Tommy John surgery is more common than it used to be and recovery is alittle easier. Don't get me wrong, it's major surgery, but there have been advances and it's very interesting.
It's also interesting that so many players have had Tommy John over the last decade. We just told you all about David Phelps of the Mariners. Now there's news about former Yankee prospect Jacob Lindgren. Atlantic Journal Constitution writes:
(Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
"The Braves had high hopes for Jacob Lindgren after poaching the strikeout-producing left-hander from the Yankees in December 2016, but his future appears uncertain now after requiring a second elbow surgery in a 19-month span.
The 25-year-old Mississippi native developed elbow soreness early in spring training and had Tommy John surgery Tuesday performed by Dr. James Andrews at his clinic outside Pensacola, Fla."
Don't forget, Lindgren already had Tommy John in 2016. It's crazy, but it happens. I just hope he fully recovers. You never want to see that happen.
It's unfortunate that it happened, but it looks like James Kaprielian is going under the knife. We just wrote about Kap the other day in our BYB piece BAD LUCK BASEBALL: KAPRIELIAN HAS A SETBACK. Now we have the official word. God Dammit, man!
"Yankees’ pitching prospect James Kaprielian will be having Tommy John surgery on Tuesday... The Yankees said Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery on the right-hander, who is ranked as the team’s No. 6 overall prospect and No. 1 pitching prospect, according to MLB.com. "
Now we obviously hope Kap will come out of this fine, but remember Jacob Lindgren? That's all I thought about when news broke about Kaprielian. Highly touted prospect who ends up souring in the Yankee brass minds. I hate that! But the bottom line is you gotta worry about Tommy John, even though the surgery happens more and more each season. Bottom line, it's still major surgery.
I hope the dude's OK. We all love this kid over here at BYB. We just want him to be back, and healthy!
Right around this time of year, it's insane. Right now there is so much going on in my family as they are becoming older, more mature, and of course the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, my work schedule and the burst of both very busy Yankee news... and then nothing news. Trust me when I tell you, BYB was looking all over the place since this morning to try and find a few nice nuggets to report about in the Yankee world. But we didn't find anything, or should I say, anything too important to report. And so, for a bit today, BYB was silent.
When that happens, and yes, it's rare here at BYB... I think it's always good to just hold a forum of my grievances and/or happiness about this year and our rich past and all that we have accomplished and love. More than that, it's about perspective. And so, there are a variety of things going on, we wanted to share. Check it out...
I was touched by these photos coming to me from Australia the other day from my bud Joey Moses and his lady Samantha who recently were at a Sydney Blue Sox baseball game. Of course, Bleeding Yankee Blue represents because Joey never lets me down.
You gotta love that in 6 years, the BYB brand is slowing creeping around the globe. It's refreshing and it's a wonderful thing to see.
Thanks Joey!
We are family. I know it seems ridiculous, but it was my intention at the beginning of this Bleeding Yankee Blue thing. I promised the reader that we weren't gonna be another Sabermetrics Yankee site and debate stats and all that crap on the regular. I mean sure, we do tackle statistics once in a while. BYB Contributor Ike Dimitriadis loves to do it, and I let him because he's one of the best at presenting it. And BYB newbie Barry Millman does it, but again... he handles it in a manner that isn't overwhelming and nerdy.
Over this past year we have made donations to a few organizations, even schools trying to help out the less fortunate with the little we have here. I even just shipped off a package to a school in New York of BYB gear... wristbands... just to keep kids smiling around this time of year.
I am hoping @CANiPETTITTE will expand on that in a story about our good deed and we'll publish the story here on BYB for all of you to read real soon.
We've seen high level Yankee writers move on t his year. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Read IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL LIFE, MARK FEINSAND) and Wally Matthews bolted ESPN for NY Sports Day.
(Aug. 11, 2016 - Source: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images North America)
We saw "Munson--like" Brian McCann not be so "Munson-like" and end up in Houston... both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira finally retired, and we watched Aroldis Chapman leave New York, win the whole damn thing with the Cubs, and then re-sign with the Yankees for a whole lot of money. Life's good, huh?
You, the reader saw BYB slow down with news items once in a while, only to speed up again, and part of that is utter exhaustion between my writers and I as well as our busy life schedules getting in the way of our work here at BYB. But through all of it, we are still here for you no matter what... on social networks, Facebook, Twitter. Hell, some of you have my cell. That's true bonding between BYB and our readers. We love you! Don't ever forget that.
Bleeding Yankee Blue has gone over the hump this year. I actually think it happened 2 years ago, but for us right now, I have seen a change for the better. You are wearing our items, even going as far as buying for Christmas for loved ones. We are also happy to report that we're being carried at variety of important places on the web. I just gotta give them all a quick shout out:
Sportspyder.com. Thanks for the help. We are featured there quite often and we love the work they do. Hell, sometimes we even find news items there. A great go-to.
Bleeding Yankee Blue started the BYB Hub 2 years ago, and while not insanely popular it's getting there. That's a one stop shop of all the Yankee and baseball news. We have Section 36, Notes from the Sally, Bullpen, Baseball & Sock Talk and the Traveling Baseball Babes as well. All non-Yankee sites, but specific sites all involving baseball. We have plenty Yankee stuff on there as well. It's a terrific young site, but special to me because it truly gives the beginner sports blogger a chance to be read. It's a long process to get popular, but things are slowly happening and I'm proud of that creation.
(Tim Holle | Brevard County Manatees)
One of the more incredible things we have seen since BYB's birth in September 2010 is the transformation of old to young. The Yankees have some gems in our farm system. Clint Frazier. Justus Sheffield. Gleyber Torres. We saw kids like Jacob Lindgren catch a bad break and be let go.... and we watched Ty Hensley get signed by the Tampa Bay Rays. And while all this change is tough to keep up with as fans, I've been pretty clear about what it means. I try to help give my thoughts to these young players and help give my opinion, getting into the heads of these youngsters...like Ty for instance.
With every team, no matter where they are, it's about opportunity. I see it in my own 14 year old. He's gone from team to team trying to find the right one. He finally did and is valuable for who he plays for now. But it's about timing too. Look at Hensley. Ty's had a few tough breaks... but Ty Hensley's a hardcore dedicated worker. He will succeed. Granted, it didn't happen fast with him with the Yanks, but there is no question it will with the Rays. The Rays NEED him... the Yankees have layers, and it's much harder to break in. It's about making it, not the uniform.
Ultimately, change is a wonderful thing. No, not at the time it happens. When you are thrown change and not ready for it, it can sometimes be overwhelming. But sitting back and taking a deep breath and seeing opportunity... you decide right then what the plan is... and then you execute. Hey, do you think when BYB started back in 2010 I thought we would become what we have now? I never imagined it and the transition and evolution was scary, but the reality is, kindness, hard work and friendship always wins, and when you look at our body of work today... the interaction, the love of the game, the Yankees and each other... it's no wonder we are as successful as we are. It's amazing actually.
This holiday season has been insane for us at BYB this year, personally and publicly. We're trying to keep you up to date on any new Yankee moves, we're still trying to give you updates as large or small as they are, we're trying to cut through the B.S. but still balancing our lives.
Right around this time of year, we're all busy, even you guys! That's because we're all human and many of us have loved one, or children in our lives. In short, we're like all of you. We have to do alittle shopping for the family, we're visiting friends, getting our kid's lists to Santa prepared and shipped off and trying to enjoy our families alittle more than usual. It's the Holiday season. It's what you do, it's what you SHOULD do. Again, you need to sometimes put life in perspective. The holiday season is a great time to do that.
My kids and I have tried to have some family time. We must of watched ELF about 18 times in the past 2 weeks. We find it equally hysterical every time we watch it.
We've gone to the batting cages, the movies, bowling... and in between that I'm trying to shop, write alittle, get a dinner date with my wife, ALONE and still manage to work and make alittle money. The pressure is enormous. My youngest even drew that picture above. While it's supposed to say, 'I went to the batting cages', the picture says it all with that drawn smile, and that makes me happy.
The point is, BYB is about humanity, family, love, conversation and yes, the New York Yankees... all of that. Thankfully we have an audience that does what we do and gets it, and so, if there is no real Yankee news, maybe we take a day off, kind of like today. This allows me to hold court for 5 minutes and rattle off some stuff that's on my mind. I won't shy away from what we do here and it's refreshing that on a day like today, a rainy raw Sunday in the Tri-State area, I can sit here with a fire going and a glass of wine (yup, it's Sunday after 1pm and I'm drinking a glass of wine) and write for you. It's America, I have the right to express myself... and hopefully, you will read and enjoy it.
The Yankees will always be apart of this site. No one is changing that... but it's clear as you read through this post that we're expanding big time. We have new friends, new writers, new ideas. We're not shying away from the old us, but we're adding and it's great.
Hell, every year we get new photos of you guys loving and supporting BYB. Here's our friend Nicole Hart...
Yet, we still have some of the old classics of when we first started. Here's Mikal and Doug.
BYB is a family. A true BLUE family, and it's a place for news and commentary, even when there ISN'T Yankee news. Even when all of us are mad busy to write or read or really sit still for a few seconds. No matter... Bleeding Yankee Blue is always here.
Thanks for letting me ramble today. I am reporting that today, there's not much going on in the Yankee Universe, so we kept it light. You wanna know how light? My youngest kids are sitting in the bay window waiting for Santa Claus to slowly pass by our house in a fire truck, stop, walk up to the door and deliver a few candy canes.
That's Americana right there... that's Norman Rockwell... that's joy and happiness and yes... that's family. And for me, this holiday season, that's putting life in perspective. I love every minute of this time of year.
More stories tomorrow... a slight day off for all of us today.
As always, thank you for supporting us at Bleeding Yankee Blue. Thank you for reading us, sharing up and loving us. We love you too.
Thank you for being the best family ever.
--Robert Casey BYB Chief, Managing Editor & Head Writer @BleednYankeeBlu
This is a new report and it's interesting, but hey, this is the game. Sometimes teams have high hopes and sometimes those hopes have nothing to do with anything, it's just a roster spot situation. I know, you're mad confused right now. Don't worry, we're BYB, we'll explain everything.
We have some news on hopeful Jacob Lindgren. Apparently he was non-tendered.
Bryan Hoch writes: "The Yankees resolved two of their potential non-tender situations this week with the outright releases of right-hander Nathan Eovaldiand infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley,
and they settled their business in advance of Friday's 8 p.m. ET
deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players by
declining to offer a deal to left-hander Jacob Lindgren, who appeared in seven games with New York as a reliever in 2015."
So, for some of you, you have no idea what that means. MLBTradeRumors.com explains it wonderfully for all of you that don't get "non-tendered":
"To tender a player a contract is to offer a contract, but non-tenders
refer to a specific kind of offer: offers of arbitration. Rules and
precedent shape the kind of salary a player can expect through
arbitration, and players under team control usually get raises through
the process....Teams might choose to non-tender a player if they don’t have 40-man roster spots to spare or they view players as injury risks."
And notice that last part: "...don't have 40-man roster spots to spare or they view players as injury risks."
That is exactly the thinking when it came to Jacob Lindgren. And so, that's where we are.
(In Photo: Jacob Lindgren) Over the course of the year we here at BYB have had the pleasure of speaking with Coach Steve Hayward from Baseball Health Network, Mike Cocco, a long time expert in baseball training and preparation and other very knowledgeable baseball minds regarding arm health and maintenance. Check out our stories in the SAVING ARMS Series:
Anyway, as we approach the end of the fall baseball season, I was able to speak with Coach Hayward again to discuss some fall and off-season maintenance for young throwers around the country.
Fall ball is a different season than the spring and summer. It is more of a developmental kind of season. Some players are making transitions from the 50x70 to the 60x90 diamond while others prepare for high school level ball or their junior and senior years where they could have college eyes on them. With that being more a developmental thing, Coach Hayward mentioned some points to focus on.
We, as coaches, have to assure we don’t overuse and abuse our young players. The Little Leaguers making the transition to the 60x90 field have to be monitored closely. Pitching from 46 and 60 are two very different animals. Many of the youngsters pitching on the big diamond for the first time likely pitched quite a bit over the spring and summer months on the 60’ diamond. They are going to struggle and get fatigued and we have to make sure we are vigilant of that. Their bodies are not accustomed to it and it can cause some arm issues. They just aren’t prepared to be worked like they were on the smaller diamond yet.
As for the older kids, we have to make sure we have good discussions with them. How much did they throw over the spring? What about the summer? If they threw a lot of innings, then in the fall they should throw less, bottom line! Coach Hayward suggests about a 30 pitch bullpen, followed by one inning. At that point assess the situation, ask how they feel and if they are up to it, have them go throw another simulated type inning in the bullpen. Seriously.
For the players who were, say, the number four or five starters on their teams and didn’t amass a lot of innings, the fall is a good time for them to get some work and continue their development as they try and earn more time going into next year. Coaches can be aggressive with these pitchers since they aren’t at the same risk due to a lesser workload over the course of the year.
For all pitchers, the fall should be a time to work on your weaknesses, not your strengths. Coach Hayward tells his pitchers to throw their fastball and their weakest pitch, whatever that may be, and that’s it. The fall is a great time to develop your other pitches. Just getting the feel for a pitch like the change-up in situations that aren’t as serious can help lead to confidence and effectiveness in the pitch for the next season and beyond.
As the winter approaches, especially for us in the north, we won’t be able to play outdoors anymore. At this point the players do need some rest. Bodies and arms need a break to recover from the long season.
But that doesn’t mean stop throwing. In fact, throwing is good, but you have to know the intensity. Coach Hayward suggests frequent throwing but at a lower intensity. He compared it to walking, jogging and sprinting. We want to walk and jog, get loose and work on mechanics and feel, but now is not the time to ‘sprint’. The exception to this rule would be for players who are attending winter showcases. For the showcases they need to be physically ready so Hayward suggests letting loose once a week.
For pitchers, 50-75% intensity bullpens are good for maintenance. Hayward firmly believes in that and feels many players don’t do it enough. For many young players, they also play fall or winter sports. For those players, making 60-70 throws a couple times a week is good to keep the arm in sufficient shape for the following season. That could encompass simply 24 reps each of 30 foot throws, 40 foot throws and 50 foot throws. Coach Hayward also stressed ensuring the players use their legs and do four to five foot shuffles each repetition. Nothing too strenuous but repetition is important.
The winter is also a great time to hit the gym, especially for the high school aged players and older. For younger players 13 and younger, they should stay focused on being active in general. Coach Hayward takes his young sons to the park and sets up obstacle courses on a playground and has them have friendly competitions. They have fun and it’s competitive but it’s not in a gym. That’s just an example he used. Younger players lifting weights is not my expertise so I’d leave that up to the professionals.
A strong core and legs are essential to stamina for athletes, and in our case, pitchers. A solid workout regimen should be incorporated in the off-season to build strength as compared to in season which should be for maintenance.
For those of us who coach, we have to assure we are aware of injury risk factors and proper training for our young athletes. Coach Hayward and his partner Yankees team Doctor, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, have been working tirelessly to build their site Baseball Health Network. Personally I check out a lot of BHN material. A broad range of knowledge and preparation is key to preparing our athletes for the future.
By having the proper knowledge we can set our kids up for success by getting ahead of the injuries as Coach Hayward likes to say. Most of our players won’t go pro, many won’t play sports in college but all of the players we coach have long lives ahead of them and by keeping them as healthy as possible, we are being the best coaches we can be.
Thanks to Coach Hayward for taking the time!
--Dan Lucia, BYB Senior Writer Follow me on Twitter:@DManLucia
Almost all of the splash in the offseason has had to do with the bullpen, specifically the closer role. With the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman, the back end of the Yankees bullpen is the best in baseball bar none. Despite the Chapman suspension, presumed interim closer Andrew Miller and 8th inning guy Dellin Betances still present a formidable presence late in games. It's a sharp contrast to the starting rotation, where a lot of attention - the wrong kind - has been paid over the winter. Whatever happens with the starters, there is still that bridge to the closer that looks a little curious to me right now.
Ivan Nova looks to be the Yankees most reliable pitcher not originally slated to be in the rotation. He threw three scoreless innings against the Mets to follow a decent performance against Philly the week before. He could be a good setup man, if not for Joe Girardi's statement that CC Sabathia will have to earn his spot in the rotation. I love CC, but he is the only starter not performing well this spring. You don't make a statement like Girardi did without having a plan as to who would replace him. To me, Nova would be the obvious choice. Not to mention that he's first in line in case someone gets hurt, and that seems to be an eventuality.
The bullpen starts to degrade once you look past Nova. Chasen Shreve is the probably the last left-handed reliever left after the recent cuts. He is having a spectacular spring so far. Nevertheless, he gave the Yankees reason to question his ability last year, so he is a question mark. James Pazos was seen as a good replacement for Justin Wilson after the trade, be he has not looked good and was cut. I had high hopes for Jacob Lindgren as a lefty bullpen power guy. After needing surgery last year, he had a dreadful first start to his spring. He looked decent in his next two starts before being cut, and he may be an option later this season if he can get better control of his pitches.
The right-handed side of the bullpen looks a little better, with Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, and Branden Pinder presenting as good options. I should include Bryan Mitchell on this list, but I see him as more of a 7th starter. See my comments above about Ivan Nova. With this rotation, it's not so crazy to plan for seven. Nevertheless, they all had a good spring. If they can keep up this level of performance throughout 2016, they should provide some stability to the pitching staff.
To me, this bullpen reminds of a team in a developing year. You have some very talented but very young players who are going to get their feet wet this season. Getting their feet wet is a euphemism for "they will be terrible at times but they will learn and they will become great." So I expect some turbulence in this space, but if you're looking long-term, this should be a good pen.
Obviously this is a routine every year around this time. Youngsters come to Spring Training, they get the work in with the veterans and usually there are players that will get "cut" and essentially all it means is they are cut from camp and reassigned. Don't panic...
I was never a pro prospect. I was scouted by several colleges, mostly D-3, and played for a couple years but I didn't hit enough to be a real solid college ball player. I had a fantastic high school coach was taught by some great baseball people over my years. I even coach with several great coaches now and learn on a daily basis. But what I would give to spend an hour, a day, a week or an entire spring with the Yankees and their coaches and instructors.
Every year the Yankees bring in special instructors to help the youngsters, and veterans for that matter, prepare for the grueling season and help the Yankees get a return on investment. I see stories and pictures and videos of former stars coming in to help and if I were a prospect, I'd be in awe and would soak up every ounce of content thrown at me.
The entire core four has helped out with spring training over the past few years with Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter making appearances. Jeter even has a special get together called The Captains Camp where he talks to and instructs young players on how to be get to the Major Leagues and how to stay there. It doesn't get much better than that!
Ron Guidry is in camp this year and was photographed recently working with fellow lefty Jacob Lindgren. Guidry, who some think should be a Hall of Famer after compiling a 170-91 record with a 3.21 from 1975-1988, brings a wealth of experience to the table, not only as a pitcher but also as a guy who spent his entire career with the Yankees. Any developing pitcher should do their damndest to shadow him while he is in camp.
Even El Duque was seen in the bullpen recently, supposedly observing, but I would assume he had some feedback for some of the youngsters. Vets, such as Carlos Beltran, also act as instructors and mentors to some, in particular Aaron Judge, who the vet asked to have his locker next to. The list of people helping out goes on and on.
As a young prospect trying to work your way up the organizational chain, a young veteran or even a vet who may be winding down his career, listening to these former stars would be a huge bonus to everyday instruction. Not only is getting to the Bigs is a tall task, so is staying there and adapting to yourself as you get older. A player will not be as quick and able to naturally do what they did at 25 when he is 35. Adjustments and regimens become more important, in my opinion, at that point.
Up and coming stars like Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, James Kaprielian and others need to take the next six or so weeks to soak up info and learn how they can get their game to the next level and how they can help the Bombers win their next title.
While I'm no longer looking to play the game I love, I do want to continue to improve as a coach and a person. So if anyone has the hook up to get me into Spring Training at Steinbrenner Field, let me know. I'll buy the first round afterward. But for the young men in the clubhouse, the quality of instruction could not be better.
