Bronx Bomber Ball

  On Tuesday evening, the New York Yankees agreed to terms with all but one of their arbitration eligible players, the one being star right-fielder Aaron Judge who is seeking a long-term extension with the club.   The Yankees have not gone to an arbitration hearing with any of their players since the 2017 debacle with Dellin Betances.   Aaron Judge has requested a salary of $21 million for the 2022 season and the Yankees have countered with an offer of $17 million.   If the two sides cannot settle in the middle or reach that extension, they’ll head for a hearing, which due to the delays brought on by the lockout, will likely occur in-season.

 

  Just ten short days ago, this team looked on death’s door, dropping back-to-back games to the Cleveland Indians at home by a combined score of 22-4.   They had fallen out of a wild card spot by 1.5 games, and trailed Boston for the top spot by 2.5 games.   All of the good vibes and positivity accrued during their 13-game winning streak from August 14-27 was seemingly out the window.   They appeared headed for an early end to their season – one that began with lofty expectations of a World Series title.

  How Luis Severino has looked and how the Yankees should use him the rest of the way Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

  After another crushing defeat in the Field of Dreams game last night, the Yankees and White Sox are off on Friday as they travel to Chicago to complete their three-game series.   Let’s use the off-day as an opportunity to check-in on the Yankees’ laundry list of injured and COVID-afflicted players.

Gerrit Cole has played October baseball before.  Photo credit: Yahoo Sports

The criteria used to review first impressions of ace Gerrit Cole, the pitcher that Yankees fans have dreamed of for many a season, are different than I originally thought it would be.   Photo Credit: AP

Look, I get it.   Injuries happen.   There’s no way around that.   But the total shitstorm we are currently experiencing AGAIN has the feel of something much, much worse than just some early Spring Training getting-the-kinks-worked-out nonsense.  The Yankees are once again falling apart in front of us and it's not even March.  I am absolutely worried right now. Photo Credit: Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Sports

Brian Cashman says Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery. — Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 25, 2020 This hurts. After missing most of the 2019 season with a shoulder issue, Luis Severino's 2020 season has ended before it even began with the news today that he needs Tommy John surgery.  Last week it was reported that Sevy would be returning to New York for further testing after feeling stiffness in his forearm, and this morning Brian Cashman announced the worst possible outcome. In the announcement, Cashman said that the plan is to get the surgery done as soon as possible, as he is currently evaluating which Doctor he will utilize to perform the surgery. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

The Yankees announced on Thursday that RHP Luis Severino would be shut down for "a few days" after he experienced discomfort in his forearm Wednesday night and again Thursday morning. Severino was scheduled to throw a bullpen on Thursday.  According to Aaron Boone, Severino has a "loose body" in his arm and this has been an on again off again issue for Severino dating back to his last start of the ALCS against Houston in October.  Per Sweeny Murti, Severino had MRIs in both December and February that came back clean.  It was initially reported that Severino would see Dr Christopher Ahmad on Friday and Jack Curry later clarified that Severino has been prescribed anti-inflammatories and rest but its is unclear when or if Severino will see Dr Ahmad.  

On Friday afternoon, the New York Yankees agreed to terms with all nine of their arbitration eligible players on one-year contracts for the 2020 season.  This marks the third season in a row the Yankees will have avoided going to arbitration hearings with any of their players.  The team was set to go to a hearing with RHP Luis Severino last winter, but instead agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract before the hearing date.   Photo Credit: Abbie Parr/Getty Images

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

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

Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally arrived.   The matchup the baseball world has been patiently awaiting since mid-summer is finally here. Yankees. Astros. The 2019 American League Championship Series. A shot at a World Series title on the line.   How the two teams got here, however, could not be any more dissimilar.

It is officially acceptable to say “next team up” as the Yankees have swept the Minnesota Twins and will be moving on to face the winner of the Astros and Rays in the 2019 ALCS. Despite only being two games better than the Twins in the regular season and losing their home run record to the AL Central champs, the Yankees absolutely dominated the Twins in this series. With this series now concluded, the Yankees have won 13 straight playoff games against the Twins. This series also resulted in the Yankees having the second-best run differential in a three-game playoff series ever at a mark of +16. Photo Credit: Twitter

The best news surrounding the American League Division Series, at least for the Yankees, is that they will be heading right out of the metaphorical gate at Yankee Stadium.   Oh, and that if they are forced to head to a Game Five with the Minnesota Twins when vying for a ticket to the American League Championship Series, they will be able to play that important fifth game at home as well.   Out of the 103 wins recorded in the regular season for the Savages, 57 of them came in the Bronx.   What’s more, out of their 59 regular-season losses, they only lost at home 24 times.   That’s it.   Photo Credit: Wikipedia

October is here and 11 wins and 297 outs separate the New York Yankees from their 28th World Series title. To get there, Aaron Boone will have to get creative with his pitching staff. Gone are the days of counting on a starter to go more than five innings in a postseason start, and the Yanks just won 103 games despite having a starting rotation that was, at times, shoddy. In last year’s postseason, New York got 27 innings out of the bullpen and just 17 frames from their starters. Ideally, it will be more of a 50/50 split this season, but the team only has three true starters heading into October due to injuries, ineffectiveness and a suspension. Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

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...

Aaron Boone, rightfully so, is a candidate for the 2019 American League Manager of the Year. While the baseball community at large isn’t surprised by this candidacy, it’s safe to say that Boone, in spite of leading the Yankees to 100 wins, was not in the running in 2018.   Boone faced his fair share of critics in his rookie year as the Yankees’ manager, and filled the shoes of a predecessor who brought a very different management style to the Bronx (a style that fans grew used to after ten years of loyal service).   So, what brought Boone over the top during the 2019 season?   Why wasn’t 100 wins and a playoff bid as a rookie manager enough to be considered for the honors of Manager of the Year last year? Why is Boone already a top contender for the award? Photo Credit: The Athletic

Heading into their final five regular season games of the 2019 season, the Yankees have wrapped up most of their business, with just a few loose ends left over.   The Yankees just concluded their final regular season homestand this past week, taking two of three from both the Angels and Blue Jays, wrapping up their first AL East crown in seven years in the process.   The final homestand saw the Yankees hit the 100-win mark for the second consecutive season, the return of Luis Severino (who dominated in his two appearances) and Giancarlo Stanton, as well as the final regular season start for future Hall of Famer Carsten Charles Sabathia.   CC was honored with an emotional ceremony on Sunday afternoon, his last ever regular season game at Yankee Stadium.