REMEMBER TIM LINCECUM? HE'S ABOUT TO AUDITION

There has been a lot of buzz over Tim Lincecum for months now. As Spring Training was approaching I was watching and waiting to see who he was going to sign with. Yes, I said WHO as opposed to IF because although it is true that he is not the same pitcher he once was....you can never have too much pitching and given his resume someone is going to give him that shot.

There has been a lot of buzz going on in Arizona. As soon as Spring Training is over you start to see the Spring Training facilities used for concerts and even some fundraising opportunities within the community. There has been a lot of rumors centered around Scottsdale Stadium though, which happens to be the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants.

In the next few weeks Lincecum is expected to hold a showcase for up to 20 major league teams, and is very likely to be done at Scottsdale stadium. He has had a mysterious off season and spring. Teams were expecting a February showcase, but that was pushed back several times with no reasoning given. Supposedly, he is healthy so that is not a reasoning for the postponements. With poor pitching performances from everyone so far including CC Sabathia and Luis Severino and the timing of this announcement the rumors are likely to continue. The Yankees are expected to attend and have the chance to sign him.

So who else is likely to be at this yet to be announced audition? As much as the Yankees could benefit from getting Lincecum I have to think that the Giants are still the favorites to sign him. He has been throwing at the Giants training facility but they have had every opportunity to sign him if they really were interested in his services. The Giants do have a more stable rotation compared to the Yankees but a reunion with former teammates Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner is still possible but it may not be as a starter.  It makes you wonder....how badly do Lincecum and the Giants want to reunite even if he is a bullpen pitcher? Is it more than the Yankees desire to add another needed arm as a starter?

Lincecum is still only 31 years old, so he is not an old veteran arm. He has also thrown over 1600 innings and has never had any arm issues so that is bound to catch someone's attention. His days as "The Freak" who threw 95mph may be gone but if he can still throw around 90mph, change speeds and demonstrate control he can still be a successful pitcher. He just needs to learn how to adapt.

So will the Yankees make a play for him at this upcoming showcase? It makes sense but time will tell. Until this showcase finally happens these rumors will probably continue to link Lincecum and the Yankees together. Would you want to see the Yankees sign Lincecum? Comment and let us know.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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THE GREAT WHITLEY / WARREN WAR

Among this spring’s battles for roster and positional spots is a war in which the Yankees cannot lose.   That is the battle for the fifth starter’s role in the rotation.

Prior to breaking camp, our always willing to lend his opinion and do Joe Girardi’s job for him GM Brian Cashman crowned over-aged, overpaid, mediocre pitcher Chris Capuano the fifth starter.   As fate would have it, either age or a lack of proper stretching before a game landed Capuano on the DL with a strain of his right quad.  The 36-year-old who last pitched more than 150 innings in 2012 (also the last time he had an ERA under 4.20) was running to cover first base on a ground ball to the right side when he pulled up lame.

Capuano’s misfortune opened the door for more deserving pitchers to battle for the one remaining spot among the starting five.  Initially the competition would be between 27-year-old Adam Warren, 29-year-old Esmil Rogers, and 25-year-old Chase Whitley.  Rogers has slipped after an outing against the Tigers where he yielded five hits and two walks over three innings.   It was a start that manager Joe Girardi had labelled as “important” to the former Blue Jay, and one has to believe it eliminated Rogers from the running.

That leaves a win-win situation for the Yankees.  The powers-that-be already are familiar with what they have in Warren and Whitley, and it is clear that the “loser” of their competition will have a role in the bullpen as a long reliever/spot starter.  Let’s take a look at what they bring to the table and how they have fared to this point.

Adam Warren hasn’t started a regular season game since 2013, and has primarily been used in long relief for the Yankees with increasing success.  Last season he pitched 78.2 innings and had a 2.97 ERA and 1.11 WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched).  As FANGRAPHS describes in this article about Warren, he features both a 2 and 4-seam fastball that average 94 mph and has an above average change-up.  He compliments those pitches with a curveball and a slider (cutter).  The article does some comparisons between Warren and pitchers with similar skills and concludes that he is most similar to a Zack Greinke, Homer Bailey, or Matt Cain.   

