No one really believed that Corey Kluber could be good this year. I had my doubts, I'm not gonna lie. But the bottom line is the guy believed he could and so, the Yankees took a chance. They took a chance with Jay Bruce too, but when it got hard, that guy just bailed. That's not resilience, that's giving up.
But Corey Kluber is different. He stuck with it, he worked toward a goal. He was never trying to do too much... he was just trying to do. And each time he went out, he got better and you have to admire that. That's dedication... that's paying attention to stepping stones... that's working to find a way to win... not just for the team, but for the person himself. The one that had the struggles and setbacks. The one that still was in love with the game.
Corey Kluber pitched a no hitter. Not an easy feat. And we should all applaud that. Is he once again an ace? Nope? But who cares... he's got the confidence and pride back and the belief that he could do anything and that is something that needs to be respected and admired.
"New York Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber threw the sixth no-hitter this season in Major League Baseball, striking out nine in a 2-0 win against the Rangers on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas...
I have no respect for a guy that comes out for a team, makes the team, takes a roster spot from probably another guy who deserves it more... and then, when the New York media chews you up as a washed up hack... you decide to do the easiest thing... retire. I mean, Jay Bruce are you freaking kidding me?
This is when the Yankees need a leader to step up... but instead, Bruce made it about himself, not about the team. That shows me all I need to know about the character of this man. It started when he made the team and went further when he walked away when it got hard.
What a stupid experiment? Why in the hell are you walking away at the worst possible time? What is going on here? This is what we do now? We're all soft, I'm tired of it.
In case you live under a rock, this happened. MLB Trade Rumors writes:
"Yankees first baseman Jay Bruce has announced he’s retiring from baseball (via Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic). Today’s game against the Rays will be the final of Bruce’s 14-year major league career.
Earlier this spring I mentioned that seeing Gio Urshela at shortstop was something we should expect. Tuesday night the Yankees chose to start Urshela at short for the first time since 2017, when Urshela was playing for Cleveland. Honestly, I am thrilled. He is our best defensive infielder. And he certainly brings more to the table than Gleyber Torres, who has been struggling in the middle infield position. Will the Yankees switch things up til they get it right? I certainly hope so.
"I have a lot of confidence in Gio when he has a glove in his hand and stands on the infield," Boone said. "So I expect him to go out there and play the way he’s capable of and handle the routine play and hopefully go out and contribute to a victory for us," reported Yahoo Sports. Now to be clear, Torres is experiencing soreness after diving back to a base on Monday night's win against the Blue Jays. But it is also no secret that Torres has not been comfortable at shortstop since replacing Didi Gregorius who is lighting it up in Philadelphia.
Moving Gio to shortstop also relocates DJ LeMahieu to third and places Rougned Odor at second base. Jay Bruce is back at first base as Luke Voit remains out of the lineup until later this spring or early summer. Voit is already doing baseball activities according to reports from the Yankee skipper. This is great news for Voit and the Bombers.
Will this be a lineup we will see going forward? Will the Yankees continue to tweak things until they get it right? Yes. For Torres, he appears much more comfortable at second base, so maybe we will see him there? Bottom line, the Yankees need to protect and preserve their pitchers. Having a strong defensive infield and outfield is the only way to do this. They also need to ensure that the big bat isn't the savior—that is just not sustainable. Hoping the Yankees stay focused on putting the best team on the field, so they can have the best opportunity to win.
The Yankees didn't show much action in Saturday afternoon's game against their nemesis Tampa Bay Rays but they did expose their clear weaknesses that need to be plugged up if the Yankees are going to be competitive not only against the Rays but the AL East and MLB at large.
What are the Yankees weaknesses? There are number of clear winners and since it is early in the season, there are a lot opportunities to tweak and improve in order for the 2021 Yankees to meet their mark of winning the AL East and moving onto the post season matchups and into the World Series.
1. Hitting with runners in scoring position. RISP is key to success and the Yankees simply cannot convert hits into the runs. "The Yankees collected just five hits, despite watching starting pitcher Chris Archer (2 1/3 innings, 0 runs) leave early with forearm tightness. A day after missing a game due to COVID-19 vaccine side effects, Gio Urshela didn’t get a hit in three at-bats. They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners," reported NJ.com following the Bombers 4-0 shut out loss against the Rays.
2. Gleyber Torres. Sigh. Gleyber Torres's defense has been in the spotlight since 2020 when he began to show mechanical and timing issues fielding balls at short. And already this season, Gleyber has a number of missteps and poor throws leading to errors and runs. The Yankees need to be a win-now team and they have to start to ask this question, "Can we win the Series with Torres at shortstop?" I would not go so far as making a trade for Torres, but I wonder myself if the Yankees latest acquisition Rougned Odor, who will likely get the start at second today, will step in for Torres and make a difference or do they need to go out and get another specialist such as Trevor Story or Corey Seager. And is that even possible in 2021? I think The New York Post columnist Joel Sherman's article on Saturday gives a lot to think about on this topic. As a note of reference, the Yankees have already demoted Tyler Wade, who although defensively and in speed he outshines Torres, Wade can't swing the bat so there's that.
