Bronx Bomber Ball

Another season has come and gone and the Yankees are once again title-less. The writers of the BBB weigh in on what went right this year, what went wrong and what this team needs to do to finally get over the hump next season. Photo Credit: Gregory Bull/AP

That Gary really hasn’t been scary. Photo credit: NJ.com

Like a majority of his teammates, Aaron Judge spent a good portion of the 2019 regular season on the Injured List.  An oblique injury early in the season left him on the I.L. from April through the end of June. Photo credit: Shore News Network

Can you believe we’ve finally made it?   Despite all the animosity and ugliness surrounding the labor negotiations the past few months, the Major League Baseball Players association and MLB owners finally came to terms on the provisions to allow for a 60-game regular season in 2020 in the face of this global COVID-19 pandemic.   The 2020 season will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, with a shortened season, new rules, no fans in attendance, and a unique schedule that has teams only play other clubs in their geographic area.   But the important thing is we’re finally going to get real, meaningful baseball back in our lives this week, and I for one could not be happier. Photo Credit: Major League Baseball via Twitter

After landing the biggest fish in Free Agency this past Winter, the Yankees enter 2020 as the clear favorites in the American League East.  That is not meant to suggest that they have no competition, however, as New York was not the only team to improve during the offseason, with the Rays making their usual under-the-radar moves that will help them win and the Blue Jays made a big splash signing with Hyun-Jin Ryu.  Let’s dive into the predictions. Photo Credit: New York Post

Credit: cbssports.com A shortened season of baseball is better than no baseball at all, right?

What a sad day, I won't be retrieving any @TrentonThunder bats this season. I look out on the empty seats and I miss all the fans & the players. I can't wait until me and Dash can go out there and play baseball again. pic.twitter.com/oTqNcXbe8X — Rookie (@BatdogRookie) June 30, 2020 Heartbreaking. Yesterday, Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Connor announced there will not be a 2020 season. While unsurprising at this stage, it’s an unfortunate development that casts uncertainty upon not only the thousands of hopefuls not included in their respective team’s 60-player pool, but the world of baseball as a whole. With that comes the absolutely devastating realization that Rookie, the beloved bat-retrieving dog of the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder, will be out of a job until 2021. Photo Credit: Asbury Park Press For those unfamiliar with Rookie, bat dogs have been a staple of Thunder baseball since 2002. Rookie carried the legacy into its third...

Photo credit: Getty Images

Per reports from Jeff Passan and several other outlets, the Yankees are the first MLB team to report a case of coronavirus within its system.   Photo Credit: MLB.com

Following an injury-riddled season in 2019 where fans saw just one outing from 6’8” right-hander Dellin Betances, Yankees nation caught a case of the Christmas blues when word broke that he had signed a one-year deal that would send him across the East River to play in Queens. As a result of suffering a bone spur injury behind his right shoulder before Opening Day, along with tearing his Achilles tendon in his return on September 15, Betances missed virtually the entire season. Though the Yankees bullpen performed at an elite level in 2019 despite Betances’ absence, he is still one of the best relievers in baseball when healthy. Brad Penner / USA Today Sports

2019 was not an easy year for one Miguel Andujar.  After a runner up finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 behind only Shohei Ohtani, Yankees fans and staff alike expected Miggy to come out swinging in 2019. Photo credit: New York Post

A new decade is upon us and a new era of Yankees baseball seems to be on the horizon.   After falling just short the past three seasons, 2020 has all the expectations of a championship in the making.   Once again, I’m excited to bring to you Bronx Bomber Ball’s Bounce Back Candidates piece.   If you need a quick refresher on how these work, be sure to check out the pieces from 2017 , 2018 & 2019 .   We’ll be keeping the template the same for the third consecutive year – one starting pitcher, one reliever and one position player – with the same set of criteria for what qualifies someone as a bounce back candidate. 1.    Player spent significant time on the injured list in prior season 2.    Player performed well below their career averages in the prior season 3.    Player has not yet lived up to their potential Photo Credit: New York  Yankees

The Yankees announced in the morning of October 28th that Larry Rothschild, veteran pitching coach who started in his position in 2011, has been relieved of his duties and will not return for the 2020 season.  Photo Credit: New York Post “I want to personally thank Larry for his near decade of commitment to this organization,” Brian Cashman said in a statement. “Larry cares deeply about his craft, and the pitchers under his tutelage, and he played a significant role in our success over the past nine seasons.” The New York Yankees today announced that Larry Rothschild will not return to the coaching staff for the 2020 season. pic.twitter.com/5rTA6a3noA — New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 28, 2019 Going into the 2020 season, Cashman will have to look for a replacement for Rothschild to work alongside Aaron Boone with the Yankees’ pitching staff. Possible candidates discussed by Yankees color commentators include the likes of David Cone, Brent Strom current...