THE YANKEES SURPRISE OPTION TO FILL IN FOR DJ LEMAHIEU

We are all missing DJ LeMahieu right now. It's becoming more unlikely that he will that he will be ready to come off of the Covid injured list by the start of the season. The Yankees are already taking that into consideration.....and they have an unexpected replacement in mind. Have any guesses?

So I said unexpected, a surprising name. So that being said, I am not talking about Tyler Wade because he is an obvious choice. So far, he has proven he can step up and handle the responsibility. He can steal bases and is very versatile, more so then anyone else....but there are a few other options that come to mind. One more surprising then others.

The Yankees could consider Thairo Estrada or Matt Duffy to play there. Duffy would be an interesting choice. He has played 18 games at second base and shifted around the infield for the Rays on occasion. The Yankees also have Thairo Estrada, who we got familiar with last season. He was one of the many replacement Yankees used in their injury filled season. He's had a hot start in Summer camp and already hit some home runs in intra-squad games. He hit a home run on Thursday that was a rocket into the left field seats. He's made a good, early impression.

But then comes the surprise addition of Gio Urshela. Maybe not the obvious choice here but in a pinch it could happen. Gio was the team's regular third baseman last season but he's been taking some grounders at second base, read more HERE. Aaron Boone is already thinking outside of the box and I like that. We have no idea what this pandemic shortened season is going to bring us so versatility is going to be key. Baseball has always been a game of strategy, this season will be even more challenging. It's good to be proactive now rather than reactive later.

So if Gio is used at second base I guess that means Miguel Andujar back at third base also isn't out of the question. He's not known as a great fielder, but he's been working on that and has supposedly made progress. We may have to wait and see that for ourselves, but maybe his fielding skills are catching up to his batting skills.

No matter what happens at second base, this season is definitely going to be interesting. We need all of the versatility we can get. With LeMahieu out we may see more importance on both Gio and Andujar. I still think the second base job could be Wade's job to lose at this point....but a surprise upset could happen. Who is your pick to temporarily fill second base? Comment and tell us.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MATT DUFFY GETS AN INVITE TO YANKEE CAMP!

It's a late add, but whatever man, this kid will get a shot.

Matt Duffy will be joining the Yankees.  Nice!

The New York Post writes:

"The Yankees have set their roster for summer camp, using 58 of the 60 available spots with players set to report to The Bronx on Wednesday. The player pool includes all 39 players on their 40-man roster, plus 19 extras, including infielder Matt Duffy, who signed a minor-league contract..."

Duffy is a third baseman who's had some time with the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants. As my 17 year old says, "It's a good piece, decent addition. Time will tell what he can do and how often he'll play with a team like the Yankees who are stacked, but yeah, it's fine."

Duffy is a career .282 major leaguer with 22 homers and 169 RBIs.

Welcome Matt Duffy.

FEELING LIKE A PROUD MAMA WATCHING NUNEZ PLAY FOR THE GIANTS!

I am not the biggest Eduardo Nunez fan by far, but I liked Nunie as much as the next fan.  Actually, watching him in a Giants' uniform on national television this weekend, I think I like him even more.  I felt like a proud Mama watching Nunez scoop up ground balls and take swings like the All Star he has become with the Minnesota Twins.  He even got a game tying double with the bases loaded in Saturday's game against the Nationals, his first two RBIs since becoming a Giant.  Sure, he has always lacked consistency and had more errors than I would like any MLB player to have, but he holds his own and he most certainly drew the attention of Giants' General Manager Bobby Evans who needed some insurance in the field as the team's post season seems more and more a reality.

"As we look at the rest of the season, we just want to have the protection of (Nunez's) experience -- given the time these guys [Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Hunter Pence] have missed and how much time they may need to have off down the stretch," reports Fox Sports.  Smart planning for a club who has seen more post season and quite frankly, media coverage than any other team in the last decade.  We could learn a little something from this crew.

Nunez has grown up to be a player who is very much valued.  "Here’s a guy who was expected to be a bench bat for the Twins this season after succeeding in the role last year, and two and a half months into the season manager Paul Molitor is joking that his own biggest struggle regarding Nunez is finding time to rest him." Nunez said that the key for him has been playing more consistently. "Before I was getting one shot every week, so it’s hard to make adjustments. … I think I’m the same player, I just have more opportunity to play, so you can prove more, you can show more what you can do," stated Nunez in an interview earlier this season.

So the fact that his hard work and consistent playing time has gotten him to one of the best teams in baseball is like winning the lottery or making it to the Olympic Games.  This journeyman/utility player has finally made it to a team that values his efforts and could get him a shot deep into the post season, if not the World Series.  Sometime the good guy wins and for Nuni, I am so proud of his grit and determination.  I can't wait to see this guy shine in San Fran!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof

WHO'S READY FOR SOME BASEBALL!

I am so ready for baseball. I get like this every year. I don't count the days to spring training until after the Superbowl. Then it gets intense. I survived the Blizzard of 2016. There's snow on the ground. There's more snow in the forecast. I'm sick of snow. I'm ready to trade my boots in for the crack of the bat, the whistle of a line drive, and the pop in the glove.

There's something about baseball that just feels right, that brings everything into focus and alignment. I love the Yankees, but the love of baseball became even more real to me this past September when I got to catch a Giants game at AT&t Park in San Francisco. I was there for a business conference, and thanks to some good friends, I was able to sit in one of the luxury boxes for the game. It was an amazing night.

Since it was not in New York, it was only natural to be surrounded by people who were not Yankees fans. I got to meet some great baseball fans. I met Pat, a marketing director from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and an ardent Red Sox fan. It didn't take long to get into the debate. By that point in the season, the Red Sox were in last place and well behind the pack, but it didn't stop the die-hards. Arguments about the rookies coming up, who was going to pan out. We both lamented prior off season acquisitions that went bust. It was a good baseball conversation watching a good game.

Then there was Jim, who was a techie like me, and also a blogger for a site supporting his hometown Chicago Cubs. We swapped some stories and analyses on our respective teams' chances of making the playoffs, with only a couple of weeks of regular season left to go. Unlike the Red Sox (sorry, Pat), our teams were still in the hunt for the wild card. This Giants game was more meaningful to Jim than me, if only because the Giants were one of the teams still making a run for the NL wild card. But it was great talking about each others' players, and just talking baseball.

The game itself was pretty dramatic. The Giants were playing the Reds, and even though the Reds were out of it, the Giants still had a shot. Besides, the Giants were the defending World Series Champions, so they had some pride on the line. The Reds jumped out to a 3-0 lead early, only to cough it up a few innings later. After the Giants took a 5-3 lead after 6, the Reds blew it wide open with a huge 5-run 7th. Still the Giants kept inching back until the ninth inning when they were down 8-6. Aroldis Chapman (who knew?) came in to close and Angel Pagan led off with a double. One out later Matt Duffy singled him in. Then hometown hero Buster Posey came to the plate. I'm not even a fan and I could feel the excitement in the ballpark. I joined in the cheers as he singled in the tying run. Even though it wasn't meant to be - the Reds' Todd Frazier led off the tenth with a home run which ended up being the game winner - it was a great night of baseball. (Big thanks to Doug and Phoebe for making it happen!)

Which brings me back to today. I'm sick of snow, and political races, and everything else on TV right now besides baseball. As of Superbowl kickoff time, it will be just under 11 days until pitchers and catchers have to report. Less than 2 weeks after that, they play their first spring training game. I want to see 9 guys in Yankees pinstripes take the field. I want to see a pitcher toe the rubber and begin his wind-up. I want to hear the crack of the bat and the whoosh of a slide from the infield dirt. It's long overdue.

Lemme hear it: PLAY BALL!

--Ike Dimitriadis, 
BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon






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