That’s some impressive company.  While he certainly can go in a completely opposite direction than the three aforementioned accomplished hurlers, the fact that he has the same type of “tools” they do offers great potential from our fifth pitching spot.  He hasn’t hurt his chances this spring either.  To date, he has pitched 16.2 spring innings and holds a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.  He has struck out 11 and walked just one batter.   At this rate, he’ll not only win a starting spot - he’ll keep it.

Though younger than Warren, Chase Whitley has more starts in a Yankee uniform than his competitor.  When the rash of injuries began its attack upon the starting rotation last season, Whitley was one of the pitchers called into duty.  Through his first seven starts in 2014, Whitley held a 2.56 ERA and 3 – 0 record.  As is often the case with youth, inconsistency set in, and three starts later the right hander found himself relegated to the bullpen.  Whitley features three pitches: a fastball that averages around 91 mph, a slider and a change-up.  As Chad Jennings of Lohud writes in this article,  Whitley has been experimenting with adding a curve ball to his repertoire.  So far, the results have been promising.  Through 11 innings pitched in camp, Whitley has yielded just one run (0.83 ERA) and holds a 1.09 WHIP.   Where opposing batters are hitting .266 off Adam Warren, their average against Whitley is just .220.  

While it is clear who Cashman favors – he said that Warren is the “Secretariat” of the pitching corps – Joe Girardi has seemingly kept an open mind as to who will get that final starting role in the rotation.  It has been written by others in the media that the Yankees aren’t sure whether Warren’s “stuff” will translate to being a starting pitcher, yet it is hard to discount how he has looked this spring.  Likewise, even though Whitley pitched to mixed results last season, in this year’s camp he has looked nearly untouchable.  It’s a dilemma I am sure every manager wishes he had, and definitely one that Girardi welcomes. 

Once again, an injury to one of Cashman’s aging add-ons has finally opened the possibility of a deserving hurler that has made his way through the Yankees’ system to establish themselves in the Bronx.  The question is which one will it be?

Either way, the Yankees will be the better for it.  Both Whitley and Warren have upsides that make the Capuano re-signing seem ridiculous.   Both add more to the rotation – and the bullpen – than Capuano could. 

It’s one positional battle that will end in a win for the Yankees.  My own opinion is that Warren will be our fifth starter, and will stay in that role through the season.  He’s shown that he has the stuff to be a “keeper” on the staff.  Whitley’s day is coming, make no mistake about it, and given what occurred last year, it would come as no surprise if he too ends up in the rotation during the 2015 campaign.

What do you think?  Let us know!

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

  
 
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HEY YANKEE HATERS... I GET IT!

I live in a world full of Yankee haters. It's true. Transplant New Yorker here through and through so let me tell you, it is not easy handling the fall-out of Michael Pineda and his use of pine tar not once....but twice.

So remember the first time Pineda was caught with an "unknown substance" that was on his wrist? Well, the good old ex just couldn't resist digging into that one. The next morning I got the standard "HAHA Pineda is a cheater. He's a real Yankee now" text. He's a Red Sox fan so that is to be expected I guess. Now why I ever dated a Red Sox fan is a whole other story for a different time.

That was bad enough. I mean, any other comments made I just issued the standard "come on, everyone does it. Most just don't get caught." Or I also used the "Where were you last year when Clay Buchholz was also accused of the same thing? John Farrell didn't seem to disapprove!" That seemed to diffuse any rebuttals but man.....fool me once, shame on you Pineda! Fool me twice well....shame on me and I don't have a good defense to offer you.

I thought on Thursday I was going to be safe. No one said a word to me. NO ONE! It was like sports fans everywhere just didn't watch the game or pick up a newspaper or.....read this blog! I thought I dodged a bullet....boy was I wrong.

