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!

DESPITE THE ORANGE HAZE PANIC, ONE LEFTY HORSE WAS GRINDING YESTERDAY

You have not entered the Twilight Zone. Yes, New York City looks more like Mars in all of this crazy haze, but that's not the only craziness in this post. Hold on to your hats....Carlos Rodon has risen from the smoke and ashes and he has pitched!

Yes, it's true...Rodon is one small step closer to a return. While as many of us were trying to stay out of the hazardous haze, Rodon made a brief appearance on the field and pitched to live hitters, read more HERE. It was only 20 pitches, but he threw "everything" in his pitching repertoire to Jake Bauers and Oswaldo Cabrera. I'll take it!

Its a start. Sure, 20 pitches isn't a lot and certainly not a big sample size to see how effective he is when he is throwing "everything" but if he is throwing between 92-94 mph with no back or elbow discomfort now and has no soreness in the next coming days it is a small victory and a step in the right direction....game day action!

Early takeaways from Rodon's brief pitching appearance at the stadium sound promising. I'd say it's a pretty big deal when you have Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, adviser Omar Minaya and Yankee fan favorite, CC Sabathia observing everything. Hopefully, when all of the smoke clears (no pun intended) we can see more from Rodon.

I am anxious to see Rodon back in action. The Yankees made a big commitment to Rodon in the offseason and if and when the Yankee rotation is back to healthy, it could be lethal. We've waited a long time, but hopefully a rehab assignment is in the near future.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE ONLY "HEADACHE" WAS HAVING LAZY SANCHEZ ON THE YANKEES

Yankee fans are not mad that Gary Sanchez is in San Diego. Yankee fans are thrilled he's out of the Bronx. 

Whatever he does now is great for San Diego, but don't sweat it... hot streaks are exactly what they are, and as soon as the NL figures out how to pitch to Gary, his lazy demeanor will soon be front and center again. Truth be told, Yankee fans don't care about Gary anymore. He's old news.

For some reason Fansided thought this headline was pointed, and sure, it did annoy me: 

Another former Yankees headache is thriving with his new team

But what's the headache? That he's hitting and not helping the Yankees? I mean seriously... what can you do about it? It's kind of a stupid fight to pick. Not to mention that Amish guy Carrabis tweets this like it matters:

Look, we need to keep this real for a moment. Back when Gary Sanchez was considered the next best shiny thing in the Yankees minor league system, there was one problem; he had an attitude. Read 

WHY SOMEONE NEEDS AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT from June 2011. Plus, Gary wasn't performing and coming along as quickly as they liked and to be honest, the scouts were more in love with his bat with the hopes that the Yankees would one day tweak and quicken his ability behind the plate.  That was the Yankees mission, make him better behind the plate.

But Sanchez never improved and when things weren't working out for him, he just appeared disinterested and lazy.  In the end, the Yankees and definitely Yankee fans had enough. And so the marriage dissolved and it should have. He was one guy the scouts got wrong.

And let's go further. The Twins took a chance on him but didn't retain him. The Giants wouldn't sign him to a major league deal after they tried him out in the minors and the Mets gave up on him too.  The bottom line is that while the Padres see promise in this slug, it's only a matter of time before they see how bad he truly is too.   All those teams can't be wrong, trust me.

And so the word "headache" is nothing more than a poke at us Yankee fans. Well, if you're a true Yankee fan, laugh it off, because it really means nothing.  

And when it comes to Carrabis, that Amish looking rapper look alike that has no real talent whatsoever, no one really cares about this guy.  You wanna like this tool? Buy this shirt... make me rich. 

THE YANKEES JUST PICKED BILLY MCKINNEY

Quick note and part of the shell game the Yankees needs to play right now with Aaron Judge heading to the 10 day IL.  Billy McKinney just got a major league contract with the Yanks.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"...Yankees announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney. He will take the active roster spot of Aaron Judge, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right great toe sprain. That move was reported on last night and is retroactive to June 4. "

I have always been a McKinney guy. He hasn't always lit it up and that's because he hasn't be able to stick around on many teams long enough, but the trust is McKinney is solid and, in my opinion, a good temporary fix.

