RODON DAZZLES & YANKS HAVE SOMETHING UP THEIR SLEEVE

I could not be happier for Carlos Rodon. I don't know if you were able to see it, but Rodon was amazing yesterday.  Now the media didn't give Rodon his due as much as I would liked. They really harped on the fact that Joe Torre was the guy who came out to the mound to remove him from the game after being outstanding.  But let's not forget what Rodon did. 5.2 innings, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk and no hits. Love that for him!  But the media made Torre the story. The New York Post writes:

"The competitive Rodon, still in the zone, knew he had three pitches remaining in his allotment and was about to face a left-handed hitter.

“I was like, ‘What the hell, it’s a lefty?’ I look up and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s Joe Torre. I should give him the ball,’ ” Rodon said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘All right, I can’t really say much here.’ Spring training game, Joe Torre, yeah. So I had to give the ball away. It was funny. It was cool.

“I wanted to be like, ‘Get out of here,’ ” Rodon added, “but it’s Joe Torre.”

Torre is a legend, no question. I wish he was still our manager.  He has the experience, the respect.  It was a terrific moment.  Let's hope Rodon can keep it consistent, because we really need him this year with Gerrit Cole out for a bit.  

And the Yankees know that too.  In fact, there is speculation and rumor that the Yankees are trying to land a young ace from the Marlins. I'm not kidding. Inside the Pinstripes writes:

"Another player the Yankees reportedly have been attempted to trade for is Miami Marlins young ace Jesús Luzardo, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"The Yankees haven’t been able to get any traction in trade talks for Marlins star Jesús Luzardo or others, and the starters who remain on the market are more depth pieces, led by 2023 All-Star Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger," Heyman said.

Luzardo may not have as large of a name as someone like Snell, but he would be a significant upgrade for the Yankees' rotation. He had a 3.58 ERA and 208-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season with Miami and a 3.32 ERA and 120-to-35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2022. "

We will have to see what happens, but there is no question the Yankees are actually trying to secure a solid pitcher for their rotation.  I hope it all works out. I hope Rodon continues to dominate and I hope the Yankees get a guy they can put out there every 5th day to help this club win.

Stay tuned.

BILLY MCKINNEY "MAY SURPRISE US"

Stories about comebacks and guys that everyone doubts are good stories... especially when they succeed.  

The other day I wrote about how the Yankees were taking a chance on Billy McKinney, offering him a major league contract as a way to move players around in the wake of the Aaron Judge injury.  At the time, Facebook was a tizzy and of course the doubters came out of the woodwork.

Now that guy Rich Grobarcik and I are on the same page for sure. McKinney is a decent player. I think the problem with McKinney is that he wasn't given a decent shot, or, he just wasn't ready. But guys like McKinney are solid athletes. Sometimes you just gotta let things gel. 

Last night it was McKinney who made things happen for the Yankees. The New York Post writes:

“I was a little disappointed that I never got to get a hit in Yankee Stadium as a home player. I played here as a road player,” the 28-year-old McKinney said. “Getting the home run means a lot.”

McKinney tripled in the opener and homered in the fifth inning of the nightcap, continuing the torrid stretch he had been on with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

He hit his homer, on a high 94 mph fastball from White Sox starter Mike Clevinger, into the bleachers in right-center field.

“It was cool. I was pretty fired up,” he said. “Glad it went out and glad we got the win.”

The bottom line is we just need to see the consistency from this guy. There's a lot of factors that go into that. Does Boone decide and rest the guy today? If so, it breaks momentum. Will they let McKinney settle in and see what he's made of? It's like a Jake Bauers. No one knew this kid and he's been consistent and showing us all what being hungry for an opportunity means to the individual player. It's beautiful.  

This I guess is a "tip of the cap" post. McKinney has always been a kid I liked watching play. I will leave you with this, from BYB's old buddy Dave Goode, who also commented on Facebook about Billy:

He did Dave... the certainly did.

Happy Friday, Go Yanks!

YANKEE TARGETS? WHO WILL THEY CHOOSE?

There's a ton of talk about what the Yankees will do to try to upgrade their pitching, especially now that we have some injury and now that of course... it's a shortened season and we should really make a move.  The Yanks want support big time, and there are big time names that keep on popping up.

Check out these names:

Mike Clevinger: 

The New York Post writes the following:

"The Indians righty was optioned to the minors along with Zack Plesac for violating team COVID-19 protocols then not being forthright with teammates about it. Clevinger cannot be a free agent until after the 2022 season — 2023 if this current option lasts 20 days, which it would not if he were traded and brought to the majors by the acquiring team by Aug. 31. Over the last four years — since joining the rotation full-time — Clevinger has a 2.97 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. However, his walk numbers were noticeable in three starts this year, plus would a new clubhouse look at him problematically, as his current one now does?"

Trevor Bauer: 

Empire State Media writes:

"Bauer is off to an incredible start this year at 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA and a WHIP of 0.570. Those are just silly numbers through his first four starts. Imagine if the Yankees were to go out right now and make a deal with the Reds for Bauer?