My alarm clock did not wake me up this morning. Nooooo, that was my Mets loving father. He is awake and at work before vampires and zombies disappear. So of course, when it is dark out my text notification goes off and I read this.

Dad: "NICE win last night! Bad job getting caught cheating. What's up with the Pine tar?!"
Me: -____-
Dad: "Someone should've shown him how to be less obvious."
Me: "Yes dad, he made a bad decision."
Dad: "Bad decision? HA! Cheater, cheater, cheater."

Well, I can't really be surprised by that. So after a few hours I finally get into the office. I'm still half dead thanks to my un-godly wake up call. So while I am trying to find an IV to pump coffee through me I get this:

Orioles fan: "Hey Jeana! You have a little something on your collar-bone area there."
Me:*foolishly brushing away* "Is it gone? What is it?"
Orioles fan: "Well now we know who Pineda's supplier is"
Me: "You are lucky I haven't had my coffee yet..."

So after I finally got a cup of coffee in me....

Diamondbacks fan: "Hey Jeana! Is that a hickey on your neck?"
Me: *gives him the "REALLY?! not clever" death stare*
Diamondbacks fan: "Must not be, it isn't brown."
Me: "Very cute. Did you come up with that by yourself?"
Diamondbacks fan: *pulls out his phone and shows it to me* "No, I stole it off of a Meme I found online."
Me: "Yeah, yeah....he did something stupid. Not like he is the first one to do it."
Diamondbacks fan: "None of our pitchers do that, definitely not Wade Miley."
Me: "Your pitchers also can't seem to pitch effectively, either. Maybe THEY need some."
Diamondbacks fan: "Ouch. I will give you that though, since you are down Ivan Nova and now Michael Pineda's reputation is shot."

And it continued later at lunch.....there is a little Arizona version of what is supposed to be a deli down the street. The guy who owns it is a big San Francisco Giants fan. He got his digs in too.

Deli owner: *shakes head* "Your boy Pineda got off easy."
Me: "I know."
Deli owner: "What's up with the 10 game suspension? The crime doesn't fit the punishment. With the way your schedule is he will only miss 1 start. $20 says he does it again."
Me: "I think he learned his lesson."
Deli owner: "What about your management? They should've doe a better job stopping that after he did it the first time. They didn't manage him. Matt Cain would never do something like that."
Me: -____-

So look Pineda, I get it. This isn't a crucifixion or anything. I will say this though, I feel like Matlock or something because I felt like I was in the court of sports law today! Just go out there and kick some butt please! That will shut up all of the haters.





--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ



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THE STORY THAT WILL BRING YOU TO TEARS

Not sure if a lot of people on the East Coast know about Batkid, but Miles Scott is a cancer survivor and he's 5 years old.  He has leukemia and now he's in remission.

Back in November, the Make-a-Wish foundation and the City of San Francisco rallied around this kid and Miles, became Batkid.  They turned the city of San Francisco into Gotham. The goal? To make Miles dream come true.  You have to watch this news item to bring you up to speed, and after you wipe the tears away, look at what they did at the Giants Home Opener Tuesday:



Well, at the San Francisco Giants game, Batkid showed up to throw out the first pitch and once again, San Francisco rallied!   Here's an amazing picture of he and pitcher Matt Cain.

Look, you wanna bitch and complain about having a bad day? Try being 5 years old and battling leukemia.  This photograph is a symbol of inspiration and hope.  I applaud all that rallied behind this kid. He's a true fighter.  The story is just beautiful.

Here to throw out today's #SFGOpeningDay first pitch it's Miles Scott #sfbatkid https://t.co/B46Pk7ImRj
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) April 8, 2014

Next time you have that bad day... think about Miles Scott... and suck it up!

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HEY YANKS... GO GET LINCECUM!