In AAA with Scranton-Wilkes Barre, McKinney is doing a fantastic job. He's batting .274 with a handful of homers and 25 RBIs. It just made sense.

Good for Billy. Get well soon, Aaron.

"WE CAN'T REPLACE HIM" ATTITUDE PROVES YANKS NOT EQUIPPED WITHOUT JUDGE

Aaron Judge will be out for "weeks".  Because of that, the feeling around Yankeeland has suddenly become gloomy.  Bob Klapisch writes a great column about life without Judge today. In the headline, "It's not pretty" should be enough to want you to dive in.  Bottom line, reading it, you feel like doubt has entered that clubhouse.  There's a void, a dark cloud lingering.  As Bob says "It's grim enough to make Aaron Boone wake up in a cold sweat."  There's some truth to that.  Boone doesn't understand or navigate well when he's challenged as a manager. It's his biggest flaw. Not only will it be a test for the team, it will be a test for our manager, who is unqualified and unsure of himself.  Yelling at umpires does not make you a leader... it makes you a whiner and that's where we're at with this guy. So, in short, with Aaron Judge out, this will be a wacky ride.

With Judge out for what looks like weeks, the Yankees need to step it up, that's the bottom line.  Getting a quote from Josh Donaldson say "we can't replace him" worries me. Look, the Yankees just have to play hard. It wasn't great last night losing to the White Sox 3-2, but maybe that was the "initial shock" of not having Judge there.  It's one game, we need to improve on that.

But I guess the bigger question is these athletes and how they play the game. If I'm paying my hard earned money to see these athletes work their tails off, I really can't blame Aaron Judge for making a fantastic catch and then slamming into a wall to do it. He'd tell you he'd do it again. It's what athletes should do.  

Reminds me a lot of the Robinson Cano debate about longevity in baseball. Top athletes and playing hard, not jogging to first.  It was years ago now that that idiot Peter Keating of ESPN the magazine tried desparaging me writing that my opinion as a fan and journalist was twisted and wrong.  His solution was let them play 162 games at 50% so they can play for a long, long time.  

Everyone knew looking at Cano he was always looking for shortcuts except Keating. In the end, Keating was wrong. Cano banged around the league for a few more years and was even caught using PEDs. He was laughed out of baseball, and Keating was mocked on Bleeding Yankee Blue for years to follow and I will never stop. Dummy.  

But that "not playing hard" narrative continues on Pinstripe Alley, a site I admire, but the thinking is crazy to me:

"I’m not going to file this into the column of “Judge is injury prone,” but it is perhaps illustrative of why guys like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Bryce Harper have largely stopped trying in the outfield. These kinds of players are just so valuable at the plate that the runs they cede defensively are made up tenfold by the runs they produce by being healthy and at the plate. It’s impossible to tell a pro athlete not to try hard, but maybe Judge should have gone less than 100 mph trying to make that play."

The last statement is odd to me. Every athlete knows you can't stop momentum and going "100 mph trying to make a play" sometimes isn't a choice but exactly what it is, momentum.  But more to that, athletes should never stop trying. Athletes need to continue to play hard and no doubt Judge will too. That's what makes him great and the sport amazing. I actually think for the Yankees this is less about Judge's injury and more about how the Yankees and Boone will react.  They NEED to step up. Boone NEEDS to make hard decisions and navigate smarter than the nit-wit he is.  Boone's about automatic, and now he actually has to think.

Can the Yankees do it? Yes, but it won't be easy.

Get well soon Aaron, you will be missed. No doubt Yankee fans will rally. But can your manager? Serious question. Sadly, I don't know the answer.

SPECULATION REVEALS TOE INJURY TO JUDGE WILL BENCH HIM

Just when you thought everything was right in Yankeeland, a bum toe may sideline Aaron Judge. Now look, this injury appeared to take place on Saturday when Judge ran into the wall at Dodgers Stadium.  

A great catch, but let's be honest, everyone is suggesting it's in the top 10 with Willie May's over the head catch back in the 1954 World Series.  THAT was a great catch. Guys catching balls before running into shit? That's been done before.

