOPA GOT CALLED UP & I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY

I’ve officially given up trying to understand how the Yankees decide who deserves an opportunity.

Justin Topa is the latest example.

The Yankees called up the veteran reliever ahead of their series with Houston. Topa has looked decent in a handful of innings at Triple-A since joining the organization, so maybe the Yankees see something they like. But there’s one rather large number staring everybody in the face: 8.05. That was Topa’s ERA with Minnesota this season.

And somehow, that gets you a ticket to the Bronx.

This is what I don't understand about the Yankees and their obsession with numbers. They have analytics for everything. They can probably tell you a pitcher's spin rate on a Tuesday night with two outs and a runner on second. But figuring out who actually deserves an opportunity? That's apparently more complicated.

Some Yankees get chance after chance no matter how poorly they perform. Others can produce and seemingly never get a legitimate opportunity. Then somebody carrying an 8.05 ERA comes through the door and the Yankees say, Let's see what we've got.

Maybe Topa pitches lights-out. I hope he does. This isn't a knock on the guy for accepting an opportunity. It's about the Yankees.

For an organization that supposedly lives by the numbers, they sure have a strange way of deciding which numbers actually matter.

I don't get it.

At this point, I'm not sure they do either.