MR. 3000

The warrior took the mound in Arizona likely for the last time in his career.  As CC Sabathia gazed onto the field from the dugout before his first warm up pitch from the mound, I wondered what he was thinking.  I know what I would be thinking. "Just go out there in pitch." It is just that simple for him these days, but Sabathia has risen up against the odds, his addiction, his injuries and pains and he has earned this moment.  Today, the great number 52 has a back door slider and back leg kick in his pitching repertoire, one he re-invented after aging and numerous injuries to his knee.  And now he's in the 3,000 club #CC3K.

Source: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

"Sabathia, who enters the game with 2,997 strikeouts, would become the 17th pitcher in MLB history to reach the mark and only the third left-hander," reported NJ.com.  In perhaps anticipation of 3,000 being an incredible milestone, another notch in his belt and likely a trip to the Hall of Fame, Sabathia just had his stuff last night.  While Zack Greinke picked up his third strikeout by the end of his second inning, CC Sabathia had to wait a bit longer.

Source: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

"For his career the 38-year-old Sabathia owns a 247-153 record and a 3.69 ERA that, when adjusted for era and ballpark, is 17 percent better than league average. He has a very good chance to become only the 13th pitcher in history with 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts at some point in the next few weeks," report CBS Sports.  And 3,000 came to Sabathia last night.  With every pitch, I held my breath, waiting for history to happen.  His first strike out came in the second inning followed by his second strike out.

With his family in the stands, cheering through each pitch, Chase Field seemed more like Yankee Stadium West. Yankee fans chanted "Let's Go Yankees," and willed Sabathia to his 3,000th strikeout, but not before giving up a solo home run to put the Diamondbacks up with a 1-0 lead.  As drama ensued, Sabathia dropped a slider in for his third strikeout of the inning, number 3,000, against former Yankee John Ryan Murphy.

What a night for Yankee fans and for Yankee hero CC Sabathia.  As one fan tweeted in the moment, "Now let's get that guy a ring." CC has been the guy to turn things around for the Yankees and maybe this milestone is just the thing the team needs to get over the hump of a very rocky April into what hopes to be a brighter May.

Amazing! This could not have happened to a more deserving competitor and great guy. BYB Loves CC... and CC loves us back... right here at BYB!

Congrats CC!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

SLADE WILL RISE AGAIN BECAUSE SLADE BELIEVES IN SUCCESS!

I chatted with Slade Heathcott on the phone for nearly an hour. He's a cool cat. Not only that... he's honest, emotional, sincere and most of all, passionate. Passionate about his life, about his son, about baseball and about what's next.  I hope you realize something about this young man. When baseball ended for him... he didn't end. Slade was just getting warmed up.  He's alive and well and ready for his next thing... making a difference.  What you're about to read is the most opened and honest interview we've ever done here at BYB.  And it's provocative. The main topic is minor league baseball and a behavior against these young players so controversial and wrong, it needs to be not only be exposed, but corrected immediately.

Listening to Slade speak about the way minor league ballplayers are treated, and doing my research for the past few weeks, the information that's out there is disappointing, shocking and almost criminal in my humble opinion. We are talking about young athletes that are taken advantage of because they have a dream to play baseball.  And the owners know this... and in my opinion they take advantage just to line their own pockets. It's the equivalent of cattle. It's a farm system to them... literally. It's disgusting.  You'd almost question where we live in the world. But this is America, land of the brave, home of the free.  But in this case, minor league athletes are treated so badly, the abuse almost feels like they're not free.  It must stop now.

I loved every minute of this interview with Slade.  Check this out...

He's making life changes involving being a pilot, as well as working on other project, one of them being a 501c3 called More Than Baseball, or MoreThanBaseball.org. A not for profit that is making people aware of how minor leaguers are treated in a Major League baseball world.  It was eye opening. I let him speak... and speak he did.

Slade Heathcott:  Do you know how much a 6 year guy gets paid as a minor leaguer? Today’s estimate is $12,000. That’s less than a hot dog vendor at that player’s major league stadium. I want you to think about that. How do you live on that? You don’t. It’s not enough for training. It’s not enough for good food. 

Casey: Are you kidding me?

Slade: No man! Let’s not forget that minor league baseball players are athletes. They are the farm team of the Bigs. Without feeding and helping to protect these minor leaguers correctly, you end up with a lot of broken down minor leaguers that just don’t survive in the game or never make it to the pros.

Casey: But how long has this been going on and what can be done about it? 

Slade: We decided to put together More Than Baseball. The goal is to find a way to get all 30 Major League teams together to be able to raise money to help minor league players. Enough with the friction between players and owners and enough with controversy. The goal should be to get these teams help, through community, through fundraising, be it affiliates or otherwise to improve the lives of minor leaguers. 

Casey: It just seems so crazy to me because as I know from my sons. I mean, my 16 year old plays baseball and all his coaches talk to him about is solid training and good nutrition. So it makes a ton of sense. That nutrition is fuel.

Slade: Nailed it. We need to get them good food, not fast food. Heck, even if there was a deal between the team affiliate and restaurants and stores around that area where their minor league park was. Like maybe 15% off a healthy meal, that could help their bank account and still allow them to get better food for their bodies. 

I am trying to nail down something with a group called “Get your Elements”. Food that’s packed with nutrition for these young players. Without solid nutrition, how do you think these guys will perform on the field? They currently eat fast food. Imagine the talent pool if these young players were eat right and had the money to train better. 

Casey: I love that. Maybe teams could team up with big stores. Harris Teeters, or Shop Rite or restaurants. 

Slade: Yup. But not only that. These players also need better equipment. We need to get them better equipment rather than a minor league player or a player’s parents buying it for them. Good bats and better helmets, or extra training. 

Think about baseball for a second. It’s not like they come out to a 7 PM game at 6 and just run around the outfield and they’re ready to go. It’s a 10-hour day. Players are playing every single day. There are early workouts, Cages, hitting the field for BP. Minor Leaguers are athletes. Does it make sense for them to ride a bus for 10 hours and find a Wendy’s at 10pm because they don’t have enough money to eat good food? 

If owners collectively agreed to bump up their $12,000 minimum salary, even that would help. How much better would a team’s farm be if owners and teams took the time and money to feed their players properly instead of weeding out the crop. 

Casey: True. How did it effect you early on?

Slade Heathcott: My first year in Charleston for the Yankees minor league system I made $6600. That didn’t cover my training costs. But thank god I was represented so that was taken care of. For a lot of players, they don’t even have that. Their parents are paying for it. There are tons of fans out there that love this game but have no idea what’s going on with the minor leagues. It’s bad. We need to educate them. 

Luckily, guys like Tony Clark, Xavier James are on board to say “Hey, let’s look at this, let’s raise money and let’s try to improve the minor leaguers conditions." 

Casey: Well that's really good.

Slade: Yup. Hopefully we can bring the game together. Check out MoreThanBaseball.org . There's a lot to read and learn. I hope your audience checks it out. It's exciting. I'm energized by it.

Casey: I can tell, I love it. Let's change gears. Your debut at Yankee Stadium and as a Yankee in the majors. I want to know the feeling and I want to know how it all went down. 

Slade: May 20, 2015. Well, that night I ran for Mark Teixeira in the 9th inning. This is how it happened that night before. I got back to my place. I was feeding my son and I was with a bunch of guys… Bryan Mitchell, some others. I didn’t really have my cell on me at that moment. One of the guys says “Hey, Jacoby Ellsbury went down.” I didn’t think anything of it, but in the mist of that, I had missed calls on my phone. I called back Dave Miley who was trying to call me. Great guy... really great dude.

“Pack your bags, you’re going to New York,” Dave said.

I said “Stop messing with me, man'". He said he wasn’t and I was shocked. I packed and went.

Casey: Love it. It just happens that way. Just like they say. What's it like to put on the pinstripes?

Slade: Standing there in that uniform is amazing. Looking around me, there is literally nothing like putting on pinstripes. A center field debut. CC Sabathia is on the mound. There's nothing like that. Nothing.

**Quiet**

Casey: You're getting emotional right now.

Slade: I am. And even more than wearing them was that home run in Tampa.

Casey: You read my mind. Tell me about that.

Slade: Tampa Bay. 2015. Top 9. I had no intention of going in. I was literally filling water cups for my teammates. It's what I did as a young player. Make sure the big guys are hydrated. Joe calls my name. 

I think it was Chris Young that was supposed to be batting and Brian McCann's on first. I assume I'm running for McCann and I start stretching. But no, I’m hitting. I was like "What?" 

I got no swings in and John Ryan Murphy is literally telling me what Brad Boxberger throws. Well, the boss man upstairs wanted that moment to happen for me. But that wasn't the best part. 

I hit it and I'm running around the bases in a Yankee uniform and all the guys, my teammates... guys like ARod, they are all going crazy. It's hard as a teammate to not do anything as a player, but when you do something like that home run, it's amazing to see the guys support you like that.

Casey: Damn, that's awesome. I never heard that story behind the scenes.  What else can we talk about?

Slade: I can talk all day. But look, I'm on a mission to do different things now in my life and I'm going to. Only what's impossible is possible. Like this pilot stuff I'm doing.

Casey: I was just gonna ask you about that. Tell me what got you into this pilot stuff. You're flying planes?

Slade: Well, I knew I wanted to be a pilot before baseball was even gonna happen for me. I knew I wanted to join the military. I wanted to fly fighter jets.  I always did and so it's going to be reality for me. I want to fly in a fighter jet. In 2011 and 2012, I would wake up and fly in Tampa and then I went to the field and played. Now I'm not playing ball so I'm going back to get CFI, 10 rating, 7 months and I'll be busy, it will go through the summer, but I'm gonna do it.

Casey: What else do you want to do in your life. You seem full of energy right now.

Slade: Ah man, I have a bucket list. And listen to this. I want to climb Mount Everest.  And on the other side of it, I want to open an orphanage. I know, the 2 don't even go together and the orphanage sounds weird, but I'm so committed to it. I have made it my mission to serve in my life.  My life is to dedicate and serve. I also want to do things that I've only thought about and dreamt of before. Like running my first half marathon. I hate running but I'm going for it.  I want to raise money for non-profits. I want to help others. I just want to do it all.

Casey: OK, I'm exhausted. Ha!

Slade: Ha. This is me, man. Real deal.

Casey: Any last words?  

Slade: We can’t always control the cards we’re deal. We can you control what we’re playing. 

Ladies and Gentlemen... Slade Heathcott is my buddy.  I love this dude. He's inspirational and has more energy than anyone I know.

I hope you enjoyed this interview. Slade, thanks for taking the time.

SANCHEZ TO THE SHELF & THAT'S NOT THE WORST PART!

Photo: Getty Images

Bad News Sunday....that's what I call it. Seriously, it sucks getting swept by the Rays, watching Domingo German tank in his start and then to make matters worse Gary Sanchez is down and out. This isn't the way I wanted to end my weekend but that really may not be the worst part of it.

If you missed it, Sanchez pulled his groin running to first yesterday. An MRI is scheduled for today sometime and we are all crossing our fingers hoping for the best but preparing for the worst (just in case). I'm sure Brian Cashman has a game plan in the works but either way this is pretty bad.

Photo: Getty Images

Hopefully some of the swelling goes down over night and tomorrow when they do the MRI it's not a bad as it looked. Groin strains are no joke, and the last thing the Yankees need is a bad Grade 2 strain which could mean he's out for more than eight weeks. I don't want to even imagine that right now.

Sanchez may be having a rough season so far, but he is still leading all catchers with 14 home runs and slump or not he has the ability to change a game with one swing. Too bad that didn't happen yesterday, but he's still a powerful bat that can do damage in the lineup, slump or not.

Photo: Getty Images

So now what do the Yankees do? Now that we will have Austin Romine as an every day catcher the Yankees need a backup. Kyle Higashioka is the third catcher on the Yankees 40-man roster so he is the obvious choice for a call-up. Higashioka knows the pitching staff well and he's been with the Yankees since 2008 but he's never been able to land a long term job in the Bronx. He made his major league debut as a defensive replacement in 2017 after Sanchez suffered an injury. He didn't stay up long after he batted 0-for-18 in nine games for the Yankees and was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in May when Sanchez returned. Nothing against Higashioka but even a slumping, healthy Sanchez is a stronger option for the Yankees.

Photo: Getty Images

Could the Yankees go out and get another catcher if Sanchez has a worst case scenario injury? Maybe. I've seen a couple names floating around on Twitter including J.T. Realmuto again. I mean, Derek Jeter is still holding onto him even after selling off everyone else. We've been waiting for him to get traded for a long time now. Or maybe, the Yankees go for a reunion with John Ryan Murphy? He's been nothing short of a revelation this season for the Diamondbacks.  They do have a ton of catching depth with Jeff Mathis and Alex Avila all sharing time so they have the ability to move him but considering how good he has been for them it would take some serious magic for Cashman to steal him from the Diamondbacks.

I don't want to think about other replacements right now. I'm hoping for the best case scenario here and instead of chasing after a catcher we continue to look for that starter we need and we see Sanchez sooner rather than later.

We need some good news here.....please. Stay tuned.

-- Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

ARE AUSTIN ROMINE'S DAYS NUMBERED?

Source: Bob Levey/Getty Images North America

It's weird to think about right now but as the Yankees look to make improvements to their roster and managing staff they could look at the free agent market and make one more addition to the team. I'm just not sold that this would be a big upgrade BUT....could the Yankees also be looking for a new backup catcher?

I like Austin Romine, I think he's a good guy but truth is he is really just an okay defender with a lackluster bat. He actually barely cracks the top thirty in defensive stats and when you aren't a great defender and are a sub-par hitter that just makes it worse. Romine doesn't really stand out as having one great standout skill, which is a problem when you are on a rebuilding and young competitive team.

Photo: Getty Images

So I guess the question is....do the Yankees stick with Romine or look for someone else to backup Gary Sanchez? The Yankees know what they are getting with Romine, he's been around for six years now. He outlasted names like Jesus Montero and John Ryan Murphy and even looked like the more appealing option for catcher back in September when the Yankees were preparing for the Wild Card game against the Twins. Several media sources like NY Daily News and Newsday even wrote pieces calling for Joe Girardi to start Romine instead of Sanchez.

Source: Stacy Revere/Getty Images North America

So if media outlets had so much faith in Romine in a must win game, is there anyone else out there that could be considered an upgrade? There are two catchers that are free agents, Jonathan Lucroy and Alex Avila. I doubt Lucroy would sign with the Yankees for a backup catcher role but Alex Avila is used to a backup role already and could be intriguing.

If the Yankees want to improve their offensive production in their backup role Avila would give more of that then Romine. This season in 376 plate appearances he had a .236 BA, hit 14 home runs with 49 RBI's. It certainly beats Romine's 80 plate appearances and .218 BA with 2 home runs and 21 RBI's. His left handed bat would also come in handy at Yankee stadium. Offensively, he has more to offer than Romine does. Defensively though, he's not a significant upgrade over Romine and his bat outshines his defensive skills.

Could the Yankees make the call and try to sign Avila? Maybe, but he is going to want a lot more playing time and behind Sanchez that's not likely. Honestly who wants to be stuck behind one of the games most exciting young catchers? I am willing to bet it's not Avila.


--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

BYB Posada Original
This is a wonderful image I took of Jorge Posada, available on Laptop cases and Phone cases.

AARON OR AARON?

We all have our issues with the current Yankee roster. No, I won’t tear into a certain 1st Baseman who…oh NEVER MIND! I’m looking forward to 2017... enough said.

Things that truly bother me these days are situations like the one involving Aaron Hicks. 

Look, I like John Ryan Murphy a good deal. I get trading him away however. We have a log jam behind the dish, and if an upgrade is possible, trade away. BUT WHAT DOES HICKS DO THAT’S AN UPGRADE? Yes, he is an athletic outfielder who can play all three spots. He’s young…but he doesn’t hit. Murphy hit. Hell, Chris Johnson hits here and there, but more than Hicks. 

Cashman wanted DESPERATELY to be right about this Hicks kid. This was to be a “DAMN, LOOK AT CASH FINDING THE DIAMOND IN THE RUFF” type moment. He did no such thing. Now Murphy is in AAA so we don’t feel the burn here in the Bronx, but still. There is a MONSTER down on the farm that is KILLING the ball. 

BRING UP THE JUDGE!! 

It’s time! Stop the coddling. It hurts the players we value so much. Joba and Hughes were great young talents, but according to the Yankee “experts”, they were better suited here or there, or weren’t ready.

Well, we ruined them…though Joba seems to dig Cleveland, and looks like he may have found something…maybe those damn midges gave him the inside dope on how to pitch like he did in 2007.

The point is our GM was WRONG about Hicks and it’s time to let Judge play at the Major League level. Yes, he may scuffle, but so what? Long term he will hit more than the current solution.

We always hear Sports Talk hosts belittle callers who offer up opinions with, “Well, if you knew the answers you’d be GM.”  But it doesn’t take Billy Beane to see that Aaron Hicks should give his job to Aaron Judge and quick! 

The AL East is mediocre at best. The .500 Bronx Bombers are still in it…I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST WROTE THAT... But it’s true. We can improve from within and still build for the future…what are we waiting on? This is not “YOU WERE RIGHT, BRIAN!”  It's “THE BOSS WOULDA CANNED YOU FOR THAT HICKS MOVE, CASH.” Am I right?

Happy 4th of July to my Fellow Americans!

 O’HARA-2020

 “MAKING BETTER DECISIONS FOR YOU…or at least better than Cashman”

 ** I always liked his version at the Stadium. The Kate Smith recording is weak sauce**




 
  
--Mike O'Hara, Senior "Features" Writer 
Follow me on Twitter: @mikeyoh21

MAKING THE MOST OF AN OPPORTUNITY

I can't help but not so silently sit back and cheer for Austin Romine right now. He's been fighting for a spot on this team for years and he has been in the shadow of so many others that have come before him. Now all of those people are not in his way and he is finally getting the chance to shine and I feel like he is making the most of it. It's nice to see the underdog succeed and I am glad he is finally getting a piece of the bright Yankee spotlight.

Romine has had many "close but not close enough" moments over his years with the Yankees. Once considered to be one of the Yankees top prospects, he no longer has that kind of hype around him. He's had several disappointments over the years but now the hard work has finally paid off. I will be the first to admit that I didn't expect it to work out this way. In the back of my mind I know he will likely have to fight for his spot later in the season, but right now I don't care.

Back in 2011 we were all anxiously awaiting to who was going to be the next great Yankee catcher, Jesus Montero or Austin Romine. One of these two were supposed to be the next Jorge Posada (if you could imagine such a thing). The two couldn't be more different Montero had the bat, while Romine had the great defense. The world was anxiously awaiting to see who the Yankees were going to choose when they pulled a fast one. In January of 2012, the Yankees shocked us all by trading Montero to the Mariners. It looked like the decision was made, Romine was going to be the next catcher but it wasn't quite that simple.

After years of set backs with injuries and little progress John Ryan Murphy came in and shook things up last season. The Yankees kept us all in suspense and it looked like Romine may have had a chance to finally get his backup role until they cut him on the last day of spring training. Murphy may have beat him out for the job last season, but he has since been traded to the Minnesota Twins and has since been demoted to AAA last week.

(In Photo: Gary Sanchez)
This season was a new challenge for Romine. Out of minor league options, the Yankees needed to make their final decision on Romine. Did he stay in the Yankees organization, or do they let him go? Gary Sanchez was not going to make the decision easy for the Yankees but in the end, Sanchez struggled offensively during spring and he could not only be sent down to the minors but also delay his free agency by starting the year down in the minors.

So now that Romine finally has his shot, he is not taking it for granted. It has taken three tries to get to this point and he is finally here and making the most of it. On Saturday's game against the Red Sox it was nice to see him be successful against David Price, but also go 3-for-4 especially with a lackluster Yankees offense so far this season. You can see that he is hungry for the opportunity and he is reminding people that he shouldn't be counted out yet.

The Yankees always knew that he was capable of being a consistent hitter and a defensive catcher, but I think now he is also starting to believe it. The injuries and constant competition for a future with this team probably held him back mentally. Now you can see Romine finally believing in both his talents and abilities on the field. How long will it last? With top prospect Sanchez waiting in the wings it is hard to say....but this is if nothing else a personal victory for Romine and the baseball fan in me can't help but be happy about that.

I am also excited for the future, but right now I am all about team Romine.


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





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IT'S NOT THE 'BEST' UNTIL WE SEE RESULTS

I never like offering that something is 'the best' or 'the worst' of something until it's over.  Predictions don't jive with me. Partly because predictors are rarely right, and when they are, they prance around acting like they have the almanac from Back to the Future or something.

Truth is... it's a guess... and so is this nugget.  That being said, I think everyone can agree that a small trade could be the SMARTEST deal for both parties and in the end, both the Yankees and Twins will benefit in some way.

Nick Carardo of the Boston Globe does what he always does... writes nuggets that everyone in the baseball world will pick from. So are we.

The latest is this:

"John Ryan Murphy, C, Twins — One baseball official not associated with the Murphy deal with the Yankees for outfielder Aaron Hicks called it "the best pure baseball deal of the offseason." The Twins got a very good catcher and the Yankees a very good defensive fourth outfielder. Murphy is winning friends rapidly with the Twins. He's a strong voice for pitchers and a potential power threat."

(In photo: Castro with Hicks)
Now here's the truth, I am totally psyched about Hicks, and he's a player that flies under the radar, but he has a huge upside.   So does John Ryan Murphy, and the truth is no one really wanted to part with Murphy, but it's 2 fold here;  Murphy is a good enough catcher, again, a player flying under the radar, to trade for someone like Hicks.  Plus, the Yankees want Gary Sanchez to grow, and now he can.  They've been waiting for that moment for a while, and now they have it.

With Hicks, we have a guy that is younger and more mold-able than a Chris Young.  Plus, age is a factor.  Young is 32. Hicks, just 26. While Young was a good player for the Yankees, they were hell bent on getting younger and they did.Young walked to Boston.

But what will the future bring for both Murph and Hicks in their new ballparks?  Well... the truth is, time will tell.

The 'best' pure deal? Sure, maybe on paper... but we ain't see nothing yet.  Come see me at the end of the season and we'll see if these deals paid off. 






Thank you for your loyalty to Bleeding Yankee Blue. 
Please shop at the BYB store!  
On Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu 
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