THE YANKEES: WHO WILL START VS. WHO SHOULD START

The Infield

OK, so it’s not even the New Year yet, but the Yankees off-season is in full swing with the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman in exchange for the club’s future at third base and a cast of other youngsters.  With the current roster, I thought we’d take a look at who projects to be starting at each position (given manager Joe Girardi’s mindset, and GM Brian Cashman’s directives), and who SHOULD be starting.  This article will focus on the infield.

With the exception of jettisoning the dead-weight (you all know who I mean) the team had most of the season at second base, the Yankees infield should look pretty much the same.

CATCHER - Who Girardi Will Start

Coming off one of his most productive seasons where he ranked 1st in home runs, 2nd in RBI, and 3rd in runs scored at the catching position, Brian McCann is the unquestioned starting backstop for the Bombers.  In spite of hitting just .232 for the second straight season, McCann remains one of the best offensive forces at his position.  In addition, he ranks among the very best in MLB at framing pitches behind the plate, and is widely respected for handling the constantly changing Yankee rotation.  With the loss of J.R. Murphy, McCann’s days off will result in either Austin Romine or highly-touted prospect Gary Sanchez manning the catching spot.  Romine has yet to prove he can handle the bat very well in “the show”, while Sanchez hasn’t made an appearance in the sport’s highest level.

Who should start?

Without a doubt, until either Romine or Sanchez can demonstrate that they will provide something more, McCann should be the Yankees backstop.

FIRST BASE – Who Girardi Will Start

Mark Teixeira will turn 36 this season, and will be playing his 14th year in MLB.  Over the previous 13 campaigns, “Tex” has managed to play in 150 or more games just six times, and has not participated in more than 123 games in any season since 2011.  In short, the Yankees just cannot depend on him to be a consistent presence in the lineup.  Yet, they will for one more season (his contract finally expires at the end of 2016).  This isn’t to say that when Teixeira is healthy, he is not productive - he is.  Last year in 111 games, the first baseman hit 31 home runs and drove in 79.  That would have translated to 45 round-trippers and 115 RBI over 162 games.  Unfortunately, 162 games is just a pipe dream for the man at first.  To think that it could ever happen again for Tex would be simply ludicrous.  I am sure that Girardi will limit Teixeira to six games a week – at most – in the field, but even that number may be too many.  Face it; he simply can’t handle the everyday wear and tear anymore.  Greg Bird, the Triple A prospect brought up to fill in at first base once Teixeira had his annual breakdown, produced at nearly the same rate as his mentor.  In 46 games, Bird hit 11 hr and drove in 31 RBI.  Projected out, that’s 38 bombs and 109 RBI in 162 games.  In addition, Bird’s average was .261 – six points higher than Tex’s.  So, Bird will at least make for a solid backup this coming season, right?  Wrong.  GM/Lineup director Cashman has already decreed that Bird will play this season back at Scranton (the Triple-A affiliate).  So, the team is left with McCann, A-Rod, or Chase Headley as the backup first basemen in 2016.

Who should start?

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Bird should be the starter.  That is unrealistic.  As I pointed out, Teixeira remains productive when he is in the lineup.  Instead, what I think the MANAGER should do is split play at first between Tex and Bird every week.  If you want to keep Teixeira in the lineup, then put him at DH – yeah, I know the team is loaded with over-priced, over-aged veteran DH’s, but Tex would be the most productive of the group.  Teixera is a proven commodity in the field and still flashes some of the talent that won him the gold glove five times over the course of his career.  Minimize his wearing down by minimizing his full-time play.  Bird has shown he’s quite capable of handling MLB competition both at the plate and in the field, and he is the future of this team at the position.  It’s time we started incorporating him.  Of course, our manager is nothing more than a figure-head – much like the Queen of England.  Until the General Manager allows it to happen, what SHOULD be done likely won’t be.

SECOND BASE – Who Girardi Will Start

I have made it no secret over the past two seasons as to what I felt about Brian Cashman’s choice for starting second baseman.  The bottom line is that he signed an over-rated, past his prime, non-productive veteran for a position where it wasn’t needed.  Down the stretch – in games that mattered most to the Yankees – Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley proved what a colossal waste Stephen Drew was.  I’m not really sure what Cashman has against Refsnyder.  All the rookie did was hit .385 and play flawless defense in those final two weeks.  He played so well that Manager Joe Girardi made him the starter for the playoff game against Houston.  Yet, here we are in another off-season, and once again, Cashman has decided the team needed someone else to play the position.  I will give the GM this; the player he has brought on board – Starlin Castro – is younger with a much, much higher ceiling than the GM’s obsession, Stephen Drew.  Does Castro represent an upgrade over Refsnyder and Ackley?  Only slightly in the field, and not at the plate but, as I said, there is a high ceiling and I’m holding out hope that Castro sticks.  He will be the starter for the Yankees except for an occasional platoon (Girardi LOVES Platooning, regardless of results) with Ackley.  Refsnyder will either be traded or relegated to Triple-A Scranton until they can off-load him – and I consider that an epic shame.