So the logic here is that the wall couldn’t hold Judge in the field of play (like it is meant to) so they award Muncy an extra base for something Judge couldn’t control pic.twitter.com/ohKgx4mJK1

— Dom (@BronxBmbrz) June 4, 2023

Judge ran into a wall after the ball was caught. While it's very noble of him to finish the play and be a total stud, it reminds me of the Jeter catch when he flew into the stands. He caught the ball, but the momentum catapulted him into the stands after the fact.  Even Jeets admits that.

Same with Judge. It's dangerous if anything, and that's what happened to Judge, he got hurt. You applaud the effort but blame momentum on the injury.  Anyway, enough about my grouchy nature today. The bottom line is Judge may be out.

NJ.com writes:

"...fans, are holding their breath. They are waiting for some concrete news on Aaron Judge’s right big toe. It could potentially be fractured, in which case he could be out for a while. For now, we all wait for the results of the imaging. He suffered the injury in that majestic running catch late in Saturday’s game against the Dodgers, a play that helped secure a valuable victory. If, however, the toe is broken, Judge could be looking at several weeks on the shelf.

Asked if he’s worried about going on the injured list, he said: “I really don’t care at this point. If I’m on it, I’m on it.”

The Yankees will definitely see a hole in their lineup without Judge. The Yankees have been hot, so this is a concern for sure.  At the same time, there are wonders that can be done with a toe these days. After all, it will be sore, black and blue, but it's not like you can do much for a toe. If wrapped properly, the guy could play, we just have to see.

Cross your fingers Yankeeland, let's hope the Captain will be OK.

Let me also state that I in no way am disparaging our captain. There is no one I want in the lineup more than Aaron Judge. Let's just keep it real, however.  "Spectacular", "Greatest ever" and "unmatched" are not words I'd describe when talking about Judge crashing into the Dodgers Stadium wall on that catch this past weekend. It was fantastic however and I tip my cap for that. I just want this guy to be OK and back in the Yankee lineup.

And now we wait.

DON'T WORRY, "SOFT" AARON HICKS WILL SOON RETURN

What's worse, not playing well with the Yankees, or playing well with the Orioles? Or both.

What makes me weary about Aaron Hicks is his lack of production in a Yankee uniform and sometimes, may I suggest, a lack of effort. I mean, as a New York Yankee, it was his duty to play well, that's what the Yankees signed him for... a lot of years, a lot of money, 7 and $70. He was under contract to do so, but he just didn't. Looking at him right now it's almost like a breach of contract.  And I have a theory on that... that will be in a moment.

Suddenly after his muscle sprain in Baltimore a few days ago, Aaron Hicks suddenly discovered his playing ability again.  He's hitting, he's fielding, he's playing like a major leaguer.  WFAN writes:

"The former Yankee outfielder went 2-for-4 with a walk for the Orioles in their win over the Giants on Sunday afternoon, continuing a red-hot start to his tenure in Baltimore after being cut by the Yanks following years of struggles. But now, through a small sample size of 14 plate appearances, Hicks is showing what the Yankees thought they had after signing him to a seven-year extension in 2018 after the best season of his career."

But here's the thing; For Aaron Hicks, this is a mental thing.  The one thing about Hicks is he's soft. Much like when you're a little leaguer and the ball is hit to you as a kid, and it rolls between your legs. What is the one thing you coach will tell you? "Finish the play! Don't bow your head in shame, in embarrassment. Instead, finish the play and move past it."  

The hardest thing Hicks can do as an athlete is move past it. Yankee fans crucified him in the Bronx because he had a bad game and it just festered. He got in his own head and it just got worse and worse and worse.  And so, the Yankees had enough because let's face it, when it comes to feelings, even the Yankees were fed up with this guy.  Baseball is a game where no one will feel sorry for you. You made it there because you had the ability... your job if you're under contract is to play well and to stay there. Most importantly, it's to contribute to winning a championship. Hicks did none of that in New York.

And when the Orioles picked him up, there was new life, new scenery, but the most important part of it was that there were no angry fans to crucify him.  Now, I could guarantee you if he had a first bad game or 2 with the Orioles, there would be boos and no question knowing what we know about Hicks emotional rollercoaster, he would easily fall into the gutter again.  Will he? He will, just give it time.  