3. Injuries. Aaron Judge sat out two games due to soreness. How is that even possible? Can he take Advil? I feel like there is more going on there. And we wrote about it earlier this week in THIS AARON JUDGE INJURY SEEMS KIND OF SERIOUS. Then there are the early injuries to Luke Voit and Zack Britton, causing stress on the Yankees. Jay Bruce simply is not producing the way the Yankees expected but the bullpen continues to outdo itself. The addition of Justin Wilson is proving to be impactful.
On the flip side of injuries, Brett Gardner continues to be, well, Brett Gardner. He made fantastic catch in left center field. It was so incredible that fellow outfielder Brett Phillips saluted him. Gardner also produced offensively for the Yankees.
It is still early. And teams don't make drastic changes until later in the spring or even early summer. But changes need to be made and the Yankees have to be thinking about this. As Aaron Hicks said on Saturday, the Yankees are tired of losing and so are we as fans.
I just love the sound of that headline. It is about time. Now I know it is the Orioles, but it is still an AL East team and it is a team that traditionally beats up on the Yankees despite their record over the more recent years. The Yankees need to win and to do so, Gerrit Cole needs to be great behind an strong defense and an equally powerful offense.
"Cole, who threw 97 pitches, recorded the most strikeouts by a Yankees pitcher since Masahiro Tanaka fanned 15 vs. the Blue Jays on Sept. 29, 2017. He also became the only Yankees pitcher to record seven or more strikeouts in 11 straight starts. Cole touched 100.5 mph and fanned Freddy Galvis swinging to end his night," reported NJ.com.
Aaron Judge smashed a three-run home run in the 8th inning to solidify the Yankees 7-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. These are the kinds of wins that the Yankees effortlessly need to make happen as they chip away at the championship, game by game, inning by inning.
It was great to see the Bombers beat up the Birds. It was equally great to see Brett Gardner hit and get on base the way he consistently does. Gardner played centerfield for Aaron Hicks who had a day off. Also getting some chatter was the Yankees' decision to sit Gary Sanchez for Kyle Higashioka. Many feel that Higgie has been deemed Cole's personal catcher, but the Yankees have not confirmed this assertion.
Gleyber Torres continues to struggle at shortstop, looking sluggish and uncomfortable. The Yankees shortstop waited an extra beat on Ryan Mountcastle's chopper to his right. A highlight both offensively and defensively for the Yankees is Jay Bruce, who is pushing to hold onto his roster spot as the Yankees sign another infielder Texas Ranger Rougned Odor.
Great to see Cole pitch so well last night. Really kicks up the adrenaline as the Yankees and Orioles close out the series in the Bronx tonight with Jameson Taillon making his debut in pinstripes.
Yes, this is real. No, I am not kidding. And man we predicted this...unfortunately. The Yankees starting first baseman, Luke Voit will undergo surgery for a partial meniscus tear in his right knee, skipper Aaron Boone shared with reporters on Saturday afternoon. It should come as no real surprise as Voit had been vocal about the soreness he had been experiencing in his right knee since the start of spring training. Friday, following his MRI, Voit learned the full extent of his knee injury. Voit will start the 2021 season on the Injured List and likely will not return to full time play until June.
"The Yankees will turn to Jay Bruce -- the non-roster invite who made the Opening Day roster -- to serve as the team's starting first baseman in Voit's absence, Boone confirmed Saturday. Bruce exercised his opt-out on Thursday, but the Yankees had 48 hours to make a final decision regarding a roster spot for him," reported CBS Sports.
This news keeps Mike Tauchman and Tyler Wade on the roster for the Yankees on Opening Day. Both could find some time platooning at first base. However, the Yankees will miss more than Voit's big bat in the lineup, coming from a guy who has had spent his fair share on the IL.
“It’s gonna be tough,’’ Aaron Judge said of losing Voit. “Luke’s a big part of this team, a big part of this offense who hits in the middle of the lineup. He’s a real vocal guy in the clubhouse who gets us motivated and we’re gonna miss that the next month. I know Jay Bruce is gonna do some special things for us,” reported the New York Post.
Voit is coming off a stellar 2020 season, albeit a short one. He batted .277/.338/.610 with a league-leading 22 home runs and 52 RBI in 56 games. Bruce is a 33-year-old left-handed hitter, who has turned some heads this spring proving he can hit for power. His overall production, and on base percentage is certainly not in line with Voit's and Bruce has only had 50 starts in his 13 year career at first base.
“I’m confident I can play a very adequate first base, and with more practice, I think I can be good. It sounds like I’ll have the opportunity to be there pretty extensively for the foreseeable future,” said Bruce as reported by The Post.
Sigh. Let's hope that the Yankees can overcome this set back, that Voit rehabs and can come back well before June and that the Yankees have enough depth in their clubhouse to stay focused and get a good start to the 2021 season.
Honestly, he's in consideration for that last bench spot. We already know Brett Gardner isn't going anywhere and Kyle Higashioka is a lock for the back-up catcher spot. So then it comes down to Tauchman, Bruce and....Wade. Nothing against Wade but, he has options remaining. The Yankees can send him down. The infield becomes a little dicey, they won't have an emergency infielder but the Yankees can get creative.
We are just shy of 10 games until Opening Day 2021 and the Yankees have a lot of reasons to be smiling. Three of them are Aaron Hicks, Mike King and Jay Bruce. And here's why!
Skipper Aaron Boone announced Friday that Aaron Hicks is a natural number three slot hitter (Read DEMOTIONS & REWARD FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES), and that is great news for Hicks, the Yankees and fans. But in addition to his lefty bat in between righties in the lineup if Hicks hit from that left side, he is adding a new/old secret weapon to his arsenal and strategy to get on base more in 2021.
"I feel like by adding a bunt, being able to use the middle of the field a little bit more, [it] will definitely take away that huge shift on the right side and ultimately give me more chances to get more hits,” said Hicks, who batted .225 with a 121 OPS-plus last season," reported the New York Post. Wow, bold statement from a team that places the long ball ahead of any kind of short ball tactic. But this could be a good one, if Hicks can stay in the lineup consistently and keep his opponents thinking that he could go long or short at any moment.
"Obviously I’ve had some struggles the last few years, I do kind of give that to injuries, but I feel like when I’m on the field and I’m healthy, I’m pretty much in line with my career numbers,” Bruce said. “I feel good, I feel normal, I feel like myself, you know, I know that I can help a team, I know that I can, you know, be a part of a winning team and help a team win a championship,” reported The New York Daily News.
King and Bruce who are bubble players will know their fate on Thursday, March 25th. As for Hicks, glad to see he is switching things up in order to get on base amidst the shift that has taken its fair share of hits away from the Yankee switch hitter. Opening Day 2021 is almost here and the Yankees are certainly making things even more exciting for all of us fans who are not only craving baseball but a championship in 2021.
I'm struggling to find where Mike Tauchman fits right now, and I think the Yankees are also. I didn't expect Jay Bruce to be this productive in Spring Training. He's looking to rebound after an underwhelming three-year contract with the Mets and Tauchman looked good in 2019, and even with a short 2020 season he regressed.
Considering the Yankees are giving Bruce a look at first base and he has had a productive Spring, I think that is a good sign that the Yankees like his versatility. Tauchman also has versatility, you can't ignore an outfielder who has the ability to all three positions. As much as we would like to forget, we can't ignore the Yankees have a brutal injury history in recent years especially with Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier so it would be smart to keep him for the extra versatility.
So, who gets the last bench spot, Bruce or Tauchman? Do the Yankees go with Bruce's experience or Tauchman's versatility? Considering that the Yankees are cursed by the injury bug I'd rather keep them both in a perfect world. Of course this isn't a perfect world so.....if you can only keep one, who do you keep?
Comment and tell us.
I have not hidden the fact that I love Gio Urshela. He plays with such passion and persistence. His moves on the hot corner are just that...HOT! He makes magic happen at third base and you know what? He can bring that same magic to shortstop in 2021.
"One interesting hypothetical that arose from watching Urshela's three-inning appearance is whether or not the 29-year-old can play shortstop. With the way the race for the final few roster spots is shaking up this spring, versatility from Urshela to swap over could be a resource for manager Aaron Boone when starting shortstop Gleyber Torres needs a day off," reported SI.com.
Urshela made his spring training debut against the Phillies on Thursday. Recall that the Yankee third baseman underwent elbow surgery in the off season, so the Yankees will be keeping a close eye on Urshela. "I can play shortstop. With shifting a lot, I feel comfortable there," he said. "I can play there," reported SI.com.
Just because he is comfortable doesn't necessarily mean he will the Yankees starting shortstop but it certainly doesn't rule it out. If Urshela assumes the shortstop position, it opens up a whole different strategy both offensively and defensively for the Yankees.
"Knowing Urshela is an option there would open the door for a player like Derek Dietrich to make the club, providing a lefty power bat to the bench that can play every other position in the infield. Same goes for Miguel Andújar or invitee Jay Bruce who can play first base and the corner outfield positions," reports SI.com. Not to mention that Tyler Wade, who keeps himself relevant because of his speed and defense, could draw the short straw if Urshela makes his niche as a middle infielder.
Regardless, it is an interesting nugget, this discussion of Urshela at shortstop. In some ways it makes perfect sense, given his surgery, it shortens the throw to first for instance. Honestly, I have not been impressed with Torres at short. He does not seem to have the agility or finesse that Urshela brings to his defense. Could this be the answer or an alternative from time to time? It is certainly an option and only adds more to the arsenal that the Yankees bring in 2021.
