DJ LEMAHIEU, A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE YANKEES FUTURE

DJ LeMahieu is the best offensive player in baseball, bar none. Yeah, I said it. What’s shocking to me is how that is not obvious to everyone in baseball. Sure, if you look out across baseball you can find players who are better home run hitters, better fielders, better clutch players, and more versatile players. No one else is among the best in ALL those categories.

Credit: The Athletic

His resume is sterling. You would be hard pressed to find another one like it. Two batting championship, one in each league. Three Gold Gloves. In the Top 5 of the MVP voting two years in a row. He led the American League in batting average (.364), on base percentage (.421), and OPS (1.011). If you normalize last year to a 162-game season, he would have hit 27 home runs, to follow his 26 home runs in 2019. His slash line for the combined two postseasons DJ played for the Yankees is .306/.363/.472/.835. He has proven his versatility, showing he’s more than capable of playing at 2B, 3B, and 1B with a combined fielding percentage of .983. Yes, he’s a fixture at second base now, but we all know how easily an injury can happen and change the daily lineup. Knowing he can move around helps us adapt to anything unexpected that might happen.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports

And then there’s his clutch hitting. Who can forget his 9th inning home run to tie Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS? Were it not for whatever was under Jose Altuve’s jersey that told him an off-speed pitch was coming, that would have likely been the pivotal hit of the season. Then last season he hit the go ahead run against Cleveland in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. If the game is on the line and the Yankees need to score some runs, there is no one else I want at the plate than DJ.

The mad scramble teams go through every winter went on this year, and I couldn’t think of a more important signing than LeMahieu. Thankfully, he agreed to a 6-year contract worth $90M. There really was no better option for the Yankees. The contract guarantees he will be with the team through age 39 – basically the rest of his career. It makes us competitive for the next six years, and you cannot put a price on that.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

WHITEY FORD: THE G.O.A.T.

  

This morning, Yankees Universe got some incredibly sad news. Whitey Ford, Hall of Fame Yankees pitcher, the Chairman of the Board, the anchor of the Yankees pitching staff throughout the 1950s and 1960s, has died. He will be known forever as the most legendary World Series starting pitcher in Yankees history. He was 91 years old, a week and a half shy of his 92nd birthday.

Whitey Ford began his career in 1950, the year after the Yankees won the first of what would be five consecutive World Series Championships. That year, he would win his first nine decisions. He missed the next two seasons due to military service, but came back in 1953 to resume his Hall of Fame career. He pitched for 16 seasons, winning 11 pennants and 6 World Series. The World Series was his bread and butter. He was the World Series MVP in 1961, and holds the major league record for World Series Wins (10), Games Started (22), Innings Pitched (146), and Strikeouts (94).

 He pitched his final game on May 21, 1967. He finished with 236 career wins, and a career ERA of 2.75. In 1974, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

There is so much to say about him, like for instance the latest heartwarming story that he passed while or after the Yankee / Rays game last night with family all around. This Tweet from Bryan Hoch is sweet.

 

Whitey was the pitching legend of the Yankees that I grew up with, having heard and read all the stories about who he was and what he did. His name was right alongside names like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Joe DiMaggio. Today we lost a major piece of Yankees history.

Rest in peace, Whitey.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

IT AIN'T OVER YET!

The rumors of the Yankees’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Yankees’ bats finally showed up and gave us something to cheer about as they took Game 5 by a score of 4-1. I was at the Stadium for this one, and if you stayed away thinking this was all but over, I am sad to report that you missed out on a classic. Even before first pitch the energy was palpable, bordering on desperation for a Yankees win. It turned out to be one of the loudest and most exciting games I had ever experienced in the Bronx.

(Justin Lane / European Pressphoto Agency)

The Yankees, being on the brink of elimination, started the top of the first looked like an extension of the previous night’s debacle that was Game 4. A single, a passed ball, runner reaches third on a grounder, a wild pitch, and the Yankees are down a run. This was EXACTLY what we did NOT need. I found myself yelling at players and wondering if I should just close my eyes until it was over. Thankfully James Paxton was able to get it under control and stop the scoring. Then DJ LeMahieu drove the second pitch out of Justin Verlander’s hand into the seats, and I began to feel something I hadn’t felt in days – hope! Then a single from Aaron Judge and a double from Gleyber Torres was followed by a Giancarlo Stanton strikeout and I began to hear those TV sports announcers in my head. That’s another at bat with runners in scoring position where they failed to drive runs in. I began to get a sick feeling.

