BIG NEWS FOR BYB FRIENDS, THE BELLINGERS!

Just a quick note to pass along in this last full week of April baseball....because you can never have enough good news, right?

Photo: USA Today Sports / Picture of Cody Bellinger

Early in 2016 I was fortunate enough to meet Clay Bellinger. We talked about his time with the Yankees and his life now as a firefighter in the town I live in, you can read that in BYB's EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CLAY BELLINGER.

I could tell how much he really enjoyed his time with the Yankees but the part that he loved talking about the most was definitely his son Cody Bellinger. Last year Cody was working his way quickly through the Dodger's minor league system, and now Cody has finally been called up and Clay is definitely a proud dad!

Cody is considered to be the Dodger's top prospect and future first baseman, but his versatility, talent and experience in the outfield makes him an even bigger reason why he is so important to the Dodgers. Right now the Dodgers have a lot of holes in their outfield to fill. Center fielder Joc Pederson is on the disabled list with a strained right groin and left fielder Franklin Gutierrez is on the DL with a left hamstring strain. Infielder Logan Forsythe is also sidelined by a broken right big toe....and that opens the door for Cody.

After a brief interview with Fox Sports HERE, it sounds like Cody was surprised to get the call but we aren't. Cody has progressed quickly through the system thanks to his hard work and recognizing his own areas of improvement, like changing his swing that Clay talked to us about last year. The season is till young but he has a .343BA with five home runs, four doubles, 15 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 18 games at Triple-A this year. He is also among the Pacific Coast League leaders in several offensive categories. Numbers like those are how you get a quick call up

Once the Dodgers get some of their regulars healthy again they are likely to send Cody back down....but I bet money he will be back up again this season. We did text message Clay Bellinger Tuesday night assuming the proud dad had to be in San Francisco for his son's big debut and sure enough, we got a text back thanking us and shortly after MLB Network had a quick story on Cody and we spotted the Bellinger family in the stands. What a cool moment!

Bellinger may not be a Yankee, but he and his whole family are now part of the BYB family and if you read us regularly you know how important that is to us. This isn't just a blog about baseball, it is much bigger than that. It's cool witnessing people that you meet in life achieve big things. So a big congratulations goes out to Cody and the Bellinger family! We look forward to watching you continue to do big things.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

A LEFTY CLOSER WORKS FOR ME

I have always had a hunch that the Yankees would like to see Andrew Miller as their "official" closer.  Not that it really matters, because Dellin Betances is fully capable, but I believe that the Yanks want to groom Betances alittle longer, and having him in the 8th inning role suits he, and the team, nicely. 

Look, I feel like the Yanks signed Miller using "closer" money, so it makes sense to me that he'd be the closer.  Now they aren't saying anything because they don't want to discourage anything, but ultimately, Miller will be their guy, a lefty and something that will hopefully throw the batters off after they see Betances in the 8th.  It's actually a terrific 1, 2 punch.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has a good piece on Miller:

"'I’ve done everything I can to make it not different,' Miller said of getting the last three outs. 'In reality, it probably is a little bit because we’ve been trained for so long that it’s something special or it’s tougher or whatever. I’ve tried to eliminate that and treat it the same. I think I’ve done a good job. It’s nice to have a couple under my belt and realize that it’s not really that different.'

Miller entered Sunday’s game with a two-run lead, but he gave up a double to rookie Ryan Brett (his first big-league hit). That brought the tying run to the plate, but Miller was unfazed, striking out Rene Rivera, Logan Forsythe and Steven Souza Jr. to end the game.

'It’s not how I wanted to start, but you have to look at the scoreboard in those situations,' Miller said. 'I know that there’s nobody behind me, so I’m not trying to keep it to one run or no runs; I’m trying to win the game. Right there, it’s about getting three outs before they get two runs. Fortunately, I was able to do that. It wasn’t pretty, but I got there.'”

So, now I ask the readers.  Do you like Miller there in the closer role? Or would you rather Dellin Betances? Remember Girardi hasn't officially came out and named a closer.  I'm just curious who you like there better.  Miller... Dellin... both or you just don't care.  Comment.

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!

LOSERS!

David Phelps did perfectly fine last night.  The Yankees could not score runs off of Chris Archer and Co. That's it.  I feel like this is Groundhog Day and I'm Bill Murray.  I can't believe I write about a Yankee loss every day... but I do. Maybe if I keep going back, I can right the wrongs and fix it... but I doubt it. In fact... I know it.


What are we gonna do? You understand that the Yankees are free falling right now, right?  Have you seen our division lately? Have you seen the standings? Have you seen what we should be capable of, but instead what we're doing? We CANNOT SCORE RUNS! Why?

Phelps went 5.2 innings last night.  He gave up 4 hits and 2 runs.  Well done David. Bottom line, he kept us in the game.  The pen did their best to hold it down, but this time earned runs were off of Dellin Betances and Jose Ramirez.  I'm not exactly sure why Ramirez was out there in the 12th, but I don't think I'll ever understand Girardi's logic.  What I do know is that coaches need to be held responsible... and the time's coming!  Joe? Larry? Kevin? Get ready...

The Yankee run scoring went like this:

In the 3rd inning, Brett Gardner tripled and knocked in Ichiro. Derek Jeter then grounded out and in the process, Gardy scored.

In the 9th, Brian Roberts hit a solo homer.

It was after that tie game that Logan Forsythe knocked in a run in the 12th... the Yankees couldn't come back.  It's pathetic and sad and again, if I could have the same game or series, or season over and over again and be able to go back and move the pieces around better, maybe we could fix it and win.  The sad reality is, we can't.  The Yankees have to do it themselves.  Cashman gave this Yankee team the tools... we just can't win... and it's sucking the life out of us Yankee fans.  Don't believe me? Look at an overview of Yankee stadium lately... no one wants to be there anymore... sad.