Right now, however, Hicks has found a home for a hot minute.  Am I happy for him? Not really. He had a job to do in New York and he didn't.  That should outrage all of you considering what he's been able to figure out in Baltimore.  

But you can't go back, you can only move forward.  Bottom line, as long as Hick's isn't booed out of the batter's box, he'll be fine in orange and white.  But I'm telling you this right now... his delicate mind will be the end of this guy if he starts to slow down. He is just not strong enough. Prediction... he will get in his own head and won't be able to dig out.  My feeling is the truth is in his mind.  If he learns to work through bad days he'll be fine. But more to it... he just didn't do a good job in New York, and he should have, and that's what annoys me the most.

NASTY NESTOR LIKELY HEADED TO THE IL. SHOULD THE YANKEES BE WORRIED?

The hits just keep coming. The Yankees can't catch a break and they can't get healthy and STAY healthy. I'm sick of writing or talking about the growing injured list but, here we are. It's growing again.

Cross your fingers for some good news but, Nestor Cortes is likely headed to the Injured List due to an issue with his throwing shoulder, according to Aaron Boone, read more HERE. Cortes hasn't been able to fully recover between his starts, Boone said and he will have an MRI either today or tomorrow. The Yankees are hopeful that Cortes only misses one or two starts....and I think Boone said it best when he spoke with the media. "That's the trainer sense, but we're speculating there," Boone said. "He hasn't had tests yet."

Finally, some sense of reality from Boone. I hope the trainer is right but until those tests come back it is anyone's guess. I remember last season there was a lot of chatter about innings limits for Cortes because he never pitched more than 93 innings in a season. The fact that he hasn't felt fully recovered between his starts and he missed time earlier this season it makes this picture look even scarier.

Something hasn't been right with Cortes all season. Last month we wrote THE OTHER NASTY NESTOR NEEDS A FAST FIX! and now that he's been achy according to Boone it just makes everything look scarier. So far in 11 starts, he's 5-2 with a 5.16 ERA, 59 strikeouts and 19 walks in 59 1/3 innings. At this point last year he had a 1.50 ERA so the difference is night and day. Even with a sharp contrast in stats, the Yankees are already down two starters and the are better with Cortes (even a struggling one) than without him.

I hope the MRI does agree with what the trainer thinks, however I trust the Yankees medical staff and the strength and conditioning staff as far as I can throw them. They have proven to be completely incompetent as far as I am concerned.

Get better soon, Nestor.....we need you!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF AARON JUDGE

Aaron Judge is not just a slugger. He is the whole package. We all know this. But the national audience might not know how incredible of an outfielder Judge is. That's why the Fox Sports announcers called out his expertise in the Dodgers-Yankees game last night. We are so fortunate as Yankee fans to see this guy night after night and be a part of what I am calling the Magical World of Aaron Judge.

Judge gave the national audience and all of Dodger Stadium a show in the Yankee 6-3 win on Saturday. In the bottom of the 8th,  Aaron Judge made an incredible catch out in right field to rob JD Martinez of a game tying home run. He tracked it, and caught it while plowing through the fencing in the outfield. This after he cracked a solo home run earlier in the game. 

ESPN Tweeted simply "He is Superman." When this guy takes off and tracks the ball, you know he is going to catch it. He's amazing. In fact he dazzled fans in T-Mobile Park earlier this week saving Teoscar Hernández's fly ball from sailing over the fence. Judge stated later that this catch in Seattle might be the best one of his career. 

"This was the second time on the Yankees’ road trip where Judge homered and made a miraculous catch in the same game. Judge belted two home runs in the Yankees’ 10-4 blowout win over the Mariners on Tuesday," reported The New York Post.

This Yankee team is fun to watch. As much as the injuries and the quiet bats drive me crazy we have to remember we have one of the best players in baseball killing himself every night for this team. He brings passion, persistence and consistency to this team. And his magic is contagious to his teammates, media that cover the Yankees and we as fans. Let's hope he and his team can bring some magic into the rubber game tomorrow.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T CARE, WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON FRANKIE MONTAS

Frankie Montas may one day help the Yankees in their run for a championship. Hell, it might even be this year, but I doubt it.

Montas was trying to be a competitor. If you remember, he got hurt and then needed to get surgery and he said it happened because he was trying to be a tough guy and "work through it". I understand tough athletes and rubbing dirt on it and getting back out there. But the thing that always puzzled me about Montas was how he came over from the A's. I honestly can't understand how a physical couldn't pinpoint his trouble areas before he came to New York. That will always be a mystery to me. Read THE BUM from February to get you up to speed.

Well here's an update for you on that Montas character who is working his way back.  The New York Post writes:

"Montas had his labrum “cleaned up” during the procedure, according to manager Aaron Boone, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery, did not have to touch the right-hander’s rotator cuff.

The result is that Montas will be shut down for 12 weeks before his rehab schedule will have him begin a throwing program in May. Generally the shutdown time is equal to the time needed for a ramp-up, meaning that Montas would need 12 more weeks to be built up — putting his potential return some time in August, in a best-case scenario."

Best-case scenario to whom? I'd almost suggest the best-case scenario is exactly where we are now. How do we know this guy will be healthy, better, effective? It's a guess.

Anyway, you may not have wanted an update, but you got one.  Do with it what you will.  

Get well soon Frankie-poo.

HICKS ALREADY PULLED FROM ORIOLES LINEUP

Quick note. If you read BYB this morning, Jeana Bellezza wrote ORIOLES BELIEVE THEY CAN FIX AARON HICKS! HAHAHAHAHA, and we had some fun with it. We don't care for Aaron Hicks over here. As far as we're concerned, the fact that he's not with the Yankees is a win win.

But the Orioles picked him up and he was all set to play in Wednesday's game for the O's, but then he didn't. Guess why... 

CBS Sports writes:

"Hicks was removed from Wednesday's game against the Guardians due to muscle cramps..."

Fascinating to see how nothing's changed.

ORIOLES BELIEVE THEY CAN FIX AARON HICKS! HAHAHAHAHA

What the French toast is going on in Baltimore? I am convinced that Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias might be just as useless at talent evaluation as Brian Cashman is AND has no appreciation for baseball cards. We'll get to the baseball cards in a minute....

By now we all know that Aaron Hicks plays for the Baltimore Orioles. We all rejoice that he is no longer the weak link on our team and can try and rejuvenate with the Orioles. Who knows, maybe it will work. He's not the first player that couldn't handle the heavy pinstripes. Maybe playing on a team with less demand will help him find his mojo again. 

That's exactly what Mike Elias is counting on. They hope they catch lightening in a bottle with Hicks on the team. Maybe they do, but his stats don't exactly support that. But wait, maybe Elias doesn't like baseball cards or know how to read the stats on them. So what exactly do the Orioles see in Hicks?
"We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective that, as I’ve said before, it’s very different from looking at the back of a baseball card," Elias said. You can read more HERE.

Maybe their scouts have lost their marbles. The stats on the back of Hicks' baseball card aren't wrong. His best season with the Yankees was 2018 and ever since then was filled with injury filled seasons where he couldn't hit, and played subpar defense with a weak arm. Maybe the Orioles don't value players accurately OR appreciate baseball cards. That was an insult to an avid baseball fan's card collection.

"You may not get a great outcome on everything, but we see stuff with Aaron Hicks that we like and it feels like a good fit for us," Elias said. "I hope this is a shot in the arm for him, and I hope that he helps us out and helps us win some games." Well Elias, we didn't get a great outcome on....anything. The Yankees gave him countless opportunities and an extra long leash and the Minnesota Twins tried for three years before the Yankees, nothing worked. By all means though....keep searching for that shot in the arm. We hoped Hicks would help us win games too, but he turned into a huge liability.

I guess this will be the year of second chances. The Mets and Giants saw something they could fix in Gary Sanchez and now the O's are going to fix Hicks. Okay, sure. I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe I'm wrong....or maybe Elias devalues baseball cards and insanely over values Hicks.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj