Bronx Bomber Ball

Ahead of tonight’s Hall of Fame Class of 2023 announcement, the writers of the BBB held our own mock balloting, following the same rules as the BBWAA.  Each voter is allotted 10 total selections, and a candidate must receive 75% or more of the vote in order to be inducted into the HOF.  Voters are not required to use all 10 selections but may if they so choose. 11 out of 14 votes were required for enshrinement in our polling.

Tonight, there is a semblance of normal in the baseball world for the first time in nearly two months. The results of the 2022 BBWAA Hall of Fame vote will be revealed at 6 PM on MLB Network. And for the sixth consecutive year, the writers of Bronx Bomber Ball participated in a mock vote of our own. Photo Credit: MLB.com Per BBWAA guidelines, each voter is allotted 10 votes, though they are not obligated to use all (or any) of them. Players that receive a vote on 75% of ballots cast will be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  This year’s ballot unquestionably holds the highest stakes we’ve seen in recent years. It’s the last call for some of the game’s greatest icons in Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, whose candidacies have been shrouded by their use of steroids. Newcomers Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, though beloved by their teams’ respective fanbases, were also linked to PEDs at points in their careers.  Nevertheless, our team largely decided that ...

Alex Rodriguez's career will forever carry a dark cloud over it.  Despite winning 3 MVPs and carrying the 2009 Yankees to a World Series title, Yankees fans all know that A-Rod’s legacy is tarnished due to scandals and suspensions.  Some of his individual game career accomplishments often go forgotten as a result.  One such accomplishment came when A-Rod became the 11th MLB player to drive in more than ten runs over the course of one game.  The league record of 12, which still stands to this day, is shared by Jim Bottomley (set in 1924) and Mark Whiten (tied in 1993). Photo Credit' Julie Jacobson/AP Photo

On this very day, 15 years ago, Jason Varitek did not take off his mask. Credit: Reuters

Alex Rodriguez has experienced quite the 180 in terms of his public image and perception ever since he retired from the sport of baseball. From presenting himself as a solid analyst on FOX during the postseason, to his love involvement with fellow celebrity J-Lo, A-Rod has been on a tear, and now it appears as if he has just landed yet another sweet deal.    Photo Credit: Fox Sports

According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports Network, the New York Yankees hope to get below the luxury tax threshold in 2018 for the first time since 2002. Currently, the Yankees payroll is at about $201 million, second to only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ staggering $242 million. The threshold for the 2018 season is $197 million, this was agreed upon in the 2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement. With big-time players like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper set to become free agents in 2019, now is the time to get under the threshold and reset the tax percentage. Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

It was August 4, 2007. Exactly ten years ago to the day. Alex Rodriguez had been sitting at 499 career home runs for over a week, and the wait for number 500 was growing tedious. He had gone a career worst 22 at bats without a hit following the home run, and it wasn’t until a single on August 2 that this streak was broken. Now, two days later, on a Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, A-Rod stepped up to the plate against Kansas City Royals starter Kyle Davies, and delivered a moment that not many Yankees fans will ever forget. Via NY Daily News

This week Yankees general manager disclosed that upon the activation of Aaron Hicks from the DL, the up and coming rookie Clint Frazier will be sent back down to AAA. With the activation of Hicks, the Yankees would have five outfielders on their big league roster, so obviously one has to go. Photo Credit: Julio Cortez | AP

In about a month, baseball’s brightest stars will take the field in Miami in the heat of July. As the game gets closer, the ballot is released weekly for all positions, except pitcher as it’s voted by the coaches, in both the AL and NL. Each ballot though reveals the obvious flaw of the All-Star Game voting system. I will highlight many examples of the the flawed voting system displayed in these ballots. Photo Credit: MLB.com

One the eve of Derek Jeter’s jersey retirement ceremony, many Yankee fans are conflicted between looking back on Jeter’s illustrious career, and looking ahead at the bright future that this young Yankee team has ahead of them. Make no mistake, no matter how short the Yankees rebuild is, or how talented the Yankees are in 2017, Sunday night is all about the legendary Yankee captain. As a player who always seemed to have a flair for the dramatic, Jeter had his fair share of highlight reel and memorable moments in his career. While everyone has their own opinions on various moments and plays, this piece will countdown and recall some of your favorite Jeter moments throughout his storybook career.

One thing comes to mind when you think of Aaron Judge: raw power. At 6’7” and 230 pounds, he is one of the largest players in Major League Baseball and draws comparison to Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. Judge was drafted by the Yankees 32nd overall in 2013, and has become a highly touted prospect in the Yankees’ farm system. Yankee fans have continuously heard about Judge’s size and power over the past couple of years and they finally got a glimpse of it in 2016. Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin | NY Daily News

For those Yankee fans that are about my age in their 20's (give or take a few years) it may be difficult to remember a time when Brian Cashman was not the General Manager and calling the shots in the Yankees’ front office. Such a time did occur however and even though he has occupied a few different roles in the organization throughout his tenure with the team, on February 3 rd,  1998, Cashman was promoted to the role he has become synonymous with over the years, General Manager of the New York Yankees.   Photo Via Bronx Pinstripes

I wrote recently here on the blog about Derek Jeter and the scheduled retirement of his iconic no. 2 in Monument Park this summer. The Yankees have certainly retired a lot of numbers throughout their history and have retired several more even within the last few seasons. Now following the retirement of Jeter’s number this upcoming season and the retirement of Joe Torre’s No. 6 during the 2014 season, the Yankees will no longer have any single digit numbers available in the future which is pretty remarkable considering that a lot of teams don’t even have nine (or in this case ten) players to consider retiring numbers for. As ridiculous as it may seem at times, if you ask any Yankee fan, I’m sure they would bring a strong defense for any of these players, but discussing those numbers that have already been retired is not why I’m here today. Instead, I’m going to look at and discuss a few candidates for the next number we could see the Yankees retire sometime in the future. Photo Cred...

The summer of 2016 will always be known as the “summer of Gary”.   Gary Sanchez took the Bronx by storm. He once again made Yankee games must see TV. Every so often a guy comes along and takes a fan base by storm like that. Before the “summer of Gary”, there was “Tanaka time.” Photo Credit: Newsday/Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Everyone likes to talk about reflecting on their lives this time of year so in the spirit of the holiday that a lot of us just celebrated and the holidays that some of us are already decorating for, I would like to share some thoughts on things about the Yankees that I’m thankful for. Now, as Yankee fans we have extremely high and very often unreasonable expectations for the team year after year.   This is probably even more true for people like this 26-year-old who was just old enough to watch them dominate postseason baseball at the turn of the century. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger | USA TODAY Sports

Built like an NFL tight end, Aaron Judge has been a prospect with lofty expectations hanging over his head as he has come up through the Yankees’ minor league system. Listed at 6’7” and weighing 275 pounds, Yankees fans have been hearing about Judge’s towering home runs as a minor leaguer, and seeing him rise through the system so quickly has been rewarding. But after getting the call to the big leagues in 2016, Judge looked lost at the plate, striking out at an alarming rate, and failing to hit above the Mendoza line, albeit in just 27 games and 84 at-bats. Through his struggles and growing pains, the Yankees and their fans need to be patient with him as he continues developing into the middle of the lineup slugger that he is destined to be. Photo Credit: AP

After a paradigm shift in 2016 the likes that most of us have never seen in our lifetimes, the New York Yankees enter the 2017 MLB season with a brand new look, a brand new philosophy, and a significant buzz that fans like myself haven't felt in years. Photo via Getty Images

In today’s game of baseball, overpaying for free agents is inevitable. If you want to sign your guy, you are going to make sure nobody outbids you in the process. Nowadays, it seems like every free agent is getting overpaid. Seven years and $161 million for Chris Davis? Eight years at $184 million for Jason Heyward? Seven years for $153 million for Jacoby Ellsbury? Sure, the Yankees overpaid Aroldis Chapman signing him to a five year deal worth $86 million, a deal that shattered the previous record for any relief pitcher. But the point is, they intended to overpay him. Resigning Chapman after dealing him to the World Series champion Chicago Cubs was a priority for Brian Cashman, and after getting it done, this is a signing that should be celebrated. Photo Credit: Jerry Lai | USA TODAY Sports

As the Yankees look to address the weaknesses of their roster via trades and free agency, there is one spot that the Bombers appear to be content with having an internal competition: first base. With the retirement of Mark Teixeira, the Yankees have lost a player who has been an integral piece of their roster for the last few years. Teixeira's presence was felt not only at the plate, but also in the field. He was consistently a lock to put together gold glove caliber seasons, subsequently elevating the play of his fellow infielders. The two candidates to take over for Teixeira are youngsters Greg Bird and Tyler Austin. Bird burst upon the scene in 2015, putting up impressive numbers in the midst of a pennant race. Austin, on the other hand, made his debut last season immediately after the forced retirement of Alex Rodriguez. While Austin certainly showed some promising signs, Bird is clearly the front runner for starting first baseman next season. Below, I will assess the relative ...

As the Yankees head closer to the 2016 Winter Meetings, it is crucial that they lock up a reliable designated hitter to pad the middle of the lineup. With a lot of different options out there, the one that makes the most sense to me is Mike Napoli. In 2016, Napoli (35) had one of the best years of his career belting 34 home runs while driving in 101 runs and playing in 150 games. Not only did Napoli put up big time numbers, he did it in one of the least hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball. I can only imagine what kind of power numbers Napoli could put up in Yankee stadium. Photo via Fansided