Who should start?

At this point, with Castro on board, it only makes sense that he get the playing time he needs at second and be allowed to grow into the position – an opportunity that Refsnyder has never been afforded.  Ackley has shown he’s a solid player and that Yankee Stadium suits him well, so it too makes sense that he remains in the mix.

THIRD BASE - Who Girardi Will Start

31-year-old Chase Headley had the lowest on-base percentage of his career (.324), the lowest home run total of any year where he’s played at least 150 games, the lowest OBP of his career (excluding the 8 games he played when first called up by the Padres in 2007) and the most errors (23) of his career.  Not exactly a year that Chase will want to remember.  He remains signed through 2018, so he’ll be the guy that trots out to the hot corner on Opening Day.

Who should start?

The deal to get Aroldis Chapman included the only legitimate prospect to play third base for the Yankees in the future – Eric Jagielo.  With him out of the picture, Headley has to be the guy manning third.  Who his backup will be is anyone’s guess.

SHORTSTOP – Who Girardi Will Start

I saved shortstop for last because the guy who will play the position most of this coming season is quickly becoming one of my favorites – Didi Gregorius.  The 25-year-old is a slick fielding, hard-throwing player with a great work ethic and high ceiling.  His Yankee career had a rough start, but over the second half of the 2015 campaign, he was arguably the best fielder and best hitter in the everyday lineup.  He had perhaps the most difficult task of any Yankee – following Derek Jeter – and didn’t allow it to swallow him up.  He conducted himself with class, and ignored the early season critics while working himself into one of the best shortstops in MLB.  He looks to be a fixture at short for years to come in the Bronx.

Who should start?

Without question, Gregorius should (and will) be running out to the shortstop position every day.  For an occasional rest, Girardi will move Castro to the spot and play Ackley at second.  I would not be surprised to see Didi eventually move up in the order as he continues to progress at the plate.  He gives this team energy that some of Cashman’s tired veterans lack, and I predict the youngster will one day be this team’s leader on and off the field.

That’s it for the look around the infield, up next we’ll give our view of the outfielders.

We welcome your opinions and comments, and as always, thank you for your support of BYB.


    
--Steve Skinner, 
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


    

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub.

THE DODGERS ARE LEFTY LOCO!

Stop the presses, because I think the baseball world has seen a new version of insanity. I like unconventional methods and I am a fan of the idea of "trying anything once" but the Dodgers new strategy is either going to make them look like a bunch of amateurs or revolutionary geniuses. Only time will tell....

The Dodgers just signed left hander Scott Kazmir, and we wrote about the idea of signing Kazmir earlier this week in A LEFTY PITCHER WE NEED TO CONSIDER. The Yankees are definitely lacking that second lefty and while we could start the season with CC Sabathia as out only left handed pitcher, the Dodgers could have a FIVE MAN ROTATION with nothing but lefties. Hey Dodgers, quit being so greedy!

It's a crazy idea, and one that could be disastrous. I think about all of the stadiums in the NL West, mostly Chase Field in Arizona which is my backyard. It's definitely more hitter friendly and after watching the damage that a power righty could do against an all lefty rotation could quickly hurt the Dodgers.

I can already see Paul Goldschmidt launch a bomb to the left side of Chase Field. The Dodgers are probably going to have to make some adjustments, otherwise home games are going to be "must win" for them.

I tip my cap to the Dodgers though to try and be strategic here....but has this ever been done? It has, and we actually had success with an all lefty rotation back in 1983. We hold the highest number of starts with an all lefty rotation with 127 out of 162. Surprisingly, we still won 91 games but finished third in the division. So we have shown that it can be done, but a lot has changed since 1983.

Back in 1975 the Chicago White Sox also had a lefty heavy rotation and started 120 games this way. The White Sox aren't afraid of pitching with a bunch of lefties, after all they are tied for third of all time for lefty starters according to baseball-reference.com.