I know many people are going to point to the past issues with Gerrit Cole and his temperament, but I think at the end of the day, Bauer wants to compete for championships."

Kevin Gausman:

CBS Sports writes:

"As for Gausman, the Yankees know him well from his time in the AL East with the Orioles, and San Francisco has helped him post a career best strikeout rate in the early going thanks to an improved pitch mix (fewer sliders and more splitters). Gausman is a rental and has experience pitching out of the bullpen, so if Paxton returns before October, there's still a way for Gausman to contribute significantly."

Jon Gray:

The New York Post writes:

"The Rockies’ righty falls into the currently struggling talented guy who might need a change of scenery along with the Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray, the Tigers’ Michael Fulmer and maybe even the Mets’ Steven Matz. The expectation with financial uncertainty is for there to be more non-tenders this coming offseason than ever before and that could impact players such as Gray, Fulmer and Matz, so perhaps better to get something for them now rather than nothing in the offseason."

Look, it's the rumor season.  No one actually knows until it happens. That comes from the Jon Heyman toolbox, but one thing I do know is that the Yankees are looking to make a move.  

Time will tell... we shall see.

CLEVINGER ON ASTROS: "BIGGEST PIECE OF SH*T IN BASEBALL HISTORY"

I don't disagree.

If you don't know Mike Clevinger, he's an Indians pitcher with a pretty honest approach to everything. Today, he launched on the Houston Astros and their cheating scandal. This report comes from Sports Illustrated, but Clevinger said it on Barstool's Starting 9.

Yup, that's Carrabis with that ridiculous Amish beard on Clevinger's right in the clip below:

"Mike Clevinger is calling out the Astros for the weak apologies they made recently in the fallout of the team's sign-stealing scandal...

Mike Clevinger didn’t hold back on what he thought of the Astros “apology” #SpikesUpTour pic.twitter.com/UoPiYh1FrU

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) February 20, 2020

'Why would you need a piece of paper to say sorry for being the biggest piece of s--- in baseball history? I don't understand that, but they did. They needed a piece of paper and read it like a robot. First I've ever heard those boys talk about it," he said. 

"They just keep on referring to one year when everybody in the right mind knows it was every single year and they just got caught.'"

Look, he's right. And now of course more and more pro players are coming forward. Aaron Judge said something the other day. Kenley Jansen is pissed. Hell, even LeBron James said something.

Just goes to show that the pressure is on and Manfred and Clark better try and fix this problem quick. Perhaps with a 2 to 3 year suspension and if I could have my way, a lifetime ban for smug a-holes like Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, George Springer and of course, the tiny dude, Jose Altuve.

Good story, nice work Barstool.

GERRIT COLE'S SURPRISE RANKING BY MLB NETWORK HAS US ALL TALKING!

MLB Network has an offseason tradition that some prople really like. On Saturday, the top ten starting pitchers were revealed and Gerrit Cole was on the list, but some Yankee fans may not like where he was ranked.

Our new ace was unranked last season which is crazy to think about. The Yankees have been in love with Cole for a long time because baseball fans everywhere consider him to be one of the best (if not THE best) in the game. The Yankees have been trying to get Cole for years, so how could he have been unranked until now? So I guess finally getting on this list is recognition he deserves, but should he be ranked third best?

That's where MLB Networks "The Shredder" has ranked him. If you are unfamiliar with "The Shredder" it is a tool that factors Statcast data with a mix of analytics and traditional statistics. So those of you who like to talk about WAR, it is factored into the rankings. It is also important
to know that the rating formula used focuses on player performances from the past two seasons and a variety of offensive and defensive numbers and no human bias is incorporated into the ranking process.

Even though there is no human bias in the rankings I still find the lists to be debatable. I've never been a huge fan of MLB Network's "The Shredder" specials that list the top 10 "right now" as they call it but my husband loves them. Here is the rankings that came out this weekend.

Are there any names missing on this list but are included on yours? I have a big one that isn't included. How did World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg not make the cut? He dominated during the playoffs and then got a big fat payday during the offseason but doesn't get a ranking. It doesn't make sense. And if these rankings are based on two years of stats I would think Chris Sale should also land somewhere on this list (as much as I hate to admit it).

And how is Hyun-jin Ryu number five in the rankings above Zack Greinke? And Mike Clevinger and Jack Flaherty are on this list? They are absolutely good pitchers. They are difference makers for sure, but top 10? I think that is a stretch. They would not crack the top in my rankings.

As we said before, human bias plays no part in these rankings but it makes me sick to my stomach that a disgrace to the game of baseball is ranked number two right now. Justin Verlander complained about cheating when he was a Detroit Tiger but two months later when he was traded to the Houston ASSTROS he became a hypocrite and participated in a massive cheating scandal that proves he has no integrity and compromised the game. He should not get recognition for being a top ten pitcher in baseball for that especially after VERLANDER POKES FUN ABOUT THE ASTROS CHEATING & FAILS.  He's a disgrace to the game we all love.

At any rate, here is a complete list of "The Shredder" top ten right now for every position. Even if we had no bias about Cole, would you still rank Cole as number three? Tell us what you think.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj