YANKS CELEBRATE KAPRIELIAN, THEN SEND HIM DOWN

Photo: New York Daily News

I don't care for how some handle social media.  Sometimes, and especially for us Yankee fans who are hoping for certain young players to make the Opening Day roster... it's a dick tease... pardon me... don't tell the vulgar cops!

The Yanks did something cool earlier today. They gave a shout out to James Kaprielian who pitched awesome today and us Yankee fans want to see this dude shine this season. And so they tweeted this...

Not a bad #NYYSpring debut for top pitching prospect @JamesKaprielian 👍👍

2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 Ks. pic.twitter.com/O4OdkhxSeN

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 16, 2017

And why not, right? But then, news broke that he and Mason Williams got sent down. We'll go with Bronx Baseball Daily for this one. I love Delia Enriquez:

Source: NJ.com

"The Yankees announced they had optioned OF Mason Williams to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and reassigned him to minor league camp. Also after making a strong Spring debut, the Yankees reassigned James Kaprielian to minor league camp."

And so, it goes back to the dick tease. I know, I know, I'm being really foul.  That's what happens late night. Seriously though, I know Kap didn't pitch much and needs more work, but we would love to see these dudes this season. In fact, I'm excited to see them play NOW!

To James and Mason... we're rooting for you guys!

I leave you with a song from Mason Williams and Dante Bichette Jr.... It's Navy 58 folks! Enjoy:





Boom!

CLINT FRAZIER IS JUST TOO MUCH FUN!

(Chris Post/for New York Daily News)

Gotta love our newest Yankee farm hand Clint Frazier.  He's not afraid of the Twitter and is out there a lot talking to all sorts of folks.  He's fun to watch out there...

First he's trying to score dates a few months ago... now he's giving hair tips to Nationals Bryce Harper.  Check this out:

@clintfrazier Ehhhh pretty good right there bro..Gotta learn from JW with that mop!

— Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) November 24, 2016

JW is Jayson Werth, who looks like Christ on a regular day.  All in good fun here, gotta love it.

(Photo: Julie Jacobson, AP)

Now we here at Bleeding Yankee Blue have interviewed plenty of Yankee minor leaguers over the years.  Ty Hensley, Ian Clarkin, Sean Carley, Dante Bichette Jr, Cito Culver, Tyler Austin, Michael O'Neill and the like. Check them out, I know you have time:

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TY HENSLEY: YANKEES 1ST ROUND PICK

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: IAN CLARKIN

(In Photo: Sean Carley from Carley's Twitter)

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SEAN CARLEY IS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DANTE BICHETTE JR.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CITO CULVER

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TYLER AUSTIN... WONDERBOY

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MICHAEL O'NEILL

Maybe it's time to reach out to Frazier.  I think the dude would be a lot of fun to chat with, don't you think?

Look for it.  I will personally reach out to this dude, ask him about his time on the Indians, the Yankees and applaud him on having a set of balls, reaching out to whomever he'd like to start up alittle banter.

Love this dude! Hey Clint, let me know if Bleeding Yankee Blue can interview you this offseason. I think it would be great!

 

KAPRIELIAN IS OFFICIAL

It's officially official.

According to several sources, but we'll use NJ.com on this one, James Kaprielian is now a New York Yankee :

"...Kaprielian received a $2.65 million bonus, Callis said. That's just over the league's $2.543,300 recommendation for a 16th overall selection.  It was the highest pick the Yankees have had in more than 20 years.The Yankees and Kaprielian went down to the wire. The sides had until Friday to get the a deal done...

Kaprielian, 21, is expected to climb through the Yankees' farm system quickly. It's unclear, however, whether he'll pitch this season. He threw 106 2/3 innings for UCLA, posting a 2.03 ERA."

Awesome.  Now it's my job as the head of BYB to do what we have continued to do and that's try to snag an interview with the kid.

We've done it for a while here.  We interviewed Dante Bichette Jr. (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DANTE BICHETTE JRl) We interviewed Sean Carley (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SEAN CARLEY IS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS), and we interviewed Ty Hensley (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TY HENSLEY: YANKEES 1ST ROUND PICK), and of course became very close to the family.   Good kid. Great family.

You gotta support these kids... and you definitely have to continue supporting them as they work their way through the system.  It's a great thing, but as Marci Hensley has said all too often to me, and I'm paraphrasing, it's hard road for these kids to get there and stay there. The support always helps.

So James, congrats.  We want to interview you, big guy.  We want to get into your head and see what your goals are.  You up for it?

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!

CELEBRATE. WE'LL SEE MASON WILLIAMS FRIDAY

Good news from Yankeeland.  Mason Williams will be up with the Yankees this Friday.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted this:

#Yankees are calling up OF Mason Williams to join the team vs. the #Orioles and go back to full complement of OFs with Flores sent down

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) June 11, 2015

Good news!

We haven't talked about Mason Williams enough here at BYB.  I do remember writing about him on BYB a while ago though for his brief "band" with Dante Bichette Jr... and Navy 58. Here's a sample...


I wonder if Navy 58 is on hold or if it will continue when Bichette gets up to the Bigs. We shall see. Anyway... I'm looking forward to seeing Williams roam the outfield. This is exciting.


 


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!

KEEPING UP WITH THE YANKEE PROSPECTS: MAY EDITION

As the month of May comes to an end, we will take another look at how some of the Yankees top prospects are doing down in the minors. We've seen Slade Heathcott and Jacob Lindgren make their Major League debuts and both were successful. While Lindgren could be here to say, it's more than likely Heathcott will be sent back down once Jacoby Ellsbury returns, but it is great to see the potential the young man has for the future!

Let's start with top pitching prospect Luis Severino who was just promoted to Triple-A Scranton! After tearing it up through all the lower levels of the minors, Severino will hopefully make his final promotion before be called upon to help out the big club! Severino has started eight games this year for the Yankees Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder, throwing 38 innings, striking out 48, walking just ten and sporting a 3.32 ERA. The 21 year-old Dominican native is expected to be a fixture in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

The big man down in Trenton, Aaron Judge, has continued to hit the ball very well for the Thunder. Over 43 games, Judge is batting .295 with seven home runs, 27 RBI, 12 doubles, a triple and 24 runs scored. He has struck out 49 times in 196 plate appearances, which is quite a bit, but is rather common for power hitters, especially young ones. Judge is considered the Yankees top position prospect and if he continues to produce, I'd expect him to head to Triple-A Scranton soon enough and make a run at a roster spot in 2016.

Considered by some to be the most hitting-ready Yankees prospect, first baseman Greg Bird has struggled some in Trenton after an impressive spring. He has missed the last three weeks with a right shoulder injury and is rehabbing down in Tampa, but prior to the injury Bird was hitting just .226 with three home runs and 12 RBI over 25 games. There is still a lot of baseball to be played this summer so hopefully Bird gets healthy and back on track.

Rob Refsnyder has righted the ship some at second base after committing five errors through 11 games, he has made just six over the last 28. Not outstanding, but a step in the right direction! He has also swung the bat better as of late and now boasts a .277/.348/.386 slash line with two home runs, 17 RBI, 12 doubles and 18 runs scored. He has only struck out 29 times over 185 plate appearances and has added 18 walks. With Stephen Drew still batting well below his listed weight (.162 over 148 plate appearances) we are all wondering when the young talented hitter is going to be given his shot.

After a slow start over the first two weeks of the season, catching prospect Gary Sanchez has been producing down in Trenton. Sanchez has produced a .261/.312/.430 slash line with six home runs, 22 RBI and six doubles. The young talented backstop has hit 18, 15 and 13 home runs over the last three seasons and right now is on pace to eclipse those marks and hopefully make another jump up to Triple-A by years end. He could very well be the catcher of the future, I for one am hoping the 22 year-old will be!

Eric Jagielo has been tearing it up down in Trenton with a .301/.380/.564 slash line to go with nine long balls and 32 RBI. Those numbers are outstanding in Double-A, or any level for that matter! Plus Jagielo is in just his third season in professional baseball, having played in just 114 games over the first two years. The third base prospect, along with Judge, Sanchez and Mason Williams had led the Thunder offense over the first two months. Dante Bichette Jr. has also contributed a home run and 23 RBI over 42 games, but is batting just .222.

In Scranton, OF Ben Gamel is off to a nice start in his first Triple-A action hitting .338 with two home runs, 20 RBI and 18 runs scored. Bryan Mitchell, is sporting a 3.80 ERA over nine starts and has struck out 37 over 42.2 innings, while Jose Ramirez has a 2.31 ERA over 16 relief appearances.

