MIKE FORD'S STILL GOT IT

The Minnesota Twins have handed Mike Ford a fresh chance, signing him to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training. It’s like finding that old band tee you loved in high school—a little worn, but still cool enough to rock.

Back in 2019, Ford swaggered onto the big league stage with the Yankees and became an instant Bronx legend, kind of. Fans liked him, he had his moments and it worked for a bit. He wasn’t just hitting home runs he was doing the little things. In 50 games, he clobbered 12 homers and put up numbers that made seasoned sluggers do a double-take. Yankee Stadium’s short porch might as well have had his name on it.

For a hot minute, Mike Ford was everything Yankees fans didn’t know they needed. He was fun. He was the kind of guy who made you believe anything was possible—at least until the baseball gods decided to remind everyone that this game is as humbling as it gets. By 2020 and 2021, Ford’s bat cooled off, and the Yankees eventually sent him packing to the Rays for cash. Yeah, not exactly a ticker-tape parade, but hey, that’s baseball.

Fast forward to now, and Ford is still grinding, still chasing that big league dream. And honestly? Good for him. Baseball needs guys like Mike Ford—the underdogs, the surprises, the guys who can come out of nowhere and drop a clutch bomb just when you think you’ve seen it all.

So, here’s to Mike Ford. His time in the Bronx was a riot, and it’s awesome to see him still out there taking his hacks. Who knows? Maybe his Twins chapter will have its own wild moments. Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure: the ride’s been worth it, every swing of the way.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

A MUST READ ON THE STATE OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Time to discuss what went wrong and what needs to be fixed. The Yankees frustrated me this year, just like everybody. Well, I've been thinking about it long and hard as you will see.

When the goal is to win the World Series, this will now make 5 consecutive failed post-seasons. 2017 was a great success, yet we were so close to beating the Astros and going to the Series. Had the Astros not cheated, I believe Yanks would have won that championship. 

2018 was just a magical year by Boston and they outplayed us. 2019 again with the loss to Houston with Altuve using a buzzer and cheating his way to a walk-off homer off Chapman. After those seasons, it was clear we needed an ace to win the big games for us in October, so Cole was signed. 

2020 was all screwed up from COVID, but Yanks still made it past Cleveland and to the ALDS game 5 vs. Tampa. Cole was lined up and pitched well, but couldn’t go deep. Yanks had a 2-1 lead into the 8th and then Chapman gave up the 2-run HR and the season was over. Devastating. 

So 2021 was supposed to be a year where the Yanks and Cole finally got things right. What went wrong? A lot. Let’s review.

Yanks Must Fire Boone

Before I discuss players, I want to make my pitch that Yanks need to get a new Manager. Seems like they are going to bring Boone back however. I am not so sure I would. Everyone says that it’s the players, not the Manager, but that implies that Manager of a team is irrelevant. No doubt, the players deserve a lot of the blame in 2021, but that doesn’t mean the Manager is irrelevant. As bad as Yankees hit this season (not Boone’s fault), Boone made terrible in-game decisions all season long. 

I am telling you that his managerial decisions in the bullpen alone, probably cost the Yankees 5 to 10 games in the standings. Yes, as bad as they hit, I truly believe with the right Manager, this team would have won 100 games this year. At some point, I may go back and give you a list of the games and his bad decisions. There were a stretch of games in July when he continued to leave Chapman in games where the Yanks had leads long after it was obvious that Chapman was going to blow the save. We had other options available in the bullpen to win those games, but Boone stubbornly allowed Chapman to fully blow these games, as if to try to force him to recover from his pitching slump. Every game is valuable. With 1 more win, Yanks would have had homefield in that Wild Card game, so wasting these games proves immensely costly. One example is below, but trust me, there were 5 to 10 of these:

--June 30th vs. Angels: 

Yanks led 8-4 in the 9th after scoring 7 in the first inning off Ohtani. Chapman walks the lead off batter, then after a forceout, walks the next 2 batters to load the bases. Boone leaves Chapman in. Anyone in the world watching knew what was going to happen. Chapman proceeds to give up a game tying Grand Slam to Jared Walsh. Chapman is pulled (too late) and Luetge replaced him and he walked the first batter, then gave up a single sending the go ahead run to 3B. After a strikeout for the 2nd out, he gives up a 2-run single to Luis Rengifo and Angels take a 10-8 lead and win 11-8.

--July 4th vs Mets: Yanks led 5-4 going to the 7th of a 7-inning game. Despite Chapman’s meltdown vs. the Angels 4 days earlier, he comes in for the save and immediately gives up the game-tying HR to Pete Alonso, then puts the go ahead run on base by hitting Conforto. After a walk to McNeil, Chapman is pulled and replaced by Luetge, who promptly allows a single and (after a strikeout) a go-ahead double to Jose Peraza to essentially win the game (Yanks didn’t score in the bottom of the 7th). Mets win 11-5 with 7 runs in the 7th inning.

--Andrew Heaney: 

There were a series of games where Andrew Heaney was amazingly bad, yet Boone kept going to him. Even when he was pulled as a starter, there were close games where Heaney was relied upon for big outs (and, of course, he failed). This led to several losses that I pin directly on Boone. He didn’t trade for Heaney, but he did decide to use him in big spots when we had other options. That’s on him.

Cashman did a Terrible Job this Year

I am not sure I am ready to fire Brian Cashman, but if he were fired, I would not be able to say he did not deserve it. He really screwed up in constructing this team in 2021. While Cole was great in 2020 and did his job in the 2020 postseason, Yanks needed to improve the other starters and their offense. Let’s look at what Cashman did, none of which worked:

Starters: 

Cashman staked his entire offseason attempt to improve our starters by signing Cory Kluber and Jameson Taillon. I won’t quibble over Taillon because it was low risk an he was not being counted on as a #2 starter, but relying upon Kluber was a very bad decision. It was too unlikely that he would stay healthy and he did not. He had a good start (and a no-hitter), but got injured and was a shell of himself upon return from the injury. So, while other top starters moved all around the league in the offseason and trade deadline (Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Charlie Morton, Jose Berrios, Max Scherzer, Yu Darvish to name a few).

Mike Ford: 

This might seem trivial, but I really believe that Cashman’s refusal to give up on this guy, cost us 4 or 5 games at least. When Voit was injured at the start of the season, Yanks had to decide how to fill 1B. It was my feeling that they should let Tyler Wade play 2B and use DJ at 1B. Instead, Yanks kept DJ at 2B and tried to fill in with shitty 1B. First, it was Jay Bruce who got 10 games of .118 hitting before he gave up, but then Ford continued to get AB despite it being clear that all he could do is strike out. There were a lot of 1-run games in April and early May where Ford was 0 for 4 with 3 K’s. 1 good AB from Wade in those games could have been the difference. The Ford experiment went on for WAY TOO long. This was Cashman’s doing. He is responsible for that. For hit .133 in his 22 games before being cut.

Yanks Offense: In a year where Yanks were finally relatively healthy for the first time in a long time, the offense was terrible. Look at the drop off in 2021 in offense:

2017 858 runs 2nd in MLB 5.30 runs per game

2018 851 runs 2nd in MLB 5.25 runs per game

2019 943 runs 1st in MLB 5.82 runs per game

2020 315 runs 4th in MLB 5.25 runs per game

2021 711 runs 19th in MLB 4.38 runs per game

This can only be described as pathetic, which is what the offense was for most of the season. Judge and Stanton were healthy and both had very good seasons. But everyone else underperformed. Gleyber and DJ had very poor years and Urshela never looked like the player that his .314 in 2019 and .298 in 2020. Strikeouts are a major problem for this team. They struck out 28% of their AB. So when we needed reinforcements at the trade deadline, we needed to get players that put the ball in play. Oakland, for example, traded for Starling Marte, who hit .305 for Miami, then hit .308 after being traded to Oakland. He puts the ball in play. Plays good defense in CF. Has speed (43 SB this season).

Gallo and Rizzo: The trade for Gallo, particular, was HORRIBLE. Gallo was exactly what Yanks did not need. Another guy that strikes out a lot. Gallo had a few big hits for us, but essentially struck out almost 50% of his AB. Now, we are stuck with him for next season, although I would non-tender him and not pay him $10M.

So with the offense broken and with no moves to really fix it (I suppose Rizzo helped a little bit… I am less concerned about the Rizzo trade because he is a free agent and it does not impact us for 2022… although I still don’t think it was worth giving away the prospects), Cashman failed Yankee fans in 2021. Nobody can try to argue he did a good job.

And so you're wondering, "Hey Douglas, how do we fix this in 2022?" Glad you asked.

One of Cashman’s problems, in his defense, is that Yanks were trying to stay under the luxury tax. When you stay under the tax for one year, you reset and then pay a lower tax in future years. Hopefully, this means that now that the Yanks have reset, they will be back to spending this offseason. While I am reluctant to use spending on free agents as a means of trying to win a championship, I don’t think the Yanks have a choice now. They have Cole for big money and Judge and Stanton in their primes, so they are a win-now team. Trying to build for the future is not an option for them and we all know that. But the team has major flaws, mainly on offense, that need to be fixed. Here is what I would do? I warn you, it’s expensive:

Sign Corey Seager to play Shortstop: Seager is young (27) and plays good SS. He is lefty, which is crucial. Its clear Yanks will add a SS and Carlos Correa hopefully is not an option. Seager looks like the guy. Seager hit .306 this year with a .394 OBP. Only strikes out about 20% of the time, which is pretty good these days in MLB. He is a clutch player with many big hits for LAD in their 2020 WS run. He is a winner. Get him.

Sign Freddie Freeman to play 1B: If Yanks added Freeman and Seager, the offense would take an immediate and dramatic upturn. 2 lefties and positions that we have basically open, no offense to Luke Voit. I love Voit, but he is injured too much, he is a righty, and he strikes out too much. Freeman stays on the field. He has barely missed a game the past 4 years. He hits .300 and 30 HR every year. He will be very hard to pry away from the Braves, but with money, anything is possible.

Sign Starling Marte to play CF: The third and final portion of my plan is Marte. Yanks need this type of athleticism and speed. We cannot rely upon Hicks coming back and being healthy and cannot keep going to Gardner to bail us out in CF. Marte is a real CF. He is a perfect fit for the Yanks.

These three signing will come at a high price, but we all know Yanks can afford it. They pay a lower tax now that they were under the threshold this year. So spend the money and fix the team.... read this Cashman... READ IT!  This would immediately take Yanks from 19th in Runs to likely into the Top 3 if not 1st. If you add these 3 guys to Judge and Stanton, and get DJ back to his 2019-2020 self, it will be a world of difference.

I will have more thoughts on the Yankees in the next coming days to help bring some stability and strategy to this team. Look for it here at Bleeding Yankee Blue!

--Douglas Solomon
BYB Guest Writer

YANKEES WON'T WIN PLAYING CASHBOONE BALL!

This just is not Yankees baseball. This has been an abysmal failure of what was hoped for and even predicted for this season. Even if you didn't agree with the favored Yankees for the AL East you at least had more expectations than this. The Yankees just got swept by the Detroit Tigers for crying out loud....

Something's got to give here, but it hasn't. It's June, and in April we all heard Brian Cashman talk about how he believed in this team and that we had magic HERE.....blah blah blah. There's no magic when you are in third place in the division and you were just EMBARASSED by the Detroit Kitty who are just as pitiful as we are. But let's stick with the "MAGIC," right?

WRONG. This is insanely stupid. This ladies and gentlemen is what I call CASHBOONE BALL. It doesn't resemble baseball at all. It's INSANITY and we see it every game because we just wait for the "MAGIC" to appear and catapult us back into first place. No one has a LOGICAL solution for it though.

I mean, have you read Ken Davidoff''s latest piece HERE? Maybe he missed his calling in comedy because his first and second solutions do not work. It's more of the same. It's Tyler Wade's SIXTH go around here and he hasn't been a difference maker before, but he will now over Brett Gardner? Yeah, track record says NO but that's a good one. Use him, sure but who really think Wade is the everyday centerfielder and a productive one? Please. Oh and give Delino DeShields a chance because the Rangers aren't using him and after he tanked with the Rangers in 2020 it's a better bet than what we already have? Okay....that's a whole lot of crazy logic.

The only two things Davidoff said that make any sort of sense are Yes, the Yankees offense is as absolute horror show. Agreed there. If the Yankees want to give Chris Gittens a shot at first base instead of Mike Ford, go for it. It's still a gamble though. He's been productive at Triple-A and might be a sparkplug BUT it's still not a long term solution. No disrespect to Gittens but he's 27 and never played about Double-A until this season....there's no reason to believe he's the answer to a season long problem.

So this is the CASHBOONE BALL I am referring to. The reality is that there isn't any long term help that the Yankees have in house that will fill all of the holes in this lineup for the remainder of the season. The Yankees will need to be open to making meaningful additions by the trade deadline. Keyword meaningful and there will need to be more than one. A centerfielder that can hit does not completely change this team and make it a winning team that contends. The problem is....the Yankees have already said they do not want to spend the money that it will take. They have $3-$4 million to play with before going over the luxury tax and that doesn't fix every problem we have.

So for the time being we have Cashman's MAGIC to rely on and Aaron Boone's lack of management because he's just Cashman's moving mouthpiece that talks everyday and doesn't actually manage. Then we just slap together a lineup and hope for different results than the game before. It's CASHBOONE BALL....and this is a problem that doesn't help us win.

And yeah....I'm beyond irritated and past the point of frustration with it.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

DEMOTIONS & REWARD FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES

A lot of stuff going on in Yankeeland.  First off how are we all not talking about how Aaron Boone got a pacemaker and a week later he's managing the Yankees again? I mean that's pretty incredible! The dude's a savage, no question. But more to that, the Yankees are looking so good, I love every minute of it! It's gonna be a great season. I cannot wait for it to start.

The addition of Derek Dietrich in my opinion might be the best part of this whole offseason. He brings talent and energy to this team!  I've also become a huge fan of Gio Urshela and am expecting great things.  But there were guys that needed to be demoted to make room for all this incredible talent, and sadly, some of these guys, we love, but there's just no room.

CBS Sports talks about Mike Ford:

"Ford was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

Ford struggled in the majors last year but worked with the major-league coaching staff this spring. He went 3-for-19 with a double, two RBI, one walk and three strikeouts over nine spring games this year but will now prepare for the minor-league season."

And Ford wasn't the only one. Newsbreak... and many other outlets have this:

"...infielder Thairo Estrada, and relievers Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske were all optioned to Triple-A Scranton."

But in the meantime, reward for guys like Aaron Hicks. Boone has tapped him the number 3 hitter for the team, and I love that. 

Empire Sports Media:

"As a result, and by virtue of his excellent power and patience combo, the Yankees love what Hicks brings to the table as a number three hitter.

...Boone has recently said that he sees Hicks as his third hitter for the 2021 season. He shows a tremendous amount of confidence in the versatile outfielder and believes he is among the best hitters in Yankees’ loaded roster."

The Yanks are making their adjustments, and I am loving every minute of it. I cannot wait for opening day!

Bring it!

THE PASSIONATE DIETRICH COULD BRING THE YANKEES TO ANOTHER LEVEL

Derek Dietrich is a hot head, wacky, an ego maniac, a gamer, underrated and the dude knows how to freaking hit. The end. 

I'm psyched about this guy coming to New York. I do wonder however if he can handle the structure of what a New York Yankee organization is like.  Anyway, MLB writes this:

"Dietrich, an eight-year veteran, could push first baseman Mike Ford, outfielder and first baseman Jay Bruce and others for a job. Ford is on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Bruce is not.

Dietrich, a lefty slugger, hit just .197 in 25 games with the Rangers but also slugged five homers and had a .806 OPS in 2020. He hit just .187 in 113 games withe Reds in 2019, but also had a respectable .790 OPS. His last big season came in 2018, when he hit .265 with 16 bombs and 45 RBI with the Marlins."

It will be interesting in what happens to Ford and Bruce if Dietrich does in fact wow everyone with his minor league deal and the invite to spring training.  One thing I do know however is the Yankees are doing their best to find solid guys like Derek.

Watch this video.

Welcome Dietrich... time to get after it!

THE YANKEES HAVE A NEW WORKOUT AND IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

It's about time. In fact, it is way past time. I don't even understand what took so long.

In case you missed it, THIS is what I am referring to and yes it is way past time. After seasons of injury it seems that our hard hitting giants Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have revamped their offseason workouts in a big way. It's big but not in the muscular way. Last winter there were pictures of Stanton bench pressing supermodel Adriana Lima and I cringed when I saw it. Now it sounds like both of them have cut back on the weights and are now focusing on their flexibility and agility.

Wow. Well I am glad Stanton is taking a break from bench pressing supermodels, but why the sudden change of heart? Eric Cressey the Yankees director of health and performance is also happy about the change, "we have to be mindful of the stresses on guys who are 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8. Big dudes who are standing around for long periods of time in cleats. Those are things that normal people don’t encounter. So I think we’ve understood their preparation has to be markedly different in terms of not just building them up as athletes, but building them up as baseball players where there is a gradual on-ramping of those specific stressors. Running the bases, changing directions, swinging. So both of those guys are in a good place."

I wish it hadn't taken this long to put two and two together but I guess better late than never. It sounds like it is embraced by a lot of the other guys too. "Aaron in particular has taken a heavy interest in a lot of yoga. We’ve had a great instructor in Dana Santas who’s come in and helped out at our spring-training complex. Not just Aaron, but Luke Voit and Mike Ford and Thairo Estrada and Nick Nelson, a lot of those guys who are down there. So that’s something that I think is important."

He's right, it is important and the yoga will be just as important as the weight training. Maybe if the Yankees embraced this sooner they would have fewer pulled muscles. Maybe it would've saved Stanton a few hamstring injuries last season. Hopefully it pans out this season and it helps our guys stay healthy this season and productive.

And now I am trying not to laugh as I think about Stanton and Judge doing yoga poses....but I dig it!

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

COVID-19 DIDN'T STOP DON BOSCO PHOTO-OPS WITH THE YANKEES

These are Mike Rooney's kids. Mike Rooney is the Don Bosco Head Baseball Coach. This photo is plastered everywhere, days after Rooney set up a private work out with members of the New York Yankees.  You can't be mad at these boys... they think their dad's a hero, finding a way to bring pro players to a little, yet well known prep school in Ramsey, NJ to bring eyes and awareness to their baseball program.  To many, Mike Rooney would be considered a genius. 

There was no baseball program this year because of COVID-19, and so, if anything he's brought interest to his Don Bosco program again, in hopes to be able to have a rush of potential future Ironmen players to their program.

To me? Mike Rooney needs to be questioned by the top tier of Don Bosco... perhaps even reprimanded by the state's Governor.  Because photo-ops during a pandemic are seen as dangerous, for the Yankees players, for Rooney's kids or anyone else that posed for them. It's destructive and sends a signal that life is normal. LIFE IS NOT NORMAL.

NJ.com writes: 

"Don Bosco coach Mike Rooney arranged the session, which also included Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances, Mike Ford and CC Sabathia."  

And so, he's responsible and I have news for you... heat needs to be put on this guy who doesn't think a pandemic is important when it comes to photo-ops for his kids.  What makes matters worse is he's done this sort of thing before last Wednesday. He just can't get enough.

Rooney is quoted here: "About two weeks earlier, Todd Frazier, Jeurys Familia, Joe Panik and Rick Porcello also worked out at our field."

But here is the quote that says all you need to know about the state of the country and the selfishness of Mr. Rooney:

"It was great, felt like Don Bosco was 'Field of Dreams'. Obviously, it's a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. What was more apparent than their talent was how they are all terrific guys. The way in which all of them treated people showed what great guys they are."

The phrases in red say it all.

"once-in-a-lifetime occurrence", and so you jumped on it with no safety precautions and even put your kids at risk because it was "once in a lifetime".  Got it.

"Field of Dreams", so because the pro players came to Bosco's field, you and many grown men sat their drooling and watching pro players play on a field you coach, but the idea that a new generation of young players will spark new interest in Bosco for baseball, you just created a revenue maker.

"terrific guys". That means there was clearly an interaction. Whether or not they wore masks and practiced social distancing, it would not be fair for me to speculate. But let's assume they didn't based on  this picture of 3 grown men, one with the mask literally under his chin. Really? 

This leads me to believe they lost sight of safety all together just for a photo with Aaron Judge. Are you joking?

And where are the Yankees in this? Where is Jason Zillo? Why has he been silent? These are his players? No doubt he was part of the decision making to set this up? It's sloppy, it really is. He has no problem with them mingling with regular folks during a pandemic? Really? Bad judgement...really bad.

You know what I think? I think that it's a great idea for pro players to have a pro workout at a little high school stadium that's tucked away for a few hours. You Bosco dudes want to bring your families in and sit in the stands, 6 feet away from each other wearing masks and taking pictures and video from a distance makes a lot of sense and is exciting and the press would be good for you.

But no. That didn't happen. Instead you started posing for pictures during a pandemic. I have a HUGE problem with that.  Don't worry, perception is everything Coach Rooney... you doing this just made it cool for anyone else to stand with friends and strangers and have no regard for the big situation surrounding us... a pandemic that's literally killed thousands in NY, NJ and Connecticut along... and it won't go away because of crap like this. 

I find this a selfish act as well as disgusting. Hey Rooney, hope no one got COVID, I guess we'll find out in 14 days. I hope it was worth it. I hope your kids look at you like a hero today. 

All eyes on you, and not in a good light either. We're digging in hard on this one.

BAD IDEA FOR THIS PHOTO-OP DURING A PANDEMIC, DON BOSCO

I love when celebrities go to small towns or familiar schools and visit. I think it's great.  You know what I don't like? I don't like that NY, New Jersey and CT were demolished with death and sickness during COVID-19, now other states like Florida, Arizona and the Carolinas are now getting hit and Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Mike Ford decide to do a private workout and take pictures with a bunch of people at Don Bosco, a school in Ramsey, New Jersey, and no one is social distancing and no one is wearing masks.  

Do the rules not apply anymore? We are still in a pandemic right?

This pandemic has taken a toll on me and many.  And if you live in the Tri-state like I do, I saw a lot of people I knew lose their life to COVID-19.  Now other states are spiking and it just seems like it's about to get bad again up here.  

And couple that with the photo of Aaron Judge and a bunch of priests posing for a photo with no regard for the rules makes me uncomfortable and annoyed.

I love my Yankees. I love Aaron Judge. I think he's the next big thing, a solid role model and excellent athlete.  But this photo-op was pretty disappointing to me. You wanna work out there privately? 

Do it... don't make it a dog and pony show.  

I'd really love to see what Don Bosco Prep and the Yankees have to say about this... because this is a very bad look. A horrible P.R. move.

Sorry to sound like a crybaby, but why have rules if they don't apply to everyone?

THE YANKEES GIVE BACK TO KIDS MISSING BASEBALL CAMP

COVID-19 really disrupted everyone's lives. Many died. Many had things cancelled. Many may be living with the virus and not even know it. But in the midst of this, I always think about the kids. The kids are supposed to be in the most important parts of their lives and they're getting hosed.  Sports are cancelled, camps are cancelled, it sucks.

The Yankees however are doing something great, and it's a little story in Page 6 and I just wanted to share it.  They are holding Zoom camps for the kids that have to miss the Yankee camps, and David Hale will be there... and so will fan favorite Mike Ford:

"Yankees Mike Ford and David Hale are going to give lessons to kids who were supposed to attend Rising Star Baseball Camp this summer. The Bronx Bombers will give three Zoom lessons to the campers, normally based in New Rochelle....Topics will include pitching and hitting insights, as well as how to “stay motivated” during the pandemic."

What a great thing! Nice work!

THE YANKEES 26TH MAN

Source: Elite Sports

We have made it to February, the unofficial start of Spring, at least in the baseball world.  With all of the discussion around who else the Yankees need to add to its roster this season, what about guys who have played with us off and on and contributed over the last year?  Guys like Mike Ford and Clint Frazier seem to come to mind and with roster spots tight, who will win the battle of the Yankees 26th man?

Source: Yahoo Sports

"Frazier could win the job if his outfield defense is much better this spring than it was a year ago. Also, he may need to convince Cashman and Boone that he’s more mature by laying low this spring instead of becoming a distraction by not keeping his hair short, bickering with the media and finding his way into another controversy," reported NJ.com on Saturday.

It appears Frazier will need to show a lot of promise in both maturity and outfield defense in order to win favor with the front office.  Both of these could be hard for him given his track record last season.  But, everyone deserves a chance.  And that includes Miguel Andujar who is expected to try out in the outfield this spring, to give him for opportunity to stay a Yankee.  If he can pick the new position up easily, Frazier may have seen his last days as a Yankee.

Now the kid from Princeton who has be the exact opposite of Frazier, has a real shot at 26th man too.

Source: The NY Times

"Ford could be the favorite because he’d give the Yankees a left-handed power option to play first base. Also, as a rookie last season he handled not getting regular at-bats during his call-ups better than a lot of young players typically do," reported NJ.com.  Ford always seemed particularly poised and polished when he played.  His speed is lacking but if he shows power, he could add the necessary bench and alternative first base man for the Yankees.

A better battle for positions = a better Yankee team overall, one that is hungry.  It will be interesting to see how things play out for Frazier and Ford as well as the rest of the "on the fence" Yankees who will vie for a spot on the 2020 team.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

BREAK-A-BAT: THE INTERVIEW

It's a great podcast and it's a great group of people that put it together.  What started out as a small operation has turned into something bigger... and I love that and root for it!

The first time I wrote about Break-A-Bat was in June when we put out A GREAT PODCAST WITH BASEBALL & BROADWAY! It was well worth it to introduce them to our audience and well deserved for them as well!  And so now I wanted to get more from my buddy Al Malafronte, one of the founders of Break-a-Bat. And so, we interviewed him here at BYB!

Enjoy this, I sure did!

BYB: What in the world possessed you to combine the theater with the New York Yankees? Talk about a crossover! 

Al Malafronte: This one comes from a place close to home. They’re my two biggest passions. My dad was the biggest Yankee fan around but also had a real artistic side to him which was something I really admired. He was my hero in every way, so we grew up in a Yankee and performing-centric household --- going to games and to Broadway shows even from a young age. 

I performed in the school plays, while simultaneously playing baseball through my early teens. However, in school, it was never “cool” to participate in both sports and theatre. A stigma that the two had to live in such separate worlds, and obviously at the time, peer pressure can sometimes be prevalent thing at 14 years old, and I chose to put my character shoes on the shelf when I was sent to a Catholic high school where the arts were not embraced. I was fortunate that I transferred to public high school where I found more mature friends who really allowed me to embrace my passion for both. 

I, myself, started to mature as well, which allowed me to be true to who I was. Upon moving to Manhattan a few years after graduating college, I noticed that unfortunately, the stigma still existed to some extent about sports and theatre, and I thought I could do something about it while having some fun with my buddies in the process. This whole endeavor is really for that kid out there who’s suiting up to play Harold Hill in the fall, and 3rd Base in the spring.

BYB: I love Aroldis Chapman. You guys seem to include him in every ad for the Break-a-Bat podcast on Instagram and it's hilarious. What's the reason for it?

Al Malafronte: A 6-time All-Star. A World Series Champion. Holder of multiple MLB records. Chapman signifies something greater than baseball for us. Even at BroadwayCon this year, the Broadway World’s equivalent of Comic Con, I got the sense that he’s really a special figure in the theatre community just based on the reactions from some of the fans when they saw my Yankee hat. 

His velocity…his emotion on the mound…he’s theatre with every pitch! Logical choice for our mascot. When it just so happened that a lot of people started gravitating toward that on social media with some of the early posts, we figured: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! And since it’s what we find funny, that makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s been fun to cast him in the likes of anything from Beetlejuice to Frozen to Mean Girls.

BYB: OK. Greatest Yankee moment of your lifetime that you actually had the pleasure of witnessing live and why is it so important?

Al Malafronte: Of course there’s always that first championship that your parents let you stay up late for and watch on TV, which for me was Game 4 of the ’99 World Series vs. Atlanta. 

In person, however, it’d be very easy to say one of the big playoff moments like Bernie’s walk-off Homer against Boston in the ’99 ALCS or A-Rod taking Nathan deep in the ’09 ALDS. I think the one that stands out to me most, however, was Jeter passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankee hit king. I was away at college and my sister had yet to go to the new Stadium. Maybe 3 weeks before, we spontaneously decided to buy tickets since it was a Friday night game.

Jeter just so happened to tie Gehrig in the game prior. I came home from school for the weekend with a lot of uncertainty and suspense as to whether the game would even be played because of lots of rain in the forecast. 

I believe the rain delay was a good hour and change, but when it was finally time for first pitch, you could definitely sense the magic in the air. A lot of emotion as well because it was September 11th. Reminiscent of the old stadium which was really cool. When Jeter came up against Chris Tillman in the 3rd inning and laced that single to right field, it was just euphoria and emotion in every possible sense. I was happy I got to share that with my sister and sometimes still in disbelief that we were in the building. Baseball theatre at its finest.

BYB: Greatest play you've ever seen in the amazing theater district of New York City. Go!

Al Malafronte: That’s a great question…each of my favorites is so synonymous with different chapters in my life. You never forget your first, which for me was Once Upon a Mattress with Sarah Jessica Parker. 

I went with my whole family when I was 7 – definitely unforgettable and a very special memory. 

So much of what I love about my experiences with Broadway are the stories surrounding the trip to the show…I had a blast at Disaster! with my buddy Chris Katzmann, who’s now the Social Media Manager/Creative Consultant for Break a Bat! 

Beetlejuice was a fun one because I saw it on the night of the infamous Broadway Blackout where 26 of 30 shows went dark due to a midtown power outage this July. 

I’ll never forget when Scotty (Chris’ brother/my original co-host) read Kerry Butler’s tweet “Beetlejuice still has the juice!” A lot of adrenaline going into that one which made it all the more fun. 

For my number 1 show, however, I think have to go with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. I grew up with my parents’ music so it was pretty surreal to see Carole’s story and iconic song catalog projected on stage so perfectly. It was one of my cooler moments as a Broadway fan. I don’t usually get caught up in awards but it was pretty sweet when the show went onto win the Tony for Best Musical. To this day, one of only 3 shows I’ve seen twice!

BYB: Al, you and I have known each other for over a decade. We've always talked Yankees. In fact, you were there when BYB was in it's infancy and always supported us. A two-parter here: Why do you like it so much and the second part is why do you think BYB resonates with so many people out there?

Al Malafronte:

BYB: Would you ever consider doing a column for us at BYB? Maybe an article on your favorite player, your favorite Yankee team? 

Who is your favorite player by the way... and why?

Al Malafronte: Anytime you want, Case! As for current Yankees, Aroldis Chapman is the obvious choice there. Of all-time, I’d have to go with A-Rod. Maybe it’s my theatrical background, but there was always something about him from day one that I really resonated with. 

He captured the human essence of the game through all of his ups and downs. In fact I even chose him as the subject of my SAT writing section! His 2005 and 2007 MVP seasons remain two of the greatest spectacles I’ve ever witnessed as a baseball fan, and his whole performance during the 2009 season and playoff run coincides with one of the most special times in my life. 

So much of what makes baseball so special is our ability to create a timeline with certain events in our life, and A-Rod seems to be in the center of so many of those events. In many senses I feel like I grew up with him, and I had the chance to attend his final game which was one of the more emotional nights I’ve ever had at the ballpark.

BYB: The Yankees had a real shot in 2019. I tend to believe that if they don't get 1 strong starting pitcher, they will not win again in 2020. To me, pitching is what hurt this team in 2019 in a short playoff series. I feel like they were exposed. What's your take on all of this?

Al Malafronte: I think the Yankees could trot out their current roster without making another move this offseason and reach the playoffs. Probably even make it to the ALCS. But that’s not what we’re in this for. This is a clear “win-now” window for a team that I’d like to believe has the mindset of Championship or bust. You have all of these controllable position players in their prime on good contracts but that won’t be the case forever. As far as an ace pitcher goes, it’s essential. And our inability to do so in recent years is something that’s frustrated me to no end. It’s no coincidence that there hasn’t been a parade since 2009, which was the last time we signed an actual ace in CC that offseason. 

I feel like in recent years, this team has prioritized wrong at times. While there have been some brilliant moves on the position player front (the trades for Didi and Gleyber, as well as the signing of DJ LeMahieu), and of course the acquisition and re-acquisition of Aroldis Chapman on the bullpen front...they simply haven’t gotten it done when it comes to putting together a championship caliber rotation. The unnecessary contract given to Jacoby Ellsbury prevented us from making a run at Max Scherzer in the 2014-2015 offseason, and then made us hesitant to do what we had to do to bring Verlander here in 2017. 

Then of course taking on the Stanton contract after the 2017 season when there was absolutely no need for it was a horrible mistake. I understand that the asking price was virtually nothing in terms of player return, however, they were taking on 10 years of generally, an extremely injury-prone one-dimensional player. I do fear that the Stanton contract will get in the way of the team bringing in a top free agent pitcher. If you look back at all the World Championship teams in the 2010’s, the Kansas City Royals were the one exception that won it all without a true ace. The Yankees’ current starting rotation is good, not great. Even with an all-time bullpen led by the likes of Chapman, the current formula they’ve been employing simply won’t cut it come October. The Yankees need that ace or else this World Series drought will hit 11 years.

BYB: OK. Back to the Theater. Who is your favorite female actress and why? 

Photo: Al with Ashley Williams

Al Malafronte: It’s almost unfair for me to have to pick just one now that I’m lucky enough to interview some of them. It’d be easy for me to say Cate Blanchett, Cobie Smulders or Ashley Williams. Ashley was our show’s most recent in-studio guest --- probably the most fun I’ve had in the studio to date. Anyway, they’ve all done some Broadway but are primarily known for their work in film and television. 

Photo: Ashley Williams

If we’re talking strictly Broadway, I’d have to say Angie Schworer. Angie is Broadway’s ultimate triple-threat … she can sing, she can dance, and she can act. We’ve made baseball parallels before that she’s the equivalent of a hitter who hits for average, power, and gets on base. 

I had the chance to see in both The Producers when I was in junior high, and more recently in The PROM this past March. She’s been at it for a long time and is still on the top of her game which is something I really admire. 

Had long been a fan, and always thought she’d be a blast to interview. When I reached out to her about coming on the podcast, it was a total shot in the dark as we had never done an interview with anyone of her stature on Broadway before. It was pretty surreal that she just so happened to be our first actual in-studio guest too. As great as she is as an actress, she’s even more awesome of a person.

BYB: Your recently did an incredible podcast with Mike Ford. How'd you go about getting it and what was the dude like one on one after the mics turned off?

Al Malafronte: A lot of that came from finding my voice as a host, and also how to project the message of what this show is to guests I’d like to interview. 

A clear message as to why it’s worthwhile for someone in either industry to participate. Mike Ford was a really good guy and a pleasure to be around.

BYB: You have celebrated some really great early victories with Break-a-Bat. It's been a pleasure watching your product grow so steadily and quickly. What's next? 

Al Malafronte: Thank you for the kind words! It’s hard to believe that this thing only started in the spring when Scotty and I would order a pizza and record what was on our minds about baseball and Broadway into my laptop speakers. 

Photo: Producers Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales

While I consider myself a lifelong student of both baseball and theatre, I’ve been fortunate to link up with some incredible mentors at The Broadway Podcast Network – my producers Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales. They’ve given me a wonderful opportunity that I’m so grateful for, and have taught me so much about the industry and podcasting in general, and that’s made me even more passionate about what we’re doing. I’m hoping we have a 2020 that’s just as special and unique as 2019 was. 

It was pretty surreal to get to interview performers from the stage, screen and stadium that I really admire. We have our first live broadcast coming up at the 2020 edition of BroadwayCon with a surprise guest, as well as plenty of great weekly releases that are either banked or booked with some great names, all of which have phenomenal stories to tell. 

In a perfect world, maybe we can get Chapman and Marlon on one day!

BYB: Finally... When the hell am I getting an invitation to appear on the podcast with you? The offseason is the most fun for me! Let's go!

Al Malafronte: Rumor has it that there may be 2020 Yankee season preview episode featuring myself, the Katzmann brothers, Suzie Pinstripe, and Casey himself…negotiations have been fairly messy with that Casey guy, however. I think he’s represented by Boras?

HA! I'd never hire Boras to represent me... it's about character and integrity... not about the money, Al! You know this about me!

Anyway... love this dude and love the product. I hope you guys did too.  Be sure to download Break-a-Bat podcast on iTunes. It's a real great project... and it's growing every day!

Thanks for chatting with us Al...keeping grinding and Go Yanks!!