So maybe the Dodgers aren't completely crazy, but the game has changed so much over the years. It will be interesting to see how things change once Brandon McCarthy rejoins the team mid season from his injury. Then again, maybe this is a ploy for them to make a trade. Think about it, the Dodgers have a staff full of lefties, maybe then can use one as trade bait for a right hander. Maybe a team like the Yankees could make things interesting here.

Not to get too crazy here but maybe it could happen. We need a lefty, and the Dodgers need some righties. We have plenty of those. Would you be willing to give up someone on our staff for say....Scott Kazmir?

Do I think the Dodgers are crazy? Yes. Two of their rival teams have hitter friendly ball parks so that is a lot of strategy and pressure to perform on the road. I don't see or understand what the Dodgers are trying to do here if they indeed intend to keep an all lefty rotation. What do you think?


   

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 

 


You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter@BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

DREW SIGNS WITH NATIONALS & SKINNER IS HAPPY

Many in the Yankee universe are happy right now, but BYB writer Steve Skinner is the happiest.  Stephen Drew is out of the Bronx officially and is signing with the Washington Nationals.

According to the Washington Post, "Tuesday night...the Nationals agreed to a one year deal with 32 year old infielder Stephen Drew..."

If you are Steve Skinner right now, you're running around the house with your New Year's Eve horns blowing and throwing confetti everywhere.  Drew is a National... NOT a Yankee... and life is good.

Good luck to Drew.  I personally didn't dislike you as a player as much as many, but I'm definitely happier that you're no longer in New York.  Best of luck.

I mean that.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter@BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

BULLPENS RULE THE ROOST IN TODAY'S GAME

With the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman, the New York Yankees have placed themselves on MLB's bullpens' A-list for the 2016 season.  According to our post CHAPMAN COMPLETES THE ULTIMATE BULLPEN, "This trade is huge, giving the Yankees Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller as what is arguably the best back end of the bullpen in all of baseball. The best part of the trade is the Yankees did not give up any top-ranked “untouchable” rookies in the process." Shortly after our post hit Twitter, my inbox was filled with fans' opinions on Chapman's addition to the squad.

@snydesn2 said: "I was surprised (about Chapman); Yanks had back end of pen stabilized with Miller and Bet."  

@GreedyStripes said: "Betances is more valuable in 6th or 7th believe it or not." @suzieprof (me), "Like people are saying, starters only last five innings." 

Followed by @snydesn2: "If things stay status quo and you keep all 3, it's a five inning game for sure."

Welcome to winning in baseball in 2016, folks!

According to MLB's Bryan Hoch, "Chapman is set to join left-hander Andrew Miller and right-hander Dellin Betances in the late innings, giving the Yankees the top three strikeout relievers in the Majors and setting up a trio that could significantly shorten games next season." Yankee GM Brian Cashman is boasting a more exciting bullpen than last year.  Is Cashman actually being innovative? Not entirely. We may just being going back to the formula we created back in the late 1990s. Yet, this time, it's just a little bit different. This next generation of pitching is poised to preserve starters because of their high price tags and pitch counts in order to create a monster bullpen to carry teams into the later innings.

"Whether the responsibility is to cover the seventh inning or the ninth, or to induce a ground ball or retire left-handed slugger, today's bullpens are full of relievers who are assigned roles that come into play multiple times throughout every week of the long season," stated Mark Bowman in a piece for MLB.com back in 2009.  His point is well taken as today's game of specialists in the bullpen continues to evolve.

Although scouting and the acquisition of at least one left-handed bullpen specialist has been common for multiple years, the demands placed upon relievers on a nightly basis have consistently increased.  Gone are the days when Hall of Famers Bruce Sutter and Rich "Goose" Gossage made multi-inning saves.  Now we call on closers to force three or four outs.

Joe Torre stated that "in '96 with the Yankees, that was like not managing at all with [Mariano] Rivera and [John] Wetteland. Years ago, you didn't have a setup man."  You didn't need one when you had guys like Goose waiting in the wings so to speak.  But, not always.  Later in Goose's career you had a different formula evolving into the one we have now.  

According to a NY Times article in 2000, "Few teams can afford to pay top dollars for a closer and two setup men, the way the Yankees have (with the Mike Stanton-Jeff Nelson-Mariano Rivera combo). Sparky Lyle could not coexist with Goose Gossage in the late 1970's, the team of Gossage and Ron Davis broke apart in the early 1980's, and the dynamic Cincinnati Reds trio of Randy Myers, Rob Dibble and Norm Charlton -- the Nasty Boys -- fractured after one incredible season in 1990.

Mel Stottlemyre, the Yankees' pitching coach, said the relievers in the Yankees' bullpen have shaped personal goals into ''the team concept."  'We really have that, probably much more than any team I've been associated with, because they take a lot of pride in their roles','' Stottlemyre said in the same NY Times article.

With multiple options in their bullpens and access to data on match ups, many managers attempt to take advantage of situations that play into their relievers' strengths. And this is what the Yankees hope to do with their next generation of pen dwellers Betances-Chapman-Miller.  Or will it be Chapman-Betances-Miller or will it be.... who knows.  What we do know is that bullpens rule the roost in today's game and we will do whatever works for us as we move into the next generation of pitching in 2016.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter@BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEAM SUPPORT & WIFE BEATING

Most BYB readers know that we are a split shop made up of men and women on our staff.  All smart, all level headed and all brilliant enough to know that what we support here on this Yankee website is not only the New York Yankees, but the idea of good, solid values, family and good, close friends.  But again, we also support the team, in fact, that's how it all started for us.

I reject any notion that because BYB can write an article praising the idea of having a dominant pitcher like Aroldis Chapman in our pen, we are now supporting a wife beater.  Not only is that suggestion ignorant... it's downright wrong.

Aroldis Chapman is a damn good pitcher.  He also allegedly beat his wife.  That's been well documented here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. It's shameful and wrong and we do not accept violence against women in any way.  Every one on my staff knows this, and while some may not approve of Chapman being on our team because of his sketchy past, they do understand that the pitcher is a good one.  There is a difference.  Here's the other part we as a staff can all agree on, including you:

If a suspension is determined by MLB and Chapman needs to serve that suspension, WE APPLAUD THAT AND SUPPORT MLB 100%.  It doesn't matter if Chapman doesn't play...baseball obviously takes a back seat.

So you're wondering..."Why is Casey writing this?"

Well, it's because sometimes ignorant folks like to read headlines and NOT the many, many words that make up an actual article. You see, reading is fascinating... usually there's a story attached to headline.  Usually there is opinion or news attached, but if you only read the headline, you're just not getting the full story.  And if you don't get the full story... and then spew hate... well, you're pretty dumb and I feel bad for you.  Bottom line, I will always fight for my writers because they are truly exceptional.  Not only that, I will always fight for BYB's reputation.  We work too hard for me not too.

So here's a lesson to EVERYONE.  Read everything.  If you see a headline like CHAPMAN COMPLETES THE ULTIMATE YANKEE PEN, also know that if you read BYB, there's a message also in that article about this controversial pitcher:

"There are certainly bumps in the road on this one. Many are talking about his domestic violence incident last October, and with baseball’s new domestic violence policy, he could begin the season on suspension. Under no circumstances do I or do any of our writers condone such actions, and we expect baseball to do the right thing."

Wow! That was in the article? THAT'S AMAZING!! Now read this tool:

@BleednYankeeBlu @aprilmc02 @ZeppieriTony @conniefal @DeniseBarbini @Sassafrantz @jetdom at who's expense? Yankees disrespecting women?

— Kevin Kapfer (@KevinKapfer) December 29, 2015

@BleednYankeeBlu @aprilmc02 @ZeppieriTony @conniefal @DeniseBarbini @Sassafrantz @jetdom Woman beaters aren't heroes like you seem to think.

— Kevin Kapfer (@KevinKapfer) December 29, 2015

@BleednYankeeBlu @aprilmc02 @ZeppieriTony @conniefal @DeniseBarbini @Sassafrantz @jetdom I accuse anyone who looks up to women beaters.

— Kevin Kapfer (@KevinKapfer) December 29, 2015

Sorry reading gives you a headache, Kev. Sorry you couldn't click, are 1 dimensional and uneducated.  Let me be clear;  I do not appreciate folks who don't educate themselves or read everything before attacking me and my staff.  And see...that's the problem with social networks. If you are dumb, if you don't read, most likely... in fact, MOST DEFINITELY you will use Twitter and Facebook incorrectly.  That's what happened here.  I feel bad for this man, although, truth be told, I'm not even sure I can call him that.

To the BYB readers and supporters.  Thanks for getting it.  Thanks for reading and supporting us and understanding what we are all about.  We're about family values, good friends, smart talk and definitely women and respect for all.  To the haters... go away, you're boring and tired at this point.

Thanks for reading and listening to what I needed to get off my chest. I will never stop fighting for good solid values and my writers.  EVER.



-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com 
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu



You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub.