Final: Rays 4 - Yankees 3 

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!

FROM "A GREAT OFF-SEASON" TO "DOUBT"

Thanks again Joel Sherman for starting my week off wrong...

Joel Sherman put a piece together yesterday in the New York Post to state that while the Yankees spent alot of money this off-season bettering their club, they also signed a bunch of guys that have had injury filled pasts.  OK then... thanks for starting my Monday off right. That's sarcasm for anyone that didn't get that.

Sherman writes:

"... They have areas of real fragility and little in the way of strong second-tier options. In 2013, as they used a franchise-record 56 players, that meant fire-drill acquisitions of underwhelming players such as Ben Francisco, Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells, and too many at-bats ultimately for lightweights such as David Adams, Reid Brignac and Luis Cruz. 

It was “The Day After Tomorrow” as age, lack of emphasis on the bench and a woeful farm system finally caught up with the Yankees, leading to a playoff-less season.

Well, “The Day After Tomorrow 2” is in pre-production."

Why the Yankees let this guy into their facility is beyond me.  I mean, yes, Sherman's doing his job and he has the right to criticize all he wants. I mean, even us fans know that the idea of some of these guys on our payroll is "rolling the dice", like a Jacoby Ellsbury for instance, but what Sherman is failing to understand is "What happens if we didn't do anything?" or better yet, "Who else is out there?"  I don't mind criticism if you write about the Yanks and their "bad moves" as he's suggesting, but here's an idea, if you criticize, have a suggestion on what you would have done better. I mean, there is never a good suggestion box when it comes to Sherman. He just spews out annoying columns to get Yankee fans riled up... and for what? To sell papers? Stop already.

(In Photo: Zoilo Almonte)
We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue have offered our own backup plans, like slowly sprinkle the kids in. Slowly bring up guys like Tyler Austin or Zoilo Almonte and get them prepped for the Bigs.  But Sherman even slams the Yankees minor league system writing:

"... the farm system still isn’t ready to help much, the depth remains iffy and the frontline is brittle enough to suggest the Yankees are going to need way more than 15 really good players, even if the plague doesn’t hit again to cause the need for 56."

You know what Joel? That's what the minors leagues is for... let the kids develop and you know what, every once in a while you throw a kid a bone.   Look at the Core Four. Look at Bernie Williams, All started out slow and all developed into superstars over time.  But that's what we need... time, not criticism every time we open your column bro.

And in the future, make a solid suggestion. What's your plan... these guys that you wrote about?

"...they were outbid on Jhonny Peralta and Omar Infante, and tried hard to acquire Logan Forsythe from the Padres, who was instead dealt to Tampa."

Hmm. It seems like those suggestions are like 2013 all over again. It also seems like you're contradicting yourself.  Plus, are we really gonna give a guy like Peralta a shot? He's dabbled in PEDs just like Alex Rodriguez. You know, the guy you rip for being a liar?  What's the difference between Jhonny and Alex? 

Sure Omar makes sense, but it was clear the Yankees wanted cheaper and so they went Brian Roberts.  After all, they were saving what they could to get Masahiro Tanaka at that point. Look, what's to say Omar doesn't get hurt this season? What's to say Brian Roberts doesn't have a great season? We don't know. The Yanks made moves based on what they thought was right.

Here's a good idea for your next column... Write about what you would have done if you were the Yankees and don't give me guys that have already been signed... really think!  It appears that what the Yankees did was pretty significant this off-season, many of us believe that. And while the future doesn't look bright in the minor leagues as you suggest... don't tell those kids that, because they don't believe it for 1 second.   I know them... they want it more than anyone, they just want a chance.

Dear Yankees... ignore the haters... go win in 2014!

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

THE YANKEES EYED FORSYTHE... BUT LOST

It's probably too late at this point. Why you ask? Read out update right at the top.

UPDATE: Logan Forysthe is hours away from being acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade it appears.  Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish says: "The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired Logan Forsythe from the San Diego Padres in a multi-player trade, according to a league source. Alex Torres is likely headed to San Diego in the deal, and each team seems set to receive additional prospects.
The trade is likely to be announced on Friday, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation."  

While sources are known to be wrong, Cotillo happens to have good information.  Most likely, he's nailed this.... 

He also ruined my John Forsythe joke... Damn you Cotillo!

I had written a fun piece about the Yankees wanting to acquire John Forstyhe from Dynasty...  But actually, John Forsythe passed away in 2010. Rest in Peace old pal.

 Logan Forsythe of the San Diego Padres was someone that the Yankees were looking at.  And when I say looking, I mean the Padres are fielding called about him and the Yankees have "checked in.  That comes from Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish:

Hearing "a number of teams' have called the #Padres about trading for Logan Forsythe.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 21, 2014

So what did this all mean? Well, it means that Forsythe is young and a utility man and another infielder we can add to the mix as we figure out who will play 3rd base. But who do we need to trade and will do the Padres like any of our guys?

(In Photo: Chase Headley)
Plus, what the hell ever happened to Chase Headley? Wouldn't he make more sense? Jon Morosi of Fox Sports hints about that:

Sources: Yankees have made trade inquiry to Padres about infield depth; Logan Forsythe is the most realistic target, not Chase Headley.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 14, 2014

I mean, ultimately, the Yankees could have had Mark Reynolds, but they passed. Now Forsythe is gone... will the Yankees now pursue Chase Headley?

Who knows... it seems that everytime the Yankee want to look at someone, they're too late...

Maybe John Forsythe wasn't a bad idea...

at least we know no one's pursuing him.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.