(Kathy Willens/AP)

After Aaron Hicks drove the count full, he launched a pitch deep into right field, right into the foul pole. For the next 30 seconds, I let out a scream to release 4 days’ worth of frustration, exasperation, and hopelessness. So did 48,482 of my closest friends in attendance last night. Except maybe for the Astros fans, most of whom were in shock. I struggle to find the words to express what it felt like to finally see the team, for whom I had been cheering all season long, finally show up at the Stadium! I probably don’t have to, because if you were watching, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

(Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post)

From there, the other hero wearing Yankees pinstripes took over. Paxt8on out-dueled Verlander for the next 6 innings, and it reminded me of what we were expecting when we traded for him last November. No runs, 9 strikeouts, did not allow any 2 consecutive batters to reach base, did not allow any runners to reach third base, and only allowed 1 runner to reach second base once – for one at bat. When you consider how good Houston’s lineup is, you realize how epic that feat was. Add to that the attitude he showed to talk Aaron Boone out of a pitching change in the sixth, clearly mouthing the words “Let’s Go”, and he becomes an MVP candidate for this series.

(Frank Franklin II/AP)

To be sure, the Yankees have some serious questions to answer. The first one being what the sequence of pitchers is going to be for Game 6. I suspect it will be Chad Green, since he did not make an appearance in last night’s game. The other is how to wake up the sleeping bats. Only three hitters are hitting above .250 for the ALCS – DJ LeMahieu (.381), Gleyber Torres (.300), and Giancarlo Stanton (.286). Five of the regular starters have an OPS below .450. I get that Houston has excellent pitchers, but this is ridiculous.

(Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports)

For now, the Yankees have one job – win Game 6. Most of the news has been about how insurmountable a task it is to come back from being down 3 games to 1 against the Houston Astros. The strategy for accomplishing that steep climb is straightforward. Just win Game 5 (done!). Then win Game 6. Finally, win Game 7. Simple. It can be done. If nothing else, last night’s game gave us hope that the Yankees will get it done. I have a good feeling about this.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

LOOK WHO’S DOMINANT NOW!

(Associated Press/Sue Ogrocki)

The first game of the ALCS is in the books, and what a performance we saw by the Yankees! The starter, the bullpen, the hitting, the defense – just about everything went the Yankees way tonight. Perhaps what makes it all the more gratifying is the way most coverage has focused on how dominant the Astros are expected to be in this series. How the Yankees had to win at least one game in Houston to have a chance. Yes, mathematically the Yankees had to win at least one game in Houston to win the series. But if you believed what you heard on TV and on the radio, you would have thought winning last night or tonight were both longshots. Well, you find out how dominant you are when you face another dominant team. Last night, the Houston Astros and their fans found out.

(Associated Press/Matt Slocum)

After the first 3 innings, both Masahiro Tanaka and Zack Greinke had faced the minimum 9 batters. Both had given up a hit and benefited from a double play. Then Gleyber Torres lit it up; first with a double in the 4th scoring DJ Lemahieu from second. Then, he hit a solo homer in the 6th. followed by a 2-rbi single in the 7th. He finished them off with an infield dribbler to score Lemahieu from third.  Add to that solo home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Gio Urshela, and the Yankees lived up to their hitting reputation with 7 runs on the board.

(Associated Press/Eric Gay)

When I look at the other side of my scorecard, it’s pretty clean. Tanaka went 6 innings and faced the minimum number of 18 batters. You probably heard the announcers talk about that repeatedly. What they didn’t mention as much was that by the end of the game, Yankees pitchers only faced 2 batters over the minimum. In other words, the domination continued up to the final out. There were a few other indicators of domination. Like the fact that the Astros had a runner on third for a grand total of one pitch! That was right after Gleyber Torres and Didi Gregorius let a Jose Altuve grounder roll through the infield for a “single” that put Michael Brantley on third. One pitch and one replay review later, and Alex Bregman had hit into an inning-ending double play. That's it.

(Associated Press/Eric Gay)

I cannot say enough about how well Masahiro Tanaka pitched. Unless you’re counting foul balls, Kyle Tucker’s single in the 3rd was not only the first hit, it was the first time in the game that a Houston hitter hit the ball out of the infield. That feat would only be repeated two more times, once when Brantley flied out to Stanton in left in the 4th and once when Yordan Alvarez flied out to Aaron Judge in right in the 5th. He had outstanding control, allowing only one hit, one walk, and only got to ball 3 with three hitters. Against an offense touted to score 20 runs per game, that was almost superhuman.

(Associated Press/Matt Slocum)

The big takeaway, especially for the Astros, is that if they thought that all they had to do was show up, they found out how good the Yankees are. Just like we’ve been hearing about how good Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are and what it will take to beat them, the same goes both ways. Houston is going to have to work hard and they’ll need to catch a few breaks to beat the Yankees. Suffice to say, I expect most of the coverage today to be about whether Houston will recover from last night’s beating, whether the Yankees can keep the momentum going, and about how critical Verlander’s start is tonight. Personally, I think the Yankees are gonna sweep the series. But we’ll see. In any case, the ALCS is living up to its billing of being an awesome series. Let’s go Yankees!

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor

Twitter: @KingAgamemnon 

LIKE I SAID, BRING ON THE ASTROS!

Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

So now we now know that the Yankees will be facing the Houston Astros after they eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 last night. I felt like I saw this matchup coming for more than a month now, so I named my last piece on BYB THE YANKEES CRUSH THE TWINS - BRING ON THE ASTROS! Apparently a few friends and readers decided to take exception to my title and questioning why I would assume the Astros would win their Division Series. Obviously, you cannot assume the outcoming of any game or series. Just as obvious is the fact that if the Rays had won I would be writing a VERY different article. But, seriously?? I find it hard to imagine why anyone would NOT understand how high was the likelihood that the Astros would take it.

You cannot ignore the seismic effect that the Astros bring with Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke. You have three dominant starters, of which two are 20-game winners and the third an 18-game winner. They all have ERAs below 3 and WHIPs below 1 on the season. That’s what the Yankees are set to face starting tomorrow night. It’s a tall order, to be sure.

Photo Credit: CreditCreditWendell Cruz/USA Today Sports

If you listen to sports announcers and analysts, they are all talking about how with the Rays pushing the ALDS to 5 games, Gerrit Cole won’t be available until Game 3. The Yankees would face Cole in Games 3 and 7, Verlander in Games 2 and 6,  and Greinke in Games 1 and 5. That’s assuming they alk pitch on regular four days rest. To me, forcing game 5 just shifted the order of the starters. It's still the front three for two games each. Nevertheless, the Yankees still have some key advantages that I think will put them on top by the time the ALCS is over.

Photo Credit:  (Seth Wenig/AP)

The Yankees have done well against those three this season, all things considered. Historically, Verlander has struggled against the Yankees. We faced Verlander twice this season for a combined ERA of 4.15 and a combined WHIP of 1.154. Cole pitched against us once in April, throwing 7 innings and giving up 3 earned runs (ERA 3.86), 4 hits, and 2 walks (WHIP 1.000). Greinke faced the Yankees twice this year as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He did well in his first outing and lasted 5 innings in his second, allowing 2 earned runs, 2 hits, and 3 walks.

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

The point is these guys are hittable, and the Yankees have a track record to prove it. In the hysteria of their win last night, everyone is hyper-focused on the recent dominance of their starters. Memory of the power of the Yankees’ bats seems to have faded, at least for the time being. A few days ago they were covering how impossible it seems to be to keep the Yankees from scoring runs in bunches, and how the Yankees’ pitchers kept the team who set the single season team home run record from scoring.

One thing that everyone can agree on is that this ALCS is going to be epic. The two best teams in baseball are going to go head to head, and neither team is going to go down quietly. Whoever win will have earned it. My money is on the Yankees.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon 

THE YANKEES CRUSH THE TWINS - BRING ON THE ASTROS!