CHAPMAN COMPLETES THE ULTIMATE YANKEE PEN

Welcome to the Yankees, Aroldis Chapman! As BYB announced yesterday - AROLDIS CHAPMAN'S HEADED TO THE BRONX – the Yankees pulled the trigger on a trade that sends pitchers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis, third baseman Eric Jagielo, and second baseman Tony Renda to Cincinnati in return for the man who led the National League in strikeouts for a reliever.

This trade is huge, giving the Yankees Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller as what is arguably the best back end of the bullpen in all of baseball. The best part of the trade is the Yankees did not give up any top-ranked “untouchable” rookies in the process.

Top 3 K/9.0IP Ratios by Relievers in 2015: 1. @AChapman_105 (15.74) 2. @a_miller48 (14.59) 3. @DBetances50 (14.04)

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) December 28, 2015

Chapman has had a phenomenal 6-year career so far. Batters facing him over the course of his career are hitting .154, and in no single season have they hit above .200 against him. Last year, he led the majors in K/9 with 15.74. Going back over the last 3 seasons, that number is 16.34.

He leads the majors over that period, with Andrew Miller coming in second and Dellin Betances third. Over the last two years, he has given up a home run once every 30 innings. The numbers are incredible. When you think about what the end of game scenario looks like for the Yankees, it should be lights out. It’s ironic that we spoke about this scenario last December - COULD WE SNAG AROLDIS CHAPMAN NOW THAT DROB'S GONE? – and we were soundly ridiculed for suggesting it as a possibility. Now the dream scenario has become reality.

Yanks get Chapman and don't give away #ChosenOnes. Nothing bad about this deal. Great move. #BYB was mocked when we said this could happen

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) December 29, 2015

The Yankees gave up 4 good, but not great, rookie prospects. Starting pitcher Rookie Davis was the most highly ranked - #6 on Baseball America’s New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects List. He made it to AA Trenton last year, where he had an ERA of 4.32 and a WHIP of 1.38. Those numbers were comparable to his minor league career numbers. Third baseman Eric Jagielo had a higher ranking last year but has since dropped after reaching AA Trenton. He recorded a batting average of .288 and an OPS of .842, but a .883 fielding percentage dampened the view on him.

Caleb Cotham was a September call up by the Yankees where he amassed a 6.52 ERA and a WHIP of 1.552 and notched his first major league win.  Tony Renda is a second baseman at the AA level who hit .269 last year but became expendable with the Starlin Castro acquisition. We wish all these kids the best of luck, but I am not crying over any of their departures. You shouldn’t either.

There are certainly bumps in the road on this one. Many are talking about his domestic violence incident last October, and with baseball’s new domestic violence policy, he could begin the season on suspension. Under no circumstances do I or do any of our writers condone such actions, and we expect baseball to do the right thing. Once it is settled, we expect this to be about baseball.

You have to applaud Brian Cashman, who has been largely silent this off season on major acquisitions, for pulling this off. The team still has gaps to fill, but we’re in a better position now.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon







You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

The Yankees have acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Reds. This is huge for us. It would give us the top three relievers by strikeouts, in the league.

It seems like an obvious "lights out" situation. But, is there a possibility that this once again leaves Brian Cashman open to anything? There were heavy rumors of the chance that Cashman might try to deal Andrew Miller for a starting pitcher. It seems like if that were ever true, now would be the best time to do it.

Cashman said he is intent on keeping Miller, along with Dellin Betances, and that Chapman is just an addition to our already impressive bullpen.  But one has to wonder, with the tandem of Betances and Miller working so well together last season, what does the addition of Chapman mean for Miller?

Think about it... comment.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804




You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub.

AROLDIS CHAPMAN'S HEADED TO THE BRONX

I just want to put this out there, to get Bleeding Yankee Blue on record to let our audience know that the Reds' Aroldis Chapman has been traded to the New York Yankees for 4 prospects.  Those prospects are Eric Jagielo, Caleb Cotham, Rookie Davis and Tony Renda.  You can read USA Today for more.

We have a huge piece coming out early tomorrow morning by BYB Senior Writer Ike Dimitriadis.  I'm not here to take the thunder away from Ike's piece.  I just wanted to report the news about the trade this evening... and put this story right here...

COULD WE SNAG AROLDIS CHAPMAN NOW THAT DROB'S GONE?

That was written in December 2014.  The first line of the post is this: "Andew Miller, Dellin Betances, Aroldis Chapman. Think about it."

The Yankees did think about it... and the Yankee Bridge just got longer and a helluva lot nastier. 

More with Ike tomorrow... look for it here on BYB.


You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter@BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!