Bronx Bomber Ball

As we close in on Opening Day, it’s time to start taking inventory of the non-roster invitees at camp this spring and take some stock in who will and will not be breaking camp with the big-league club on April first.   The first player in our preview series focuses on 13-year veteran OF/1B Jay Bruce.

The Yankees announced their roster for the Wild Card series early on Tuesday, and Miguel Andujar was left off of it. Heading into the postseason, the INF/OF Andujar was the biggest question mark for the team, and whether he would be included on the roster or not. Instead, the Yankees decided in favor of having first baseman Mike Ford and third string catcher Erik Kratz on the bench. The third baseman and outfielder was hoping that a strong finish to the season could earn himself a spot on the roster, as he went 9-for-25 in September with four extra-base hits. However, it seems that the lefty bat of Ford (who went hitless at 0-for-19 in the final month of the season) gave him the advantage, as the team only has three lefty bats plus the switch-hitting Aaron Hicks on the roster, not including Ford.  

Coming off a brutal road trip that saw them drop five of seven games to the Phillies and Rays in addition to the loss of Giancarlo Stanton to a hamstring strain, the Yankees needed a change of momentum fast as they returned home to the Bronx this week and got just that by taking both games in a quick two-game set against the Atlanta Braves. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens/AP Photo

The 2020 New York Yankees have officially hit their first rough patch of the season. The Yankees lost three out of four games to the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend to cut their American League East lead to just two games. The problem this weekend was largely on offense, as the Yanks only scored seven runs in their three losses (2.3 runs per game). New York has now lost five of its last seven games, and seven of eight at Tropicana Field dating back to last season. Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara/AP Photo In the series opener on Friday night, the Yankees’ bats fell silent. In one of their worst offensive performances in recent memory, New York managed just two hits and failed to score a run against six different Rays pitchers. The Yanks only real scoring chances came in the seventh and eighth innings when the team went a combined 0-4 with runners in scoring position. One of the defining moments of the game occurred in the eighth when Mike Tauchman led off the frame with a double,...

October baseball is finally upon us. On the heels of a 103-win season and an A.L. East division title, the Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins tonight as they embark on the chase for their 28th World Series Championship. In revealing their Division Series roster earlier this afternoon, the Yanks answered one of the bigger questions fans were left with at the end of the season, opting to carry slumping first baseman Luke Voit while omitting the white-hot Mike Ford. Photo Credit: NY Daily News Envisioning an infield rotation that didn’t include Voit would have been ludicrous just a few weeks ago, and to consider leaving him off the roster altogether unfathomable. At the end of August, he carried a .280 batting average with 19 home runs to his name. However, the 26-year-old slugger very nearly wrote himself out of the Bombers’ October plans in the season’s final month. Voit ended the season on a 1-for-32 skid with an alarming 41% strikeout rate over that span.  That bein...

Life is good.  The calendar says July, burgers and brats are on the grill, fireworks are filling the air, and The New York Yankees are the best team in baseball.  Sure, the Dodgers are playing good ball and fans in Minnesota and Houston might have something to say about that stance, but for now Yankee fans are sitting in a great spot.  The ball club has won 57 games and sits atop the AL East by 6.5 games.  For many fans, the top concern at the season’s midway point could be who the club is targeting in a trade.  I am of the belief that a reliable starting pitcher needs to be added to the staff in order to put this team over the bump and secure meaningful wins in October.  However, we must ask, “at what cost?”  Along with premier young pitching, the Yankees have some big bats in the farm system and while their professional future is still unwritten, let’s look back at the first half of their 2019 seasons and call out the studs. Credit: NJ.c...

The Yankees came into the game last night looking to win their fifth straight game and guarantee at least a series tie against the Angels. It wasn’t pretty at the end, but they were able to do exactly that behind a solid offensive performance and a great start by Domingo Germán.   Photo Credit: Chris Carlson | AP Photo

Death, taxes, and injured Yankees, w ell, at least that’s what it feels like.   The latest to succumb to the 2019 injury bug is first baseman Greg Bird with a plantar fascia tear.   At the break of the news, Bird was placed on the 10-day IL, but after some review it seems the injury is more severe than originally expected.   An injury of this nature will likely sideline Bird for at least a couple months, if not more.   Although past injuries that Bird has suffered are not related, it’s worth mentioning that Bird has played just 140 major league games since 2015.   Photo Credit: NY Post

Part two of our farm system update focuses on the top ten hitters in the Yankees’ farm system. While only seven of New York’s top 30 prospects are hitters, and one being the recently promoted Gleyber Torres, the Yankees'  depth is clearly in their pitching, but there are still a few up and coming hitters who can make an impact in the near future.  All stats are through Sunday, May 20th and all rankings are per MLB.   Photo Credit: Newsday

Ever since the retirement of Mark Teixeira, first base has been a black hole for the Yankees. Greg Bird’s emergence in 2015 made the Yankee universe optimistic for the future at the position, but now going into his third injury-ridden season, the Yankees cannot rely on him to be their first baseman for years to come. Sure, the Yankees could sign another Chris Carter-like stop-gap like Mark Reynolds to man the fort until Bird returns (hopefully), but at a certain point, the Yankees have to move on. There is no denying the talent that Greg Bird possesses and how much of lineup presence he provides when healthy, but if he cannot stay on the field, his talent matters nothing.   Photo Credit: NY Post

Earlier today, it was announced that the Mariners returned Rule 5 draft pick Mike Ford to the Yankees. The first baseman was the 11th pick in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft and was one of four Yankees minor leaguers to be taken, along with pitchers Anyelo Gomez, Nestor Cortes, and Jose Mesa. Ford was optioned to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  MLB.com