Bronx Bomber Ball

It was certainly an up and down year for the New York Yankees. Stars left in both the form of trades and retirement, while the youth movement finally saw its beginning. I have the privilege of putting together this piece for the second year in a row, but all of the writers here at the BBB had input in this piece. Without further ado, here are the BBB's top choices for the top moments of the Yankees 2016 season.

The elite prospects are in place. The huge contracts of the old Yankees regimes will soon be gone, too. A bright future is imminent for the New York Yankees, that’s for sure. But, for now, we are here in the present. Yes, the Yankees have that unmistakable identity. It’s that sense of always contending, never being out of it. The reality is while the Yankees haven’t been totally out of it the past few seasons, they’ve been fringe contenders. The last time the Yankees were truly always a threat for the World Series every year was the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. AP Photo

Prior to the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline, the New York Yankees farm system was regarded as a rising, but mainly just average bunch. However, after the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline, the Yankees farm system took the No. 1 spot in Bleacher Report’s rankings . It was such a dramatic shift in organizational philosophy that led to this sudden rise. Now, as we sit at the beginning of the 2016 offseason, rumors are swirling, per usual. Not unexpectedly, almost all of the big names are being connected to the Yankees. And why wouldn’t they be? The Yankees are the big spending, prospect-trading, bullies of the MLB, right?

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner has been a staple at the top of the lineup for the last few years. He’s been a consistently great left fielder, as evident by his 2016 Gold Glove Award. But, as many Yankees fans know, he’s a prime candidate to be traded. Gardner’s name in trade rumors is nothing new. Ever since signing his four-year, $52 million extension in 2014, he’s been linked to numerous teams. But why would the Yankees trade Gardner, the homegrown, tough-nosed ballplayer? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Elsa - Getty Images

After an impressive series that saw the New York Yankees (73-65) sweep the rival Toronto Blue Jays, the Bombers will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to the Bronx as they begin a four game set. As was the case against the Blue Jays, this series will be crucial for the Yankees as they hang on to their slim playoff odds. With the Rays record at 59-79, it’s safe to say they aren’t the best team around. But, the Yankees cannot play down to their level, as they sometimes have a habit of doing so.

While the New York Yankees impressive youth movement and shocking playoff push continue, it’s never too early to start taking a look at pieces to potentially add to the team. We shouldn’t expect the Yankees to be major players this winter, in what is shaping up to be a fairly weak free agent class. However, they are the Yankees, and no scenario should be thought of as impossible. Let’s take a look at some potential names and positions that could be of service to the Yankees.

It wasn’t fair for the Yankees to lose 12-6 to the Toronto Blue Jays the other night. It wasn’t fair for a night that saw their 23-year-old catcher smack two home runs. After driving in four RBI’s in six innings, the game was put into a rain delay. And, well, we all know how the rest of the game panned out. Of course, he came right back the next day and put one over the centerfield wall in his first at-bat.

After taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees (58-56) will head back to the Bronx for a weekend series against the last place Tampa Bay Rays (46-67). The last time these two teams faced off, the Yankees were swept, and ultimately made sellers at the trade deadline. The Yankees will look a bit different this time around, with A-Rod leaving after Friday’s game, and youngsters like Gary Sanchez and either Tyler Austin or Aaron Judge occupying roster spots. Julie Jacobson - AP Photo

It was a night of opposites for the Yankees in tonight’s 4-2 win. As starter Michael Pineda (6-10, 5.07 ERA) delivered a solid performance on the mound, his offense failed him, scoring just one run. However, things got better once they hit the Boston bullpen. Brad Ziegler came in relief for Eduardo Rodriguez and was, well, shaky. After Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner all singled, Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate. He roped a line drive to left field that appeared would be the 2nd out, but rookie Andrew Benintendi misplayed it, allowing two runs to score. Alex Rodriguez, playing in his last game at Fenway, came to the plate with the bases loaded. He grounded out, but brought in Gardner, giving the Yankees the 4-2 lead.

Luis Severino made his MLB debut against the Boston Red Sox on August 5th, 2015. A year and four days later, he made his redemption debut against the Red Sox. Tonight’s 5-2 loss was Severino’s first start since coming