There are a lot things I'm seeing that I like in the minor leagues and it appears the Yankees will have some guys Major League ready over the next 12-24 months. Just in time for some of their aging veterans long ass contracts to come to an end! If all the stars align, I see a new core of Yankees moving their way up the organization and ready to make an impact at the Major League level.
(WRITTEN 5/30)


 
Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 


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!  

CITO CULVER DOES A GOOD BILLY IDOL

I wanted to share something with you.  Maybe this is just funny because I'm one of those guys who remembers when MTV actually started and actually played music videos. It was there that I discovered Billy Idol.

That happened in 1981.  Just to put this bit in perspective, I was born in 1971.  Cito Culver was born in 1992.  In other words... I'm old as shit.

Anyway, I stumbled across Cito Culver's individual shot for Yankees Photo day... and he pulls off a pretty impressive Billy Idol snarl.

I mean sure, it's the Billy Idol starter set, but it's pretty good... and funny. Not sure if this is his real smile or not. Who knows? Maybe he did it to give Dante Bichettte Jr a good laugh... but that's alright with me. We like Cito.

We once interviewed Cito here on Bleeding Yankee Blue.  If you get a chance, read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CITO CULVER.

I should note that Culver made a tremendous play today when the Yanks played the Phillies. Cito played shortstop. Click HERE to see it.  Great play and I wish Cito nothing but success.

Hope this post finds you well bud... keep grinding.



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!

CONCERN THAT HEADLEY WON'T RETURN TO THE BRONX

I've stated the obvious. With Pablo Sandoval signing with the Red Sox, the Giants are in need of a 3rd baseman. Well, the Yankees need one too.  That means the Yankees need to act... NOW!  Before Pablo signed, it was logical to think Chase Headley could be bought for 2 years in the Bronx. But not anymore.

It was also smart for Chase to not sign before a big free agent like Pablo did. Now Headley sees the market... and now the Yankees need to re-adjust.  They may not want to... but they must!

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes something very interesting... and something you may have already read on BYB:

"The Red Sox’s signing of Pablo Sandoval for five years at $95 million likely puts the team Sandoval abandoned, the Giants, in play for Headley, too, and raises Headley’s financial demands. The Yankees began the offseason – perhaps naively – thinking Headley might be secured on a two-year deal... But Sandoval’s deal means Headley gets at least three years, and no one should be surprised if he reaches four years in the $60 million range."

Couple that with news that the Indians are looking at Chase as well. MLB.com says:

"The Indians are among several teams who have shown an interest in free-agent third baseman Chase Headley, according to a source."

Does it all sound crazy? Not to me it doesn't. Chase can demand a pay day and I say, the Yankees need to jump in, regardless of what Hal Steinbrenner thinks he can afford. Sure, we need a shortstop, DRob and Brandon McCarthy... but we also need a 3rd baseman, and while the idea of $60 million and 4 years sounds alittle ridiculous, think about it this way;

ARod will soon be fazed out of the 3rd base role, and a guy like Chase could fit in there nicely, maybe even by the time Dante Bichette Jr is ready to come to the Bigs.  The point is, you don't want to lose out on Chase... he was a good egg in the short amount of time he was in New York, and for me personally... I'd hate to see that end.

So yeah, there is a concern, a big one if you like Headley like I do.  There is also an urgency ladies and gentlemen.  We need Chase... and I feel like we should just bite the bullet and go for it.

Wake up Cash... wake up.


 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!

IT'S TIME FOR THE YANKEES TO DO SOME GROOMING

When will reality sink in with people that the current Yankees “formula for success” isn’t succeeding?

Yeah, Brian Cashman had a banner start to his tenure as General Manager with World Championship teams mainly built by his predecessor, but his current strategy of acquiring aging veterans through free agency and trading off minor league stars has resulted in just one ring in the past 14 campaigns.

In a very “Lemming-like” fashion, many in the media have continued to drink the Cashman “Kool-aid” with articles like the recent one posted in SB Nation claiming that Nick Swisher could be a good fit for the Bombers.

No one could have said it better than the father of BYB – Robert Casey – when he wrote that “Nick Swisher was a solid player for the New York Yankees, but we have other priorities and back up first baseman is NOT one of them.”  You can read his entire article here.

(In Picture: Greg Bird)
The point that Robert is making is that it’s time for a change in strategy.  Using our minor league players as nothing more than trade bait and only bringing them to “the show” to showcase them for other teams just isn’t working.

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Cashman watched and learned something from this season’s World Series.  The two teams that competed in the Fall Classic were littered with young, home grown stars.  The Giants and Royals built their teams from within, grooming their talent in the farm system and giving the deserving ones a fair shot in MLB.

(In Photo: Greg Bird)
To get out of the “rut” the Yankees have been in they need to recognize the fact that they have some minor league players worthy of a genuine chance to play every day in the Bronx.   Robert mentions Greg Bird, a first baseman who was a star in the recent Arizona Fall League.  He’s 22-years-old and last year played in AA Trenton. 

Many would counter that he needs more “seasoning” and bringing him up as a backup isn’t going to ensure the kind of regular playing time that he’d need.  Casey points out that he’d be behind Mark Teixeira, someone who has made it part of his in-season routine to sit out injured seemingly every other week.  Bird would get plenty of playing time – both at DH and 1B.

(In Photo: Rob Refsnyder)
Outside of Bird, the Yankees have been sitting on a gem at second base in Rob Refsnyder.  Many of us were puzzled that the team refused to bring Refsnyder up for the final month of the season when they desperately needed a contributor at second.  Instead, they called up Jose Pirela and played him in seven games – choosing to continually put mannequin Stephen Drew in the lineup rather than give Pirela a real shot at proving himself.

(In Photo: Aaron Judge)
There have been people who say that the Yankees surely know what they have and realize that it’s not good enough to put in the field at Yankees Stadium.  Then why was Bird named AFL MVP?  Along with Bird, guys like Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin and Dante Bichette Jr. showed Arizona some great Yankee fall baseball.  If our minor league system is so barren, then how is it that Dellin Betances and Shane Greene had such an impact this past season? 

(In Photo: Dante Bichette Jr.)
Neither entered 2014 with high expectations, yet both secured spots for themselves on future Yankee rosters through their play.  Greene was only called up because the pitching staff’s attrition rate left the Yankees no choice.   If the Yankees staff had remained healthy last season, we’d know nothing of the 26-year-old hurler. 

Yes, the team knows exactly what it has in the farm system.  The problem isn’t that there is no talent; rather, it is that Cashman chooses to use the minor league talent as the chum for the sharks that are potential trade partners. 

Instead of trying to catch lightning in a bottle with players on the downside of their careers who still have $30 million remaining on their contracts (like Swisher does), let’s learn a little something from the Kansas City’s and the San Francisco’s of the world – as well as from our own history in the late 1990’s – and do some grooming from within.   It will hurt less in the pocketbook, and return respect to our organization.


    

--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!

GREG BIRD: MVP & FUTURE YANKEE LEADER

Just a quick note about Yankee prospect Greg Bird.  He received the MVP.

According to MLB.com's Jim Callis:

"Greg Bird provided the signature moment of the 2014 Arizona Fall League season, a 450-foot home run during the midseason Fall Stars Game. The Yankees' first baseman also was the AFL's most dangerous hitter, topping the league with six homers and ranking among the leaders in almost every important offensive category.

That made Bird an obvious choice for the league's Joe Black MVP Award, which the AFL presented to him before Saturday's championship game between the Peoria Javelinas and Salt River Rafters.

'It's an honor,' Bird said. 'Being a part of this league is huge privilege. I just came out to here to become a better player and meet some new guys. This is icing on the cake.'"

We celebrate guys like Bird, Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin, Dante Bichette Jr and anothers here.  They had a terrific Fall season and are the Yankees future. 

There is something very telling about these young men. They remind me of the guys that used to play with us.  Derek Jeter. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte. Mariano Rivera. Bernie Williams.  All still have a long career ahead of them, but all have mad potential to make it to the bigs and stay there for a long time.  Yankee fans want a youth movement, and it may start with these guys.

That's why when word spread to BYB 3 days ago that the Yankees may be targeted for their prospects by the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Tulo, I became queasy.  My immediate reaction was, "Oh, we're doing this again?" It just seems like the Yankees breed youth and talent just to trade them away.  I hate that.  How about we let kids blossom?

How about we watch big moments, allow the fans to fall in love and watch leadership develop like a few other guys I remember in the farm system.  Derek Jeter. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte. Mariano Rivera. Bernie Williams.

Congrats to Bird.  He deserves it.  Let's hope the Yankees take note... and when and if the Rockies present their prospect list to the Yankees in return for Troy Tulowitzki (read SOURCE: ROX WANT "A LOT" OF TOP PROSPECTS FOR TULO) we steer them in another direction... or... we even decide to make a smarter decision... we pass.

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!

TYLER AUSTIN CARTED OFF FIELD AFTER COLLISION

Quick note about Wonderboy Tyler Austin.  I call him that affectionately, because I have always been impressed with Austin's work ethic and drive.  He doesn't get nearly enough press for his efforts.  Unfortunately, I have a news item that's not great news for Austin.

According to Dennis Waters who has been covering the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, Austin had a collision this weekend.

Tyler Austin taken off the field on a cart after collision chasing a foul ball in left field corner. #afl14 @TrentonThunder
— Dennis Waters (@dpwaters) November 8, 2014

Turns out he, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Dante Bichette Jr were all in the lineup Saturday and Judge was the only one with the hit for the baby bombers. The Scorpions lost to the Glendale Desert Dogs 5-1 Saturday.  While the loss sucks, you need to think about Austin.  Let's hope the dude's OK.

You can read one of our favorite interviews here at BYB with Tyler and him mom Kim.  Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TYLER AUSTIN... WONDERBOY.

Here's my favorite part from that interview:
 

BYB: Tyler, what do you tell kids who want to quit Little League after a frustrating at bat, or season?

Tyler Austin: Hang in there.  I’ve had frustrating seasons and I’ve played a year ahead. Those years, my numbers went down, everything seemed to. I struggled and I realized that I needed to work alittle harder and I can’t get down on myself. 

Never give up. Get well soon Ty.

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! 

GIRARDI & BICHETTE EXCHANGE TEXTS

Girardi: "D. What's up pal" 

Bichette: " Hey Joe. How is everything." 

Girardi: "we're good. hows the family doing?"

Bichette: "we're good. tough break on Chili huh? I didn't him taking the job in Boston"

Girardi: "Yeah. I thought we offered him a nice opportunity in New York."

Bichette: "and what happened to Magadan?"

Girardi: "Funny you should say that. Hey you wanna get dinner? You. me... Brian Cashman?"

Bichette: "Oh no, you're crazy! Mariana is going to kill you!"

Girardi: "What? What did I do?"

Bichette: "I know what you're doing joe. lol.  Im home this season. I wanna work with Dante and Bo alittle before I even think about getting back in the game."

Girardi: "You got the wrong idea. A nice dinner with Cash. A steak, maybe a glass of red. We just want to see what you're thinking!"

Bichette: "Joe, you know me, I love you like a brother. But i'm home for now"

Girardi: "Remember those days in Colorado? We had a pretty great time."

Bichette: "Yup. the best."

Girardi: "we had the best time and we were the leaders of that club. Gotta get the flame back. Gotta get the band back together."

Bichette: "I KNEW IT. you're killing me Joe. KILLING ME

Girardi: "All I'm asking is you sit down at the table with me and Cashman. Mariana is of course invited.  In fact, I'll bring my wife as well. It will be like old times"

Bichette: "Except cashman's there offering me a job! dont get on Marianas bad side, she will literally kick your ass."

Girardi: "Lets have a dialog and then if nothing pans out, we keep it like this and at chritsmas Uncle Joe brings your family some nice gifts. lol"

Bichette: "Just dinner. No promises."

Girardi: "No promises... but we need a hitting coach and I'm the one who asked the Yanks to pass on Magadan.  Dont make me look bad."

Bichette: "Oh your bad dude. I'm going to get heat for this. tell me when and where. TALK ONLY

Girardi: "OK. Ill text you later."

Bichette: "Oh boy."

(NOTE: THESE ARE FAKE TEXT EXCHANGES. THIS IS ME USING HUMOR AND MAKING A GUESS OF HOW THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WOULD SPEAK TO EACH OTHER VIA TEXT. THERE IS NOTHING REAL ABOUT THIS. IT IS DONE STRICTLY FOR LAUGHS. ENJOY)





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!