I know what you're thinking.  I'm just writing nonsense to get you to read Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I wish that was the case. Truth be told, this is an opinion piece and over the past few years, I have actually been known to make smart predictions that have helped the Yankees.  If the timing is right, there is nothing that won't stop a team like the Yankees gather "big name" players.  Over the years, it's done by having the team they are trading with pick up the bulk of the contract of that "big name" player, but that being said, they are trying at least.  Look at how they pulled off getting Ichiro Suzuki last season?  And remember... BYB had our dream about getting Ichiro, just days before it happened.... don't remember?

Read ICHIRO TO THE YANKS IS MY PIPE DREAM from July 22, 2012, only to be followed up with ICHIRO IS A NEW YORK YANKEE on July 23, 2012. I'm not saying we're geniuses... I am saying we're Team Awesome.

I have also written about my love for Tim Lincecum to be a New York Yankee 1 day. While we have written many pieces back in the day suggesting it could be a great thing for both the Yankees and Lincecum, We have recently floated it in  PITCHING FITS writing the following:

"Expect the San Francisco Giants in the mix. They have Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner locked up, and would be foolish not to pick up the option on Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants will be losing a grip on Chad Gaudin, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. It is hard to believe they will hang on to all of them. Zito should be avoided. Gaudin would be an improvement over Hughes. That leaves The Freak.
It’s hard to believe that the Giants won’t sign him, but if they don’t, the Yankees should take a good look at Lincecum. He will be expensive and there is a risk element to that, always, but Freak seems to be returning to big game form. Relocation to Yankee Stadium might just re-energize him."

Good timing... that's what we do here at BYB and a special thanks to our writer Chad MacDonald for nailing it! It turns out that Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayarea.com that Lincecum will in fact test the free agent market, this is according to sources. He writes:

"Lincecum can become a free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series. The Giants have presented a two-year structure to Lincecum but talks haven’t progressed; assuming nothing gets done before the end of the World Series, the Giants plans to make him a qualifying offer (one year, almost $14 million) that would set them up to receive draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere... The Giants shifted gears to Lincecum after they re-signed outfielder Hunter Pence to a five-year, $90 million extension to prevent him from going to free agency. The Giants also want to re-sign left-hander Javier Lopez, preferably before he hits the open market."

The Yankees need pitching. The Yankees need to rejuvenate their starting rotation.  The Yankees need to pursue Lincecum.  He's not an old man and most likely he'll only need a change of scenery to get himself back to his old Cy Young self again.  And before you tell me that a National League pitcher can't hack it in the American League... I have 2 words for you... Hiroki Kuroda.

Hey... the Freak is someone to think about... I know I am.

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PITCHING FITS

The Yankees rotation next year will definitely include Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, aaaaaand…

Oh my. Houston, we have a problem. What’s that Houston? The Astros are your problem? Okay, conceded.

 Not to be all doom and gloom here, but just who will be taking the mound for the Yankees next year? CC Sabathia isn’t going anywhere. Yeah, he’s had a bad year. But his contract and fat stats will keep him in Pinstripes. He will be a starter, and one can only hope he will improve on this season.

Ivan Nova has firmly re-gained his Starter status. He dropped his ERA almost two full points to 3.17 from his disastrous 2012 campaign, when it was 5.02. He has been a solid and confident presence on the mound, and has earned the trust of the team once more. He will be a starter after improving on last season.

Hiroki Kuroda will be lost to the Free Agent Pool, along with Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Three Yankee starters potentially gone. Kind of a big hole, don’t you think?

The price to keep Kuroda will most likely be too high for what he provides now. Hiroki has been very good during his time in New York. But cracks in his armor have been showing lately. This is not to say a deal shouldn’t get done. But it seems unlikely. It would have to be bottom dollar, and that’s hard to pull off in today’s MLB.
 

Phil Hughes. Fans have had their Phil of Hughes. They are calling for a Phil-a-buster. He is a Land-Phil of putrescence. Hughes has not been wonder-Phil, he has been disgrace-Phil. His stuff? Not so Phil-thy. I am Chock Phil of Hughes jokes.

So yeah, the one definite thing you can take from this article? Phil Hughes will not be back. No, he will end up somewhere else, find his talent again and win the Cy Young or something. Because that will make us all love him, right?

That leaves the Free Agent Pool. It is silly to try and guess who will end up where. Instead, let us take the attitude that I have been granted a wish to be GM for a day, with unlimited acquisition powers. Who would I select to fill out the rotation and why?

James Shields will be the prettiest girl at the dance, so to speak. Shields has lived up to his nickname “Big Game James” this year with the Royals. He sports a respectable ERA of 3.38, has gone 11-9, and most importantly, has the ability to beat the Tampa Bay Rays consistently. That is something the Yankees definitely need from a starter.

The bad news on Shields is he ain’t going to be cheap. He is easily the most desirable starter on the upcoming market, and everyone will be after him. The Red Sox may let Jon Lester go in order to secure him. Kansas City will try to re-sign him.

Expect the San Francisco Giants in the mix. They have Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner locked up, and would be foolish not to pick up the option on Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants will be losing a grip on Chad Gaudin, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. It is hard to believe they will hang on to all of them. Zito should be avoided. Gaudin would be an improvement over Hughes. That leaves The Freak.

It’s hard to believe that the Giants won’t sign him, but if they don’t, the Yankees should take a good look at Lincecum. He will be expensive and there is a risk element to that, always, but Freak seems to be returning to big game form. Relocation to Yankee Stadium might just re-energize him.

The real prize in San Francisco is Vogelsong. Bookmark that guy and check on him a lot. There is amazing talent and potential there. Should the Giants loosen their grip on him, the Yankees should wrest Ryan Vogelsong away. He would be the one I would go after.

Ubaldo Jimenez will be available, and he should be left that way. He has proven to be inconsistent and unreliable. Jon Lester should also be left alone. Same with Roy Oswalt. If you are going to go for those guys, you might as well just bring back Freddy Garcia.

Then we have those pitchers who have, at one time or another pitched for the Blue Jays; Shaun Marcum, Josh Johnson, AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ted Lilly. Stay away from everyone who has ever worn a Toronto uniform.

Except one.

Roy Halladay will hit the market in 2014, after missing much of the season due to injury. But he is on the mound again when most expected him to not pitch again this year. He is doing terribly. Doc is 3-4, with an un-Halladay ERA of 7.19. There are those who say he is old and tired. That he is done. They are wrong.
If the Yankees can get Roy Halladay, they should. This writer has seen Doc perform in Toronto many times.

The man is exquisite. He has a training regimen second to none. He is dedicated, focused, and an unquestioned leader. He would bring up the level of New York’s entire staff just with his presence.

Roy Halladay has not won a Ring yet. You know he wants one. He is straining for it. Doc would be the answer to many questions. Yes he would be a roll of the dice. But so was Andy.

So, were I GM for a day, and given the unlimited ability to sign whomever I wanted from the Free Agent Pool next year, my rotation would be CC Sabathia, James Shields, Roy Halladay, Ivan Nova, and Ryan Vogelsong. I think that rotation will scare everyone else.

And while I am wishing, I would like a pony.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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AROUND MLB RIGHT NOW

Some nuggets around Major League Baseball right now you should be aware of:

Nate McLouth has been turning heads in Baltimore lately. He has a stunning .522 average over the last 7 days and has reached base 22 times in his last 36 plate appearances. He is also tied for second in the league in stolen bases with 8.

Mat Latos reported tightness in his right hip on Monday's start, cited as the reason he left the game. Latos is proving key to the Reds, with two wins, 37 Ks and a sparkling 1.83 ERA.

Carlos Gomez is boasting a slash line of .360/.415/.616 with Milwaukee these days. The rangy center fielder has 5 homers and 12 RBI this season, making some think he is making a move towards elite status.

Matt Cain has yet to find his footing in San Francisco this season. No wins, and an eye popping 6.49 ERA hang like an albatross on the starting pitcher. Still, it's a good bet that Cain will shake these troubles off and settle down.

Josh Hamilton is unable to hit home runs unless he plays the Astros this season. No word on whether or not those terrible stripey vintage jerseys are the key. Seriously, what is going on with this guy? He went 0-8 with a sac fly Monday and now has an average of only .202. Unsettling.

The best closer in the league is... Jason Grilli? The Pittsburgh reliever is in a four way tie for most saves in the league with 10. He shares this with Jim Johnson, Sergio Romo, and our own Mariano Rivera. But he has more strikeouts (17) than any of them, and his 0.82 ERA is only worse than Johnson's inhuman 0.64 by a microscopic sliver.

Slade Heathcott is in the news too.  We want to give Bronx Baseball Daily a shout out for their interview with Slade. Read that HERE.  Good work!

If you like this... we'll bring more to you over the season. Let us know.


 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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ROB-Z FIRING BORAS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

You know that moment when you are in public, get some really awesome news, make a ton of noise about it and add a happy dance, only to realize that everyone is eyeballing you like you lost your mind? That was me, on the bus in the Bronx, when I heard about Robinson Cano firing Scott Boras.

I have written about Robbie, and this contract looming over him often. The truth is, while I tried to remain optimistic about it all, I knew the new frugal Steinbrenner's approach would have laughed Boras out of the office and landed Robbie in a new uniform. This move, is probably the best thing that Robbie could have done. I cannot stress enough how much I dislike the way Boras does business. I feel like he is greedy and cares very little about his clients. His bottom line is making sure he gets a decent amount to line his pockets with. Even if it means that his clients sell their integrity for it. The truth is, with Boras as his agent, Robbie was as good as gone.




So yeah, when I heard the news, I broke out into my own rendition of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead." Then I started wondering which agent or agency Robbie would seek out to help him with his contract talks. I mean, let's face it, Robbie is about to become the best free agent on the market. Offers were going to start pouring in and he could use the help. There were a number of names that came to mind. But none was Jay-Z.

Okay, I would just like to point out, before I continue, that Jay-Z is not Robbie's agent. Creative Artist Agency, a company that is partnered with Roc Nation, is. It kind of works like signing a musical artist, except it's an athlete. Roc Nation Sports said to Robbie "Hey, you want to play?" Robbie said yes. Then they replied with "Cool. Sign here and your new representative will be CAA." Make sense? Robbie's team will be led by Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA. It's all very confusing, I know.

I've had some time to think about this today. I really love that Robbie fired Boras. If baseball were a person, Boras would be a skin eating disease. Too harsh? Maybe, but my opinion remains the same. It shows that Robbie is maturing. Boras couldn't make the distraction of contract talks go away, so he went elsewhere. Good on him. It's also a flag to the Yankees brass that he is not his agent.

Despite the fact that Boras has previously been able to negotiate with the Yankees, it was becoming painfully clear that they had about enough of him. CAA has successfully negotiated contracts for Ryan Braun, Matt Cain and Adam Jones, so they are no strangers to the game.

Still, I feel like it is a little premature to throw up the confetti and consider it a done deal. Remember in 2010, where Jay-Z all but gave his guarantee that LeBron James would play for the Nets? Saying that Mikhail Prokhorov could pay out enough to make it happen? Well, let's just ask James how much he enjoys Brooklyn. Oh... wait. Jay-Z is a Brooklyn native and means well. He is all about New York City, representing the city, and is a decent businessman. Plus, he's a Yankee fan. But having his name attached to your career does not automatically mean you will play in New York.

Look, the bottom line is, Robbie is still in the same position he was yesterday. The only difference is the people standing in his corner of the ring. We knew what Boras' fight plan was, but Van Wagenen is a variable. He'll get Robbie his contract, no problem. But we still don't know for a fact that it will be with the Yankees. All we do know is that the Yankees won't have to deal with Boras and that might make them more likely to want to talk with Robbie.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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