MARCELL OZUNA? VERY INTERESTING.

Well, this one's spicy. Sports Illustrated recently dove into the swirling trade waters of Major League Baseball and came back with a name that should make Yankees fans do a double take: Marcell Ozuna. Yes, that Marcell Ozuna—the boom-or-bust Braves slugger with a bat built for Broadway and baggage to boot.

According to SI’s crystal ball, if Ozuna ends up getting dealt, he might just be the biggest offensive name moved at the deadline. That's not hyperbole—he’s clobbered 79 home runs over the past two seasons and finished 4th in NL MVP voting in 2023. That kind of résumé tends to catch a GM's eye—unless you're Brian Cashman, who prefers cryptic quotes and guys with sore obliques.

Now, in his age-34 season, Ozuna’s power has dipped a bit—but not into the abyss. He’s still squaring up enough heaters to scare a pitcher or two. In fact, pitchers are daring him with more velocity this year than last: 17.9% of pitches are fastballs in the zone (up from 14.9%), along with slight bumps in sinkers and sliders. He's not just seeing more pitches in the zone—he's being challenged in it. That's either respect… or recklessness.

Now, here’s the tricky part. The Braves aren't exactly known for waving white flag. If Atlanta slides and they do deal anyone, Ozuna, as a pending free agent, might be the one guy they let walk.

Would the Yankees actually bite? USA Today’s Bob Nightengale says New York is sniffing around for a right-handed bat, and Ozuna checks that box with a Sharpie. The man’s basically built to be a DH in pinstripes—power, swagger, and the ability to make an upper deck look like a chip shot. But let’s be real. The Yankees are more likely to spin some corporate nonsense about “internal improvements” and “believing in our guys” before adding a bat with as much pop—and personality—as Ozuna. Plus, if there’s even a whiff of controversy, Aaron Boone might have to hold a team meeting with crayons.

Still, it’s a tantalizing thought. Ozuna in the Bronx. Bat flips, bombs, and perhaps some long-awaited right-handed thunder behind Judge and Soto. Will it happen? Probably not.

But hey, in a season where the Yankees continue to roll out Billy McKinney lookalikes (remember him?) and call it depth, we can dream, right?

AND BILLY MCKINNEY'S ON THE MOVE

Just when I thought the Yankees were going to keep Billy McKinney and perhaps groom him for all the good work he did last season, they trade him.  Loyalty means nothing these days, right?

The New York Post writes that McKinney is headed to the Pirates:

"The Yankees traded the outfielder to the Pirates on Thursday night for international signing pool money, YES Network reported.

It comes one week after the Yankees signed McKinney, 29, to a minor-league deal, seemingly to add organizational depth..."

Look, it happens.  No question Billy can keep his head held high as he did some good things for the Yanks.  Hopefully he does well in Pittsburgh.  Like I've said many times... I've always been a fan of McKinney.

Be well my friend.

MCKINNEY EARNED HIMSELF MORE TIME WITH THE YANKS!

Billy McKinney gets new life with the Yankees again. I love that.  MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"Yankees have re-signed outfielder Billy McKinney and lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to minor league contracts, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network... McKinney was clearly a prospect of note — hence the first-round selection and three organizations targeting him in returns for notable veterans — he hasn’t yet solidified himself in the big leagues. He’s tallied 915 plate appearances but posted a .209/.284/.390 output in that time. That includes a 2023 season spent back with the Yankees after signing a minor league deal; he slashed .227/.320/.406 in 147 plate appearances this past season."

So often you read about McKinney "not a major leaguer". I mean he's done nothing worse than a Joey Gallo. In fact, I'd say he's better. Think about what he did for the Yanks while everyone was hurt or sucked in 2023.  My point is he stepped up the challenge. I appreciate that he's sticking with the Yanks, even if it is a minor league deal, but the reality is, I believe we'll see him at some point again in 2024.

Yes, and if you read about McKinney on MLB Trade Rumors, you also saw they signed Anthony Misiewicz, a decent lefty reliever and no doubt he'll try and fight for a spot on the roster.  Let's hope. Always good to have a lefty or 2 or 3 in the pen.

Congrats to both guys.  The names keep on coming. Is Yamamoto next?

