MLB PLAYERS TAKE THE LEAD IN HELPING MiLB PLAYERS

I've never been a fan of David Price. I don't know why, but I am always thrilled when the Yankees beat up on him.  He's a good pitcher, probably a great teammate, but I just think that when it comes to his competitive nature, it makes me want to have my team compete harder against him. That works for him as a pitcher. That works for me as a fan. Hey... maybe we have more in common than I thought.

That being said, he's about to do something big, and I applaud him and I really hope other major league baseball players follow and do the same. Bottom line, let's get these young players back on their feet.  It's something that Slade Heathcott has been screaming about for a few years now with MoreThanBaseball.org, and something that really needs to happen. Maybe this dark situation for the MiLB will make others take notice and change the way these players are treated. Anyway, kudos to David Price. Check this out:

ESPN writes:

"The All-Star left-hander will give each minor league player who is not on the Dodgers' 40-man roster $1,000 for the month of June, sources confirmed to ESPN. The act of generosity will impact just over 200 people facing unprecedented difficulty during the coronavirus pandemic."

If you don't know, the minor leaguers in the MLB have been pretty much hosed.  Read MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL CUTS HUNDREDS for more on that.  And if you don't realize... this latest tragedy among the minor leaguers, while the biggest one, has been part of a downward trend of abuse of minor leaguers for years. Bottom line is Minor League Players are not treated well. They are treated horribly all because these major league clubs know these players have a dream to play in the MLB and will pretty much drag them through the mud because they know these young MiLB players will keep coming back... NO MATTER WHAT. It's bad.

Slade Heathcott spoke with BYB about this recently. Minor leaguers don't get their due and they need to. Check this out:

"Slade Heathcott: Do you know how much a 6 year guy gets paid as a minor leaguer? Today’s estimate is $12,000. That’s less than a hot dog vendor at that player’s major league stadium. I want you to think about that. How do you live on that? You don’t. It’s not enough for training. It’s not enough for good food. 

Casey: Are you kidding me? 

Slade: No man! Let’s not forget that minor league baseball players are athletes. They are the farm team of the Bigs. Without feeding and helping to protect these minor leaguers correctly, you end up with a lot of broken down minor leaguers that just don’t survive in the game or never make it to the pros. 

Casey: But how long has this been going on and what can be done about it? 

Slade: We decided to put together More Than Baseball. The goal is to find a way to get all 30 Major League teams together to be able to raise money to help minor league players. Enough with the friction between players and owners and enough with controversy. The goal should be to get these teams help, through community, through fundraising, be it affiliates or otherwise to improve the lives of minor leaguers. 

Check out MoreThanBaseball.org"

Read much more about that in SLADE WILL RISE AGAIN BECAUSE SLADE BELIEVES IN SUCCESS!

Enough is enough.

I hope guys like David Price and Slade Heathcott open the eyes of more players. I hope donations pour in. I hope more pro athletes help. I wish we could help.  We need to make a change.  These players have dreams... we need to help them get there.

Enjoy your Saturday. Do something great from someone in need today.

CONGRATULATE SLADE HEATHCOTT, HE'S THE MAN!

I just want to take a second and congratulate Slade Heathcott on a goal he has crushed today!  Slade did a half-marathon in Tampa and while to some of you it's not a big deal... it is.

It comes down to goals and what you want out of life.  Slade wants more after baseball and I have to tip my cap.

If you read SLADE WILL RISE AGAIN BECAUSE SLADE BELIEVES IN SUCCESS! back in January you know that Slade has a list of things he wants to accomplish after baseball.  And for him it's about going down that list, some on a bucket list and other minor achievements and mapping out his life and ways to conquer each goal after his baseball career.  This half-marathon in Tampa was a big one for him, and I appreciate it very much.

Slade sent this video to us, the BYB family exclusively right after the run.  You gotta love it! He's beat, but champions don't take it easy. Champions go all out. Check this out:

And make sure you read SLADE WILL RISE AGAIN BECAUSE SLADE BELIEVES IN SUCCESS! to learn about his other goals. Plus learn about his new non-profit called MoreThanBaseball.org. An organization designed to help Minor leaguers get good nutrition and money so they can become better athletes in the minor league system in baseball. It is fascinating and I wish this dude well.

Congrats Slade. You da man! I can't wait to hear about what happens next with you. Keep grinding!

SLADE WILL RISE AGAIN BECAUSE SLADE BELIEVES IN SUCCESS!

I chatted with Slade Heathcott on the phone for nearly an hour. He's a cool cat. Not only that... he's honest, emotional, sincere and most of all, passionate. Passionate about his life, about his son, about baseball and about what's next.  I hope you realize something about this young man. When baseball ended for him... he didn't end. Slade was just getting warmed up.  He's alive and well and ready for his next thing... making a difference.  What you're about to read is the most opened and honest interview we've ever done here at BYB.  And it's provocative. The main topic is minor league baseball and a behavior against these young players so controversial and wrong, it needs to be not only be exposed, but corrected immediately.

Listening to Slade speak about the way minor league ballplayers are treated, and doing my research for the past few weeks, the information that's out there is disappointing, shocking and almost criminal in my humble opinion. We are talking about young athletes that are taken advantage of because they have a dream to play baseball.  And the owners know this... and in my opinion they take advantage just to line their own pockets. It's the equivalent of cattle. It's a farm system to them... literally. It's disgusting.  You'd almost question where we live in the world. But this is America, land of the brave, home of the free.  But in this case, minor league athletes are treated so badly, the abuse almost feels like they're not free.  It must stop now.

I loved every minute of this interview with Slade.  Check this out...

He's making life changes involving being a pilot, as well as working on other project, one of them being a 501c3 called More Than Baseball, or MoreThanBaseball.org. A not for profit that is making people aware of how minor leaguers are treated in a Major League baseball world.  It was eye opening. I let him speak... and speak he did.

Slade Heathcott:  Do you know how much a 6 year guy gets paid as a minor leaguer? Today’s estimate is $12,000. That’s less than a hot dog vendor at that player’s major league stadium. I want you to think about that. How do you live on that? You don’t. It’s not enough for training. It’s not enough for good food. 

Casey: Are you kidding me?

Slade: No man! Let’s not forget that minor league baseball players are athletes. They are the farm team of the Bigs. Without feeding and helping to protect these minor leaguers correctly, you end up with a lot of broken down minor leaguers that just don’t survive in the game or never make it to the pros.

Casey: But how long has this been going on and what can be done about it? 

Slade: We decided to put together More Than Baseball. The goal is to find a way to get all 30 Major League teams together to be able to raise money to help minor league players. Enough with the friction between players and owners and enough with controversy. The goal should be to get these teams help, through community, through fundraising, be it affiliates or otherwise to improve the lives of minor leaguers. 

Casey: It just seems so crazy to me because as I know from my sons. I mean, my 16 year old plays baseball and all his coaches talk to him about is solid training and good nutrition. So it makes a ton of sense. That nutrition is fuel.

Slade: Nailed it. We need to get them good food, not fast food. Heck, even if there was a deal between the team affiliate and restaurants and stores around that area where their minor league park was. Like maybe 15% off a healthy meal, that could help their bank account and still allow them to get better food for their bodies. 

I am trying to nail down something with a group called “Get your Elements”. Food that’s packed with nutrition for these young players. Without solid nutrition, how do you think these guys will perform on the field? They currently eat fast food. Imagine the talent pool if these young players were eat right and had the money to train better. 

Casey: I love that. Maybe teams could team up with big stores. Harris Teeters, or Shop Rite or restaurants. 

Slade: Yup. But not only that. These players also need better equipment. We need to get them better equipment rather than a minor league player or a player’s parents buying it for them. Good bats and better helmets, or extra training. 

Think about baseball for a second. It’s not like they come out to a 7 PM game at 6 and just run around the outfield and they’re ready to go. It’s a 10-hour day. Players are playing every single day. There are early workouts, Cages, hitting the field for BP. Minor Leaguers are athletes. Does it make sense for them to ride a bus for 10 hours and find a Wendy’s at 10pm because they don’t have enough money to eat good food? 

If owners collectively agreed to bump up their $12,000 minimum salary, even that would help. How much better would a team’s farm be if owners and teams took the time and money to feed their players properly instead of weeding out the crop. 

Casey: True. How did it effect you early on?

Slade Heathcott: My first year in Charleston for the Yankees minor league system I made $6600. That didn’t cover my training costs. But thank god I was represented so that was taken care of. For a lot of players, they don’t even have that. Their parents are paying for it. There are tons of fans out there that love this game but have no idea what’s going on with the minor leagues. It’s bad. We need to educate them. 

Luckily, guys like Tony Clark, Xavier James are on board to say “Hey, let’s look at this, let’s raise money and let’s try to improve the minor leaguers conditions." 

Casey: Well that's really good.

Slade: Yup. Hopefully we can bring the game together. Check out MoreThanBaseball.org . There's a lot to read and learn. I hope your audience checks it out. It's exciting. I'm energized by it.

Casey: I can tell, I love it. Let's change gears. Your debut at Yankee Stadium and as a Yankee in the majors. I want to know the feeling and I want to know how it all went down. 

Slade: May 20, 2015. Well, that night I ran for Mark Teixeira in the 9th inning. This is how it happened that night before. I got back to my place. I was feeding my son and I was with a bunch of guys… Bryan Mitchell, some others. I didn’t really have my cell on me at that moment. One of the guys says “Hey, Jacoby Ellsbury went down.” I didn’t think anything of it, but in the mist of that, I had missed calls on my phone. I called back Dave Miley who was trying to call me. Great guy... really great dude.

“Pack your bags, you’re going to New York,” Dave said.

I said “Stop messing with me, man'". He said he wasn’t and I was shocked. I packed and went.

Casey: Love it. It just happens that way. Just like they say. What's it like to put on the pinstripes?

Slade: Standing there in that uniform is amazing. Looking around me, there is literally nothing like putting on pinstripes. A center field debut. CC Sabathia is on the mound. There's nothing like that. Nothing.

**Quiet**

Casey: You're getting emotional right now.

Slade: I am. And even more than wearing them was that home run in Tampa.

Casey: You read my mind. Tell me about that.

Slade: Tampa Bay. 2015. Top 9. I had no intention of going in. I was literally filling water cups for my teammates. It's what I did as a young player. Make sure the big guys are hydrated. Joe calls my name. 

I think it was Chris Young that was supposed to be batting and Brian McCann's on first. I assume I'm running for McCann and I start stretching. But no, I’m hitting. I was like "What?" 

I got no swings in and John Ryan Murphy is literally telling me what Brad Boxberger throws. Well, the boss man upstairs wanted that moment to happen for me. But that wasn't the best part. 

I hit it and I'm running around the bases in a Yankee uniform and all the guys, my teammates... guys like ARod, they are all going crazy. It's hard as a teammate to not do anything as a player, but when you do something like that home run, it's amazing to see the guys support you like that.

Casey: Damn, that's awesome. I never heard that story behind the scenes.  What else can we talk about?

Slade: I can talk all day. But look, I'm on a mission to do different things now in my life and I'm going to. Only what's impossible is possible. Like this pilot stuff I'm doing.

Casey: I was just gonna ask you about that. Tell me what got you into this pilot stuff. You're flying planes?

Slade: Well, I knew I wanted to be a pilot before baseball was even gonna happen for me. I knew I wanted to join the military. I wanted to fly fighter jets.  I always did and so it's going to be reality for me. I want to fly in a fighter jet. In 2011 and 2012, I would wake up and fly in Tampa and then I went to the field and played. Now I'm not playing ball so I'm going back to get CFI, 10 rating, 7 months and I'll be busy, it will go through the summer, but I'm gonna do it.

Casey: What else do you want to do in your life. You seem full of energy right now.

Slade: Ah man, I have a bucket list. And listen to this. I want to climb Mount Everest.  And on the other side of it, I want to open an orphanage. I know, the 2 don't even go together and the orphanage sounds weird, but I'm so committed to it. I have made it my mission to serve in my life.  My life is to dedicate and serve. I also want to do things that I've only thought about and dreamt of before. Like running my first half marathon. I hate running but I'm going for it.  I want to raise money for non-profits. I want to help others. I just want to do it all.

Casey: OK, I'm exhausted. Ha!

Slade: Ha. This is me, man. Real deal.

Casey: Any last words?  

Slade: We can’t always control the cards we’re deal. We can you control what we’re playing. 

Ladies and Gentlemen... Slade Heathcott is my buddy.  I love this dude. He's inspirational and has more energy than anyone I know.

I hope you enjoyed this interview. Slade, thanks for taking the time.

SLADE HEATHCOTT SIGNS A MINOR LEAGUE DEAL

We love Slade Heathcott here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. 

We follow each other on Twitter as well.  I have always liked the dude. He's a real gamer.  I was mad when the Yankees let him go.  He eventually went to the White Sox and then played for the Flying Squirrels, Double A, and then the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants AAA team.

Photo by Steve Martarano

I loved watching him crank that home run to tie it up against the Rays back in September 2015 with the Yanks. Anyway... I'm getting off track...

Photo: Getty Images

Heathcott signed a minor league deal.  This time, with the Oakland A's.  YES Network has that:

"The Oakland Athletics announced Monday that they have signed former Yankees outfielder Slade Heathcott to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Heathcott, 27, was the 29th overall pick in 2009, and prior to 2013 was ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization and No. 63 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America.

He made his major-league debut in pinstripes in 2015, hitting .400 with two home runs in 17 games, but he was released in May 2016 after spending the first month of the season at Triple-A."

So good for him.  I hope he breaks out in California. The kid's paid his dues, he works hard and deserves his shot!

I'd actually love to interview him.  Hey Slade... you up for it? DM me pal.

SLADE HEATHCOTT MOVES ON

Quick note... Slade Heathcott is gone.

According to the Yankees, and this report from CBSSports.com, the relationship between the Yankees and Heathcott is officially over:

"Heathcott signed a minor league deal with the White Sox... Heathcott will join Triple-A Charlotte and will be placed on the DL with an unknown ailment. The 25-year-old struggled in the early portion of the season, slashing .218/.260/.287 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before being released by the Yankees organization."

We all wanted to see great things from Slade in Yankee pinstripes, but it just didn't work out, and that's baseball.

Good luck Slade.  I know BYB writer Steve Skinner will be disappointed.  He is a big Heathcott fan. 


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KEEPING AN EYE ON THE FUTURE: JUNE 2016

The MLB 2016 draft is in the books and three players either from our area or who are headed to our tri-state area teams are of the lucky ones who have made it to "The Show".  Early in my media career, I wrote and directed a documentary entitled, "Chasing A Dream," which depicted the arduous journey of little leaguer to minor leaguer to major leaguer.  With interviews with former Boston Red Sox GM Lou Gorman, ESPN analyst icon Peter Gammons, Manager Clint Hurdle and a multitude of ball players and managers representing little leagues, high school, minor and major league clubs, the message was consistent, "the road to the majors is a difficult one."

According to Chasing the Dream website, which we featured back in March when we began this column on BYB, "Approximately 1 in every 200 high school baseball players or .05% will be drafted by a major league team into the minor leagues." So my excitement is even more elevated when I learned that Blake Rutherford, who we featured in that piece in March, signed a deal with the New York Yankees,  Jason Groome from Barnegat, NJ went 12th overall to the Boston Red Sox and Nolan Jones from Holy Ghost High School in Bensalem, PA was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.

As we reported in March "UCLA-bound Blake Rutherford is a 6'2" 190 pound high school senior from Simi Valley, CA who has committed to UCLA this fall. According to scouts reviewing his performance at last year's Perfect Game All American tournament, Rutherford "showed crazy power at PG AA. Runs very well. Superstar potential." According to his high school coach, Frank Mutz, Rutherford is a very disciplined, and mature player for his age. "His baseball IQ is very high, and he understands the game. He’s a team player. It’s not about him, it’s not about his stats. It’s about what’s he going to do this at-bat to help the ballclub win." Although the Yankees' track record with signing high school outfielders is not impressive (the last kid we drafted that young was Slade Heathcott who has since been released despite some star-like performances up in the majors), Rutherford appears to have a bright future in pinstripes.

Breakfast at the diner this weekend had me scanning the news wires for information on 12th overall pick Jason Groome from down the SHORE!  "Groome was rated by Baseball America in May as the third-best draft prospect this year, and the highest-ranked high school left-hander available. BA praised Groome for his fastball, which sits from 90-94 and has reached 97, and said, "Physically, Groome is as gifted as any player in the class." Wow! And we lost him to the Sox.  Keep an eye out for this guy, pitching against us in the big leagues.

Finally, with my own son playing high school baseball and going on to Syracuse University to play ball for its only baseball team (club), I am partial to kids who play for the privates.  From Bensalem's Holy Ghost High School just outside of Philadelphia, Nolan Jones went 55th overall.  As the Philadelphia Inquirer posted this weekend, "A steadily rising shortstop with natural hitting power and arm strength, Jones was selected in the second round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians."  Jones had an amazing season with Holy Ghost, batting .636 with 26 runs, 24 RBIs, five home runs, five doubles, and two triples while helping the Firebirds go 14-6 overall, claim the Bicentennial Athletic League Independence Division title, and advance to the PIAA District 1 Class 3A semifinals." Again, another loss for us, but Terry Francona and the Indians' gain.

So happy for these kids as they make the leap to the majors with all of the hard work and grit that it took to get there.  And now they have to dig deeper to find their way onto the big league team's field. Play hard, guys! We look forward to writing about your successes!

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







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BEN GAMEL IS GETTING FOLKS EXCITED

We mention alot of great young prospects that we are excited about here at BYB.  Ty Hensley. Aaron Judge. Luis Severino. Jorge Mateo. Slade Heathcott. We rarely mention Ben Gamel... and that's my bad.  I will assign a writer to cover Gamel a bit. The reason why I bring it up is because he's opening eyes in the minors and in Spring Training.

(Photo Credit: Fred Adams, Times Leader)

According to Hardball Talk:

"Gamel, 23, is on the Yankees’ 40-man roster after hitting .300/.358/.472 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI in 551 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season."

Not only that... he made a catch that needs to be celebrated.  Yesterday, on a ball hit to deep right center, Gamel laid out just before the warning track to make the catch.  It appeared to be out of his reach... it was not.



Gotta love grinding it!

Keep an eye on this kid.

 










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HEY BRIAN... YOU GOT IT RIGHT

Many times in the past I’ve disagreed with what General Manager Brian Cashman has done.  I’ve criticized his business model of ignoring what we have in house – personnel he himself drafted – and bringing in veterans past their prime who perform either at the same level, or lower, than the youngsters who’ve seemingly earned their turn in the Bronx.  With each off-season, I wait for our GM to proudly announce his latest reclamation project at the expense of baby Bombers who, in brief September call-ups, flashed potential stardom the season before.

Only this time I think that, for the most part, Brian’s moves have been correct.  Namely, he really hasn’t made any significant moves – again, FOR THE MOST PART.  Sure, I think that trading away Justin Wilson for two mid-level pitching prospects was foolish and short-sighted, and I believe that even if they won’t hurt the team, the acquisitions of Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro were not necessary.  In spite of those, the fact that Cashman refrained from throwing major dollars at starting pitching, outfield, or other free agent infielders was the best move of all. 

All winter I’ve heard or read others (either media or fans) scream about the Yankees needing rotation, outfield, and infield help.  I’ve watched as many lamented big name free agents signing record contracts with other teams.  Yet, I haven’t been of the same opinion as the naysayers this time.  To me, the lack of deep-water diving into the market by the Yankees represents a potential return of trust in the talent we have in our minor league system.  

It tells me that there might actually be plans for young hurlers like Bryan Mitchell (age 25) and Vicente Campos (age 24), or outfielders Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams and Aaron Judge.  Perhaps the team is going to depend on the youngsters if – or rather when – the aging veterans fall.  If that truly is the case, then I have opinion that Mr. Cashman has finally got it right.  

We don’t need David Price, Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes.  Our last great era was built upon the shoulders of young players we trusted our system to produce, and our next great era needs to have the same evolution. 

We have a rotation that contains potential – both for tremendous success or shocking collapse.  Starters Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova all have shining promise, and have given us flashes of greatness in their young careers, but all also teeter on the brink of failure due to injury.  CC Sabathia is showing that the wear and tear of shouldering a massive load in the past is finally catching up with him.  Clearly, he’s on the slide into the completion of a great career.  Ironically, our youngest starter – Luis Severino, age 22 – may be our best and most dependable. 

Only, he’s going to be on an innings limit (or so it is rumored).  Rather than panic and spend most of our available funds on short-term fixes, Brian Cashman has refrained from yielding to temptation.  I can respect that.  He, and his team, must believe that we have depth in our system to handle any setbacks to the front-line starters.  That kind of trust in his system, gets me excited to see what our youngsters will show this season.

It has been a few years since I’ve been looking forward with great expectations for the Yankees new season.  I truly believe that avoiding the “big splash” in the free agent market actually makes this team better, if for no other reason than it means our baby Bombers may finally get their chance.  You don’t hear this from me nearly enough: Brian, you got it right. 

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

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THE YANKEES: WHO WILL START VS. WHO SHOULD START- PART 2

The Outfield

In my first segment, THE YANKEES: WHO WILL START VS. WHO SHOULD START- THE INFIELD, I explored who the Yankees would most likely start around the infield if the season were to begin tomorrow.  In this article, I’ll take a look at the outfield.

LEFT FIELD - Who Girardi Will Start

The first half of 2015 was arguably the best of Brett Gardner’s career as he represented the Bombers in the All-Star game (his first).  Going into the mid-season break, “Gardy” was hitting .302 with a .377 on-base percentage.  Unfortunately, the year was no different than any other for the 32-year-old, and he performed the annual second-half collapse at the plate that has become all too familiar for Yankees fans.  Over his last 69 games of the season, Gardner hit .206 with a .300 OBP; striking out once every four at-bats.  Since 2012, the mainstay in left has hit .245 post All-Star break; an average drop-off of 32 points from his pre All-Star average of .277.  He isn’t going to get any better at this point in his career, but in spite of the continued quick decline over the course of a season; there is little doubt that Gardner will be Manager Joe Girardi’s everyday player in left.

Who should start? 

Given the unquestioned success Gardner begins every season with, he should be the starter in Left Field on Opening Day.  As the campaign progresses, however, it might make sense for Girardi to recognize the “writing on the wall” and begin mixing in starts by youngsters like Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams, or newly acquired Aaron Hicks.  There is definite historical evidence that Gardy just can’t remain consistent over the course of a year, and the sooner the Yankees manager realizes it, the better.

CENTER FIELD – Who Girardi Will Start

As massive as Gardner’s second-half collapse was, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury’s was even greater.  Through July 12th, Ellsbury was hitting .318 with a .399 on-base percentage.  Following the return from the mid-summer classic, Ellsbury hit .220 (.266 OBP).  Like Gardner, Ellsbury is developing a history of second half collapses.  Over his past three seasons, Ellsbury’s post All-Star batting average drops, on average, by 48 points.  Is it any wonder that the Yankees fell from a hold on first place in the AL East to clinging to a wild card berth? Unlike left field, the Center Field spot does have more choices for Girardi.  Given that GM Brian Cashman inked the 32-year-old Ellsbury (and his agent Scott Boras) to a long-term contract that expires in 2020, you can be sure he’ll influence the decision as to who starts (he seems to be the one calling the shots with or without manager input), and look for Ellsbury to take the field on Opening Day.

Who should start? 

(In Photo: Aaron Hicks)

Contractual obligations aside, if I was managing the Yankees, Center Field would be an open competition going into 2016.  At the very least I’d make sure Hicks, Williams and Heathcott saw a large number of starts to minimize second half damage Ellsbury will do at the top of the order after the break – even if it meant ruffling the feathers of the Cashman/Boras tag-team.

RIGHT FIELD – Who Girardi Will Start

This position may be the one where I have my biggest point of contention as to who starts in the field.  Again, due to a contractual obligation (thanks Brian) – as well as an over-abundance of DH-suited veterans – it is more than likely that another Scott Boras player will begin the 2016 season at this position, rather than someone better-equipped to play in the spot.  Of course I speak of Carlos Beltran.  Let me first say that I have no problem with Beltran being in the lineup.  His bat was one of the few that remained somewhat productive in the second half of 2015 (though he too suffered a drop-off).  The problem I have is with the management putting him in the field.  I have friends who refer to Beltran as “the Loafer” because at 38-years-old the man simply has no speed other than slow.  Chances are that most catchers could out-hustle him in a 90 foot sprint to first, and certainly the Yankees have a number of younger outfielders with 100 times the range in the field.  When I think of Beltran playing right field, I keep going back to a game against the Orioles last season (September 9th) where he played two Chris Davis fly balls into RBI hits.  Both – a first inning short fly ball to right and a 9th inning fly ball that landed short of the right field wall and bounced over – would have been caught by an outfielder with any semblance of speed.  Ultimately, the Yanks lost the game by two – 5 to 3.  Unfortunately, because of this organization’s lack of trust in its baby Bombers, as well as there being too many veterans that at this point in their careers are only fit to be DH, you can be sure that Beltran will “loaf” out to right field when the team breaks camp.

Who should start? 

As I said, I have no problem with Beltran being in the lineup.  He still has power and occasionally can turn on a fastball.  He hit .300 with runners in scoring position and two outs.  God knows we can use more in our lineup who can do that.  I think Beltran should be our DH, or at least platoon with ARod (we all know how Girardi LOVES his platoons).  Carlos hit .285 against right-handed pitchers last season and his slugging percentage actually got better as the year progressed.  That being said, the only time Beltran’s feet should hit the right field grass is when he’s playing catch with the starting right fielder between innings, or doing his pre-game stretches.  He no longer belongs in the field.  Instead, I’d go with Heathcott, Williams or- should he get a promotion (something we know Cashman doesn’t like to do unless injury dictates it) - top prospect Aaron Judge.  If we are to have a sound future, we need to start believing in the guys that have either already had a taste of the show and proved themselves (Heathcott), or the ones like Judge whose future appears to be very bright.  We certainly can’t do any worse than what Beltran has shown us in the field.  It’s time to find out what lies ahead.

That’s it for the look around the outfield; we’ll next take a look at the Yankees starting pitching.

We welcome your opinions and comments, and as always, thank you for your support of BYB.


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


 

 



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