By now you know that the Yankees cleared the first hurdle in the journey to their 28th World Series championship. They swept the Twins in 3 games and now are waiting for the winner of the Houston / Tampa Bay series. If you watched the games you saw the Yankees completely dominate each game. That domination had some key elements that are going to be critical in the next two series.

First, I cannot say enough how excited I am at Luis Severino’s success in his Game 3 start. It allows the Yankees to lead with a starting rotation of three dominant aces. Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton have been excellent, but the Yankees needed that third ace. No one could have predicted Domingo German’s suspension, and without Severino, we would have been debating between starting Game 3 with J.A. Happ, CC Sabathia, or an opener from the bullpen. While I love those guys, none of them could have given us that ace start that Severino can. Having Severino at his current performance level allows us to go toe to toe with Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke. Luis Severino’s return took the Yankees to the next level.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

The lineup has been absolutely phenomenal. There is absolutely no weak point anywhere, from one to nine. You have to give special recognition to Gleyber Torres, who slashed .417/.462/.917 with an OPS of 1.379, and to Didi Gregorius, who slashed .400/.500/.700 and had an OPS of 1.200. With runners in scoring position the Yankees batted .313 in the division series.

Photo Credit: Ike Dimitriadis

Then there is the defense. I do not remember the last time I saw Aaron Judge making diving catches, jumping catches in the run, and running down balls in a way that reminded me of how Dave Winfield used to do it. Gleyber Torres’ slide and throw to end the 5th inning. Didi Gregorius’ diving catch that helped preserve the lead in the ninth. It’s like we have Graig Nettles at every position.

All this put together was more than just a division series win. It was a demonstration of dominance and hunger for a championship. Of course I assume that Houston will get past the Rays and meet us in the ALCS. The Houston Astros are a very good team. I feel nothing but confidence that we will beat them. We are playing like champions.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon 

YANKEES PLAYOFF STARTERS: WHO SHOULD BE IN

Photo Credit: Associated Press

While the Yankees are working on securing home field advantage for the playoffs, they’re fielding questions on the starting rotation for the rest of the season, which will ultimately decide the starters for the postseason. They have to get this right. There are some obvious “automatics” for the front to the rotation. Masahiro Tanaka and Domingo German definitely have earned their spots. Thinking about starters 3 and 4 makes for some interesting conversation.

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

James Paxton has woken up, finally. A month ago, I was wondering whether this guy was even going to make the postseason roster. A record of 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA at the end of July doesn’t exactly scream “playoffs”. Since then he has gone 9-0 with an ERA of 2.50, including 6 Quality Starts, zero no decisions, a K/9 of 10.17, and an opponents’ batting average of .170. Those stats, by the way, lead all Yankees starters during that time period. It took a while, but we finally see the starter we thought we were getting this past winter.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Luis Severino’s readiness will be a critical point for the Yankees. Pay attention to his return when he starts on Tuesday night. That start is going to be huge. If he does well, the Yankees starting four will be Tanaka, German, Paxton, Severino. When I close my eyes and imagine what that front four looks like, the word that comes to mind is “dominant”. Severino is coming off a long recovery period, but when you look at what he’s done in the recent past, there is not much doubt. Consecutive seasons of 200+ strikeouts and top 10 Cy Young Award voting tell you this guy is a power pitcher who can win big games.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

J.A. Happ was someone I thought a was key to the plan this past winter when the Yankees worked at signing him. His 5.07 ERA would be the worst of his career since his first full season if the regular season ended today. The best thing I can say about Happ is that he’s pitched decently over his last 6 starts. His record is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA. Still, if you look at his last start in Detroit, he was lucky to have only given up 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed hitters to reach scoring position in every inning but the third. This was against the team with the worst record in baseball. If it were me, I’d have him in the bullpen as a long reliever and maybe a lefty specialist. He would only start if Severino’s starts go sideways.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

CC Sabathia has been a fixture on Yankee postseason rosters since we signed him 10 years ago. This is his final season, which makes this especially painful. His record cannot justify him starting a game in the playoffs. It may not even be enough for the postseason roster. I know he has said he would be fine with the role of a reliever in the playoffs, but you have to wonder. He hasn’t had a win since June 24 and the Yankees have lost every game he started since July 16. He hasn’t even been on the mound in the 5th inning since that July 16 start. Nevertheless, he is an established clubhouse leader who the Yankees will need when dealing with postseason pressure.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Ultimately the decision rests with Aaron Boone. But I think most of these are pretty obvious. There is no way you’re going to win with bullpen starts in October. The starting rotation has to be more than solid. It has to be dominant. We expect the hitting to be there, but the starters set the tone for the game and keep the team in the game. They have to get this right.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon 

REPLACING MIKE TAUCHMAN

Photo Credit: Associated Press

It’s almost as if the Yankees made a trade with their own Injured List. The day that Gio Urshela returned to action, Mike Tauchman pulled a muscle in his left calf and yesterday found out that he will be out for 6-8 weeks. That would be well into the postseason, if not well after. A devastating loss for sure, he’s been the stalwart in left field more than anyone else this season. His second half hitting stats are incredible – a slash line of .315/.395/.582 and an OPS of .977 made him an everyday automatic in the lineup. He also had great clutch stats - his batting average was 20 points higher in high leverage situations versus low leverage situations (.297 vs .277), and more than 30 points higher against winning teams versus losing teams (.295 vs .261).

Photo Credit: Associated Press

I compare him with Urshela because when you look at the top WAR values on the Yankees, Tauchman is ranked fourth and Urshela is ranked sixth. It seems that would be an even substitution, assuming you could get him in the lineup every night. How hard could that be? Unfortunately, he has the misfortune of playing primarily at third base. That position is currently occupied by the guy ranked #1 in WAR on the Yankees – DJ LeMahieu. To get Urshela into games, the Yankees seem to follow a script. When one of the other infielders needs a night off, LeMahieu moves to second or first and Urshela plays third. That script doesn’t work in October, when no one gets a night off and they have to put the top players in the lineup every night. Urshela has played all but 6 innings this season at third, so either he’s not comfortable anywhere else, or the Yankees don’t trust him anywhere else. In case you’re thinking of putting him at DH, if you read our earlier piece DESIGNATED HITTER ROULETTE: WHO'S IN? WHO'S OUT?, you know that’s a very crowded slot.

In all likelihood, Cameron Maybin will be replacing Tauchman in left. He spent the most time in that position following Tauchman and Brett Gardner, who spent most of his time in center field. His clutch hitting stats are good, though not as dramatic as those of Tauchman. His fielding stats noticeably lower than those of Tauchman, who did not record an error this season. Anybody else filling in at left field would be trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

So while you cannot replace a guy like Tauchman, the Yankees have options. They’re not great, but they’re not terrible. And who knows. Maybe 6-8 weeks will turn into 4 weeks.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon 

SEVERINO OUTING IS HUGE

In case you didn’t notice, the Yankees got a big-time performance last night. No, definitely not in last night’s debacle at Fenway. It was in Trenton, where Luis Severino started the Thunder’s Eastern Division Series clincher as part of his rehab stint. It’s another step closer to his return, with no hiccups or warning signs. If you take Aaron Boone’s comments earlier in the day on face value, that if the outing went well, he could be brought up to the majors imminently.

Severino threw 50 pitches in 3+ innings before being pulled in the 4th after a lead off base hit. His velocity was in the mid 90s, topping out at 97 mph, according to scouts in attendance. Over those 3+ innings, he struck out 5, and walked none.  He did not get to ball 2 in any count until the third inning. He did give up 5 hits, one of them a solo homer, but was able to get out of trouble for the most part.  All in all, I would say he had an excellent night.

Photo Credit: NJ.com

With the playoffs only a few weeks away, Severino’s presence would be a huge asset. A starting rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Domingo German, and James Paxton would be awesome. Think about how much better the Yankees’ postseason posture looks when you think about Severino taking  J.A. Happ’s slot. It would be an incredible positive shift.

Obviously, It’s Aaron Boone’s job to make sure he doesn’t reinjure himself. That will likely mean strict limits on pitch counts. The good news is that if we see him start Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, he’d be facing one of the worst hitting teams in the American League. They’re last in the league in home runs and second to last in strikeouts, both of which play to Severino’s strengths and away from his weaknesses.

Whatever happens, I’m paying very close attention to next week’s games and announcements about him getting a start.

--Ike Dimitriadis
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon