Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees offense looks f***ing dead. Every single one of them. Even DJ LeMahieu, the Yankees’ best hitter by leaps and bounds, is in the middle of an uncanny stretch of bad hitting. Of the Yankees every day starters (Higgy is 4-for-13 for a .308 avg  and also Tyler Wade is 1-for-3 apparently lol ), the three highest batting averages are: DJ (.277), Gio Urshela (.276), and Aaron Judge (.268). The next highest… Gary Sanchez with a .200 average, unless you want to count Brett Gardner as every day, in which case the next highest is a .214 average (which props up the team average of .205). And that isn’t even a knock on Gardy, who still puts up Gardy at-bats whenever he’s in the lineup (plus, of his six hits, two of them are doubles) or Gary, who I think has actually put up some really nice at-bats; and, of the team’s 17 grounders into a double play (tied for 3 rd worst in the league), he has grounded into zero (also Gary has walked 7 times and has a .321 OBP, which is third among ev...

  In the final installment of our preseason positional preview, today let’s take a look at the Yankees forecasted bench for the 2021 season.

It’s been a long winter but opening day is approaching fast. We are most of the way through spring training at this point and because of that, we’re getting to the point where we can probably make some solid predictions about roster decisions that will be made soon. While the Yankees outfield on paper seems pretty set, this is a group that has not been easy to predict the last few seasons. Injuries have played a big role in determining playing time with this group and while that will remain a concern until it is proven to not be an issue anymore, there is real reason for optimism heading into this season. Let's take a look at how the Yankees might line up their outfielders this season.   Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Wiliiams Jr. 

One of the last pieces to fit into the Yankees' 2021 puzzle, before today, could be stated along the lines of... "What about Brett Gardner?"  Photo credit: NorthJersey.com

Credit: MLB.com                                 

  Photo credit: Newsday As of Monday evening, September 28th, the Yankees postseason roster has yet to be announced. Aaron Boone said that the Yankees had a “long and spirited” meeting to hammer out the postseason roster. They’re close. — Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 28, 2020 In spite of that fact, there are a number of “shoe-ins” among the squad.  Gerrit Cole, of course, is slated to pitch Game 1 of the Wild Card series.  Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are off the injured list and ready to play.  Kyle Higashioka, Cole’s assumed personal catcher, will be behind the plate -- at least when Cole is pitching.  Of course, Luke Voit, who wasn’t even on the 2019 postseason roster, is hoping to continue his streak of dingers.  But what about Clint Frazier?  It appears I’m not the only one asking the question… Will the Yankees start Brett Gardner over Clint Frazier in the playoffs? pic.twitter.com/DQ750d5abZ — Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 2...

This weekend in the Bronx, the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox to bring their record to 7-1 in this unprecedented short season. In game one, Suzyn Waldman serenaded an empty Yankee Stadium with the National Anthem and CC Sabathia returned to throw out the first pitch.  Jordan Montgomery and the bullpen held the Sox to just one run­–a solo shot off the bat of Michael Chavis in the third.  Home runs from Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, and Brett Gardner propelled the Bombers past the Red Sox to a 5-1 win.  Gardy’s homer ended his hitless start to the 2020 season, where he was previously 0-for-12 with seven Ks. 

What a week it’s been, and we haven’t even played a game yet.   News broke early Monday morning that the Miami Marlins had an outbreak of COVID-19 in their locker room that threatened not only their series against the Baltimore Orioles, but also the Yankees vs. the Phillies as well as, potentially, the entire league.   While games on Monday and Tuesday for the Marlins, Orioles, Phillies and Yankees were all postponed, MLB reconfigured the schedule and the Yankees will now head to OPACY to play the Orioles rather than host the Phillies for the 2020 home opener.   The Yankees will then host the Boston Red Sox this weekend as regularly scheduled. Photo Credit: Alex Brandon/AP Photo

With Aaron Hicks  undergoing Tommy John surgery in the winter and targeting a July/August return date,  and Giancarlo Stanton  and Aaron Judge’s  status es  for Opening Day unknown,  the Yankees outfield  could see  some changes throughout the  opening weeks of the season  as players try to establish themselves as contributors to the team.   

It’s official: Yankee veteran Brett Gardner will remain in the Bronx in 2020. Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

With Cole-a-palooza officially out of the way , the Yankees can turn their attention on filling out the remainder of their roster this Winter, and the first moves to be made should be taking care of the family business.   Per SNY’s Andy Martino, the Yankees could be closing in on a deal to bring back Brett Gardner soon.

Sunday night’s ALCS Game Two loss for the Yankees was devastating, at best. Photo Credit: Newsday/William Perlman

The postseason is finally upon us, and it’s time to look at the options present for the Yankees in terms of who will patrol the  outfield.  It ’s a mix of established names and some key players who have stepped up in a major way this season.   Right Field: Aaron Judge   The Yankees’ talisman and  one of the brightest young stars in baseball, Judge was able to hit 27 homers and drive in 55 runs despite being limited by injury some of the year.  He’s also coming in hot, posting a .991 OPS through the last 20 games of the regular season.  Judge is also terrific defensively, with 7 outfield assists in the regular season.  He will look to carry a lot of the load offensively in this postseason, batting out of the #2 spot almost exclusively.   Photo Credit: Getty Images Left Field: Giancarlo Stanton   Stanton’s 2019 regular season has been one to forget,  having only played 18 games due to a variety of injur...

The 2019 New York Yankees have been riddled with injuries from the beginning of the season.   That statement is no exaggeration. Photo Credit: Getty Images Before the season even officially began, Didi Gregorius found himself on the Injured List after undergoing Tommy John surgery.   Giancarlo Stanton’s first injury of 2019 came in the form of a biceps injury, then a shoulder injury, then a calf injury and finally, a knee sprain during one of the nine games he played throughout the season.   Fans looked forward to the return of Miguel Andjuar, only to have him sidelined with a labrum injury from May 21 onward.   Aaron Hicks didn’t make his 2019 season debut until May 19 thanks to an injury to his back.   And mostly everyone forgot about the likes of Ben Heller and… dare I say it… Jacoby Ellsbury.   Oh, and Greg Bird finding himself injured once again, seemingly eliminating any battle for the job at first base between him and Luke Voit...