YANKEES DROP THE AXE!

Feeling pressure from the Yankee fan base and really with no idea how to restructure a team, the Yankees made their first moves... cutting guys.  Sadly, they were players and not the analytics department.

On Twitter ( I will never call it X because it's ridiculous), Joel Sherman tweeted the following:

Hearing the Yankees have outrighted Domingo German. Also Matt Bowman, Franchy Cordero, Jimmy Cordero, Billy McKinney and Ryan Weber. All can be claimed now or elect free agency.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 2, 2023

Now, call it what it is... NOT THE FIX WE NEED. 

Sure, we can get rid of the tier 2 and tier 3 guys, but whatever happened to rewarding guys that stepped up when the team was in hell?  Billy McKinney, call him average all you want, he really gave everything he had and proved he belongs on a major league roster. He got the Yanks wins when we need it most.  

They had to ditch Domingo... too many personal issues made him a problem. And yes, the others I can see as being cut.  

But the Yankees have plenty of highly paid players that have done much worse than guys like Billy McKinney and if you're gonna restructure a team, I think they need to look much deeper into that than cutting the low hanging fruit.  In other words, a restructure is exactly what it is... and this feels like any other end of the year move the Yankees would make.

But hey, the off season is here! Look for a whole lot of this kind of stuff... almost like last year when Hal said we weren't done, and we got Carlos Rodon and an ulcer.  God, I hope it's not gonna be that kind of off-season.  Horrible.

BOONE: YANKEES RELATIONSHIP WITH ESTEVAN FLORIAL IS "COMPLICATED"

I feel like we have suddenly dumbed down to a social media relationship status. I bet Estevan Florial does too, and if by some miracle he doesn't, well he should.

I knew the writing was on the wall before the season started when we wrote THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR ESTEVAN FLORIAL. He had potential that the Yankees loved, but no clear path to the big leagues and his trade value was tarnished. I hated to see the Yankees stash Florial down in Triple-A while they started useless dead weight like Aaron Hicks before finally releasing him in May. Holding onto Hicks for so long was a huge mistake, and now we get to wonder if hiding Florial was also.

Here we are in September and the writing is still on the wall. Florial won't get a shot, and Aaron Boone knows it too. He just won't come out and speak the truth. He won't say anything right now, especially if it could mean saving his job even though he sucks at it. He was asked by reporters why Florial wasn't called up when Hicks was released, and this was his weak answer:

"Yeah, he definitely deserved it. I don’t think any of us would question his talent and it’s been good to see him go out and really put together a strong season," Boone said HERE. "Look, he’s been in the conversation honestly for a long time now because he has had a strong year. Some of it’s been complicated by not being on the 40-man anymore."

I stand by what I said before, WEAK. Weak manager, weak puppet, weak everything so this shouldn't surprise anyone. The Yankees could've given him a shot. The lack of a 40-man roster spot is just hot garbage because Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney were non-roster outfielders who were added to the 40-man roster. Boone's "it's complicated" answer is just hot garbage.

Don't be fooled by it. Florial's one stand-out weakness this season has been his strikeout rate. His .280 average, 24 homers, 69 RBI, 23 steals, and 63 walks in 94 games were all upgrades for the Yankees, especially when you compared his stats with what the Yankees were doing every game. They didn't love his 30% strikeout rate. I don't love it either, but if the guy in your system is succeeding in Triple-A, why not give him a shot? Only answer is they gave up on a 25-year-old kid. They didn't believe in him.

They didn't believe in him. That's all it comes down to. Instead, they believed in Hicks for 8 years and held onto him for so long stupidly. This organization has no intelligence or logic. I don't think Florial was the answer to our prayers, but he could've helped more than Hicks and that I am confident in.

Florial will be a minor-league free agent at the end of the season, and he will sign with another team. This new team will give him more of an opportunity than the Yankees ever did. When he gets that new opportunity, I hope he succeeds and shoves it in the Yankees face. He deserves it.

Florial will be "the one that got away" all because the Yankees screwed up. That's the truth, Boone. It's not complicated.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEE BRIGHT SPOTS IN AN ODD SEASON

There aren't a lot of highlights this season. The Yankees are riddled with injury, they are just not playing well. Boone's a Bozo.  It's just disappointing to be a Yankee fan.  Look, you still have to root, and let's be clear about something; when I rip on my team, I rip on my team because I want success out of my team.  I don't hate my team, I'm frustrated.  But make no mistake... I love my New York Yankees. Always have since the day I saw Ron Guidry strike out 18 to now.

With all the uncertainty, one thing IS happening.  Guys that have not had many chances are getting chances and are stepping up big time. I really love what I have seen from Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers. I'm a fan of both.  And two pitchers are actually really making a jump and a difference for this team. They are getting opportunity and they are running with it.  Those guys? Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito. The New York Post writes:

"...a few young arms have answered the call.

After Randy Vasquez was effective in a bulk role following an opener Friday night, Jhony Brito was better on Saturday, albeit in a 3-1 loss at loanDepot Park....

rookies Vasquez and Brito, who both have chances at significant roles for what the team hopes will be a run at a wild-card spot.

Brito followed up Vasquez’s 3 ²/₃-inning, two-run performance by relieving King in the third inning and tossing five innings of one-run ball."

The rotation's struggling... don't forget. Cortes is out again, Rodon is down.  Ian Hamilton and Michael King have struggled. It's really not fair to Gerrit Cole.  Cole's been amazing, but it's clearly not enough for this team. We need more, that's why Vasquez and Brito are going to be really important down the stretch.

Bottom line, when opportunity knocks, take it.  That's what these young arms are doing.  Let's hope they make the difference, and we can snag a wild card spot. It's literally the only thing we have right now!

Let's go!

YANKEES WIN & NOW ONLY 8.5 GAMES BACK!

It's called progress.  The Yankees aren't gonna just jump into first place over night, but last night was a significant step.  Look, the Yankees aren't playing very well, this is clear, but one thing they do have is a dymanic fan base that will call them out when they suck.  Enter... us!  But here's the thing... being 30 games out is much worse than 8.5 games out.  Also, saying last place sucks when it comes to our Yankees.  But saying 8.5 games back softens the blow a bit.  The point is, sure the Yankees should be playing better than they are, but it's not the worst scenario this team can be in.  We're actually in a nice spot right now.

That aged horribly. But the half glass full side of me says 9 games out sounds better than last place. One good game could turn this whole thing around. Oh yea and #FireBoone #BYB #Yankees

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) July 20, 2023

Everybody needs to take a deep breath. We got this.

Last night it was all about the comeback and Billy McKinney.  MLB.com writes: 

"Billy McKinney belted a three-run homer and contributed a pair of excellent catches in center field as the Yankees snapped their four-game skid on Friday evening, opening their homestand with a 5-4 victory over the Royals at Yankee Stadium. “I’ve always felt like I could play center,” McKinney said. “I’m not Byron Buxton out there, tracking stuff down, but I think I can play well enough whenever a guy like [Harrison] Bader needs a day. I’m here to help fill in when an opportunity arises.”

Have a night, Billy McKinney! 🤯

Watch #YANKSonYES live: https://t.co/13L2iZw06N pic.twitter.com/QhOKCq6gJk

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 22, 2023

“That was impressive. I didn’t know he was a center fielder like that,” said Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. “I guess that’s his true position now. Two big plays right there and a big swing; it was an all-around night for him. It was fun to watch.”

It's the little things, and what I mean by that is one day at a time, one moment at a time, and "one good game" that can turn the entire thing around.  We are in a better place today than yesterday.  I think that's awesome.

Positivity wins the day. Embrace this win, embrace the McKinney accomplishments last night and let's ride those coat tails.

Let's go Yanks!

THE SAME GUY BOONE HAD NO FAITH IN ON FRIDAY TELLS BOONE TO "SHOVE IT" ON SATURDAY

 Yes, I say "shove it" with actions not words... and good for Billy McKinney.

Friday the Yankees lost because of Aaron Boone. Read LAST NIGHT WAS PROOF THAT CLUELESS BOONE CAN'T LEAD THE YANKEES for my rant on that Friday game and everything our inexperienced manager did wrong. In a nutshell, with a man on second, Boone decided to pull red hot McKinney for ice cold Donaldson, only to see Donaldson strike out. The Yankees would eventually lose.

Yesterday, with the Yankees just not being offensively strong at all, and Boone sitting guys that probably should have been playing like LeMahieu, Billy McKinney just did what we are so happy about... producing at the plate.  Yesterday, he was allowed to stay in the lineup and crushed a homer to put the Yankees in the lead.  That would be the decider.  Yanks would win 1-0 against the Rangers.

But it's what Boone says to the media that is so freaking embarrassing. The New York Post writes:

"Did he ever anticipate that the outfielder would become as significant as he has?

“I did not, honestly,” Boone said after the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday in The Bronx. “To me, he’s a much better player now than the player I’ve seen in previous years or even spring training.”

Think about that... I DID NOT, HONESTLY. In other words, subliminally, "I really don't have much faith in this kid, but he keeps doing great things at the plate."  

Now I am paraphrasing, but let's call it what it is... McKinney's own manager doubts him.  That would make a ton of sense when it comes to Friday's game, and McKinney was able to shove it up his ass in Saturday's game.

Billy McKinney has done everything right.  He should be out there every game... because he's one of the few actually making stuff happen for the Yankees.  You know who shouldn't be there? Aaron Boone, the guy who "feels" like playing IKF over DJ LeMahieu yesterday in hopes of finding a "spark".  It's garbage like that that is really hurting this Yankee club.

Without leadership, a group will fail.  I'm not sure how many different ways I have to say it.  

For now, it was McKinney who gave Boone the signal that he belongs in the lineup every day.  Hopefully Boone recognizes it... but I strongly doubt it. He misses cues all the time. 

LAST NIGHT WAS PROOF THAT CLUELESS BOONE CAN'T LEAD THE YANKEES

I will never understand how Aaron Boone makes game time decisions.  He's either looking at a binder full of metrics that really don't matter, or he's throwing guys bones because he feels bad.  Either way, it's the most pathetic display ever. I have said it once and I will say it again... when times are tough, when hard decisions need to be made, he doesn't know how to make them. He's not a confident manager, he is a manager that plays the role of acting confident.  Yelling at umpires in front of a team may rile up a fan base, but that gets old when the Yankees continuously lose... and that's where we are right now.

Last night against the Rangers was a disappointment and it's all Boone's fault. Now I hate recaps, you all know this, but I need to point out why we lost.

For me, the biggest flop was his pinch-hit decision.  You're in the 10th inning, DJ LeMahieu is at second base and McKinney is supposed to come to the plate. McKinney has been hot as hell these days, literally doing everything we could ask for of him.  But hold on, what's this? He is pinch hit for the worst hitter in the league right now, Josh Donaldson.  

At that point the Yankee world was outraged and should have been. To be honest, I don't even think Josh Donaldson thought he could hit a baseball in that spot let alone a beachball. The guy is lost at the plate, and everyone knew it... except for Aaron Boone. Now this knucklehead can sit there and say, "Well I knew Donaldson was struggling and I wanted to get him going", but the truth is you don't do that then. You can't feel bad for struggling players and throw them bones in a must-win situation. What Donaldson did next was nothing, literally taking the breath away from the Yankees.  As Luke Baquero of Fansided wrote:

"This season, McKinney is 3-5 with an RBI single vs left-handed pitchers.... McKinney has been great in his run with the Yankees. Slashing .318/.348./.636 with a .984 OPS, and over 160 wRC+ is way too valuable to be pinch hit for in a situation for an ice-cold Donaldson. "

The other bad move that Boone made was the relief situation in the top of the tenth inning.  Boone chose Michael King instead of Ron Marinaccio. I know it's a guessing game at this point for many, but you have to review 2 ways, statistics and the eye test.  The gut reaction alone in a must-win game would have been Marinaccio if the decision was made by any other manager on the planet. But not Boone. 

The New York Post writes: "It was Rangers cleanup man Adolis Garcia who blasted Yankees reliever Michael King’s first pitch of the 10th inning into the left field bleachers to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead and eventual victory at Yankee Stadium."

The post game was the worst. Boone just can't take responsiblity and blame for making bad decisions. He just doesn't have a grasp on anything when it comes to failure. Here's the thing, if a team is losing this bad, it usually means leadership isn't leading.  Now you can sit there and suggest that we are waiting it out until Aaron Judge comes back, but 1 man does not make a team.  Boone needs to step up.  

The classiest move of the night goes to IKF. This guy made a costly error in the 4th. Was the loss his fault though? No. Why? Cause it happened in the 4th.  The loss happened because of Boone's bad decisions in the 10th. IKF took the high road claiming he was responsible for the loss, but he wasn't.

.  

IKF gets kudos from me.

Look, there is no way the Yankees can continue at this rate.  They are not supported by their manager who makes bonehead decisions, they are clearly going through the motions and have no true leadership like the days of Jorge Posada or Paul O'Neill.  They're lost.  

Hal Steinbrenner needs to stop being confused on why the fan base is mad and have a hard look at who he brought in to make a mess of this team. This Boone experiment needs to be over already.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE TRY TO GET CODY BELLINGER, MR. HEYMAN?

Jon Heyman needs to stop with the click bait garbage. The "baseball insider" is grasping at straws. It's annoying.  The Yankees need alot of fixes to right the ship right now, but what they don't need is a .250 hitter named Cody Bellinger. And not only did he suggest Bellinger... his nugget is madness.

He writes:

"If the Cubs sell, Cody Bellinger, a free agent after 2023, may be a nice fit for the Yankees as a left-handed hitter who could man left field and give the Yankees one of the game’s best defensive outfields.

In the meantime, Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers have been two of their more productive players lately. Bellinger’s dad Clay won two rings with the late ’90s Yankees."

So, break this down.  "IF THE CUBS SELL". So right there it's a fantasy trade. There's no conversation between the Cubs and Yanks. There's nothing.

Number 2... "Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers have been two of their more productive players lately."  Right. So why are we entertaining your made-up trade idea?  

Three... "Bellinger’s dad Clay won two rings with the late ’90s Yankees."

AND? What does that mean? So, his dad played for the Yankees, so Cody now makes sense? It's ridiculous.

Non-story. Garbage. Not worth your time.  The fact that the New York Post actually allows him to even put this in print is embarrassing.

Look, the Yanks need to figure it out with what we have already. It's not gonna be easy, but adding money to our payroll, having big names coming in with star power and not much more is not really what we need to do right now. We need to figure out how to win with what we have.  Heyman is right... guys like McKinney and Bauers are doing good things... so adding a star for literally the only reason of selling some jerseys is so ridiculous.  

We will be fine. We probably won't make the playoffs this year, but would we with Cody Bellinger? Give me a break.

THAT NEWS ABOUT JUDGE THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Aaron Judge has been out for a bit and since then the Yankees have been sucking the life out of the fan base.  Look, playing well against Seattle is always a good thing, but we need to keep winning. Guys like Jakes Bauers and Billy McKinney have done what they're supposed to do and we fans are appreciative, but we want Judge... that's the bottom line. We like Coors light, but we really want a Coors... you feel me?

Well, here's a terrific update for ya'll. Empire Sports Media writes:

"MLB Network’s Brian Hoch reported that Judge has commenced pool, balance, and strength work, aiming to resume throwing and light hitting by week’s end."

Hitting by the end of the week is something that I find to be amazing.  I wonder how he feels jogging or running, or even how his foot feels in the batter's box. I guess we will soon see but trust me when I tell you (and I know you know) This is great news!

THE IDEA OF 'TYLER O'NEILL TO THE YANKEES' IS A RIDICULOUS RUMOR DROP

We don't need another outfielder that's hurt, Jon Heyman.  What we need is a healthy roster.  That's the only thing holding the Yankees back.

Jon Heyman is famous for making up bad rumors to get you to click at home and wish we had something better on our team than what we actually we have, but in this case, this "Tyler O'Neill to the Yankees" rumor is kind of irresponsible and ridiculous.  You wonder why I get on baseball insiders for stupid stories? This is one.  Sports Illustrated writes:

"...One player who has been in trade rumors all season and could potentially be on the move is outfielder Tyler O'Neill. One team that reportedly has come up as a potential destination for the two-time Gold Glove winner is the New York Yankees, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman...

"If they do sell, free agents to be Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty should go. With their outfield glut, Tyler O’Neill is another logical trade candidate. He’d fit the Yankees, who could use a left fielder."

O'Neill currently is on the injured list but could begin a rehab assignment shortly."

Did you see that next line written by Patrick Mcavoy?  ON THE INJURED LIST BUT COULD BEGIN A REHAB ASSIGNMENT SHORTLY.  How in the world does this help the New York Yankees who are currently 10.5 games back in the American League east? And also, why do we need another guy from the Cardinals who is hurt. God, I love Harrison Bader, but the guy can't stay on the field. He's also an outfielder, as is Aaron Judge, hurt, Giancarlo Stanton, often injured... Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers fill ins, and Oswaldo Cabrera who is just happy to be there.  We don't need more broken-down players with "a chance" to play with us if he's healthy.

And that brings me back to Heyman. Hey Jon, just shut up.  It's tired now.  

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THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET BADER

UPDATE 4pm: NJ.com reports that Bader: "...opted to play two more rehab games Friday and Saturday with Double-A Somerset."

The Yankees are moving along pretty decently in the outfield, but nothing would be better than to have Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader back.

Right now Bauers and McKinney are holding their own, but even they know the show is temporary.  The other night Bauers got demolished on social media because he "gave up" on a ball in the outfield against the Mets, allowing the Mets to walk off and win.

Bauers could be the Worse OF in all of baseball https://t.co/VSbRsiUDXU

— Bobby Milone (@BobbyMilone29) June 15, 2023

I mean, being honest here, running after a ball deflecting off a wall with a guy coming around third wasn't gonna stop the Mets the other night. Just look at the timing. It was what it was... and I have news for you, guys like Judge and Bader would have done it similarly. So, the hard look at our backup outfielders "not doing their job" is not only unwarranted... it's stupid. 

But back to Bader. The other night the Somerset Patriots put this together and put it out for everyone to see.  The truth is Bader, when healthy, has the energy and heroics to make things happen in the Bronx and having him back will be a plus:

Tonight just got a whole lot Bader #RepBX
🎟 | https://t.co/CyEDG1sjwD pic.twitter.com/birYw2mve9

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 14, 2023

Now there is word that he may be back any day now. The New York Post writes:

"The plan has been for Harrison Bader, who played Wednesday with Double-A Somerset, to rejoin the big-league club for the series that begins Friday in Boston.

Presuming Bader has not suffered a setback, the Yankees will have a true center fielder on the roster again.

Without Bader and Aaron Judge, and with Giancarlo Stanton only available as DH, the Yankees have featured three converted infielders (Jake Bauers, Oswaldo Cabrera and Isiah Kiner-Falefa) and a corner outfielder (Billy McKinney) who had been forced to play center."

The bottom line is we need Bader back, not only for his defense, but to bolster the offense and energize this club.  

Let's Freaking Go!

WE'RE BEING MOCKED FOR VOLPE'S NON-WALK OFF HOME RUN. EVERYBODY CALM DOWN

Do ya'll realize that at this moment, 8:30am... VOLPE is trending? Not because he did anything spectacular in the ninth to walk-off the Yankees against the Red Sox last night. But instead, because he didn't.

The Yankees lost last night for the people playing at home that didn't watch the game.  We lost 3-2. The game was OK, but the Yankee bats couldn't do the job.  It happens.  But there was a "moment" if you want to call it that.  Volpe almost walked off.  Key word... almost.

But he didn't. Yet, YES Network tweeted this out which I found insanely odd:

Anthony Volpe came *this* close to a walk-off homer in his first career game against Boston. pic.twitter.com/E0O3NuHV50

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 10, 2023

And of course Boston fans love mocking us:

Yankees fans celebrating the Anthony Volpe walk off HR that never happened…
pic.twitter.com/e4h3nUkuKx

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) June 10, 2023

OK, OK, I'll give them that one. But here's the thing.  He didn't homer... he didn't walk off. We didn't win.

What the hell are we holding on to... what didn't happen?  Look, we are Yankee fans. We expect to win alot of games this year, but we're just not gonna do that.  But these moments of "almost" aren't gonna cut it either. Volpe is a good player.  Did the Yankees bring him up too quickly? I can't answer that. I kind of like his energy however. I kind of like that he's got a decent team surrounding him allowing him to figure it all out.  Is Volpe a major leaguer? I'd say yes. There have been worse players called up and have done a worse job that have figured it out over time. Maybe on the Tigers, Volpe finds his way more than on the Yankees because the Yankees are so prestigious and us fans expect perfection. But for the most part, Volpe will be OK in pinstripes.

I was disappointed to hear from this Keith McPherson dude suggesting Volpe's overmatched. I think that's a provocative stretch and ridiculous.  McPherson said this:

"The kid is overmatched. He’s not ready to be in the lineup every day at the MLB level."... He says the Yankees themselves didn’t do Volpe any favors with how they held him up heading into the season, while also shuffling him up and down the lineup.

"...he’s a kid.... They did him a disservice. They tried to have him lead off, then they had him at seventh, then ninth. It’s tough to swim in those waters at 22 years old doing it for the first time."

And while McPherson said he's gonna be fine, don't say they did him a disservice. Then don't say he's overmatched.  Don't say any of it.  Just shut up.  

The Yanks have tried this before.  They tried it with Derek Jeter.  They tried it with Mariano Rivera... first setting up Wetteland, then giving him a chance at the closer role and seeing how it worked. At one point they wanted to trade Bernie after things weren't going right for him.  

My point is there is so much that goes into these decisions, but the biggest one is patience.  The New York Yankees right now are in a great place to experiment with Anthony Volpe.  And you want to talk about overmatched? It sounds like McPherson's opinions are silly and overmatched compared to much of his competition. Maybe he needs to do better at being provocative.

But in the end, whether Volpe is ready or not, one thing is clear.... Us Yankee fans need to start worrying about rooting hard for our team no matter what.  If we stink, we need to still be there. If they're great, we need to keep rooting hard... and if they ALMOST walk off... maybe we just need to accept that part where they DIDN'T do it and just move on.

Today's a new day... maybe we scratch out a win today.  We have guys like Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney trying their best and a pretty solid group of guys in that lineup every day.  I mean sure, we're not gonna win 162 games this year, but that's not the goal, right? The goals to win each series.  And then win a championship.

Let's go game by game.  We got this!

Let's go Yanks!

BILLY MCKINNEY "MAY SURPRISE US"

Stories about comebacks and guys that everyone doubts are good stories... especially when they succeed.  

The other day I wrote about how the Yankees were taking a chance on Billy McKinney, offering him a major league contract as a way to move players around in the wake of the Aaron Judge injury.  At the time, Facebook was a tizzy and of course the doubters came out of the woodwork.

Now that guy Rich Grobarcik and I are on the same page for sure. McKinney is a decent player. I think the problem with McKinney is that he wasn't given a decent shot, or, he just wasn't ready. But guys like McKinney are solid athletes. Sometimes you just gotta let things gel. 

Last night it was McKinney who made things happen for the Yankees. The New York Post writes:

“I was a little disappointed that I never got to get a hit in Yankee Stadium as a home player. I played here as a road player,” the 28-year-old McKinney said. “Getting the home run means a lot.”

McKinney tripled in the opener and homered in the fifth inning of the nightcap, continuing the torrid stretch he had been on with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

He hit his homer, on a high 94 mph fastball from White Sox starter Mike Clevinger, into the bleachers in right-center field.

“It was cool. I was pretty fired up,” he said. “Glad it went out and glad we got the win.”

The bottom line is we just need to see the consistency from this guy. There's a lot of factors that go into that. Does Boone decide and rest the guy today? If so, it breaks momentum. Will they let McKinney settle in and see what he's made of? It's like a Jake Bauers. No one knew this kid and he's been consistent and showing us all what being hungry for an opportunity means to the individual player. It's beautiful.  

This I guess is a "tip of the cap" post. McKinney has always been a kid I liked watching play. I will leave you with this, from BYB's old buddy Dave Goode, who also commented on Facebook about Billy:

He did Dave... the certainly did.

Happy Friday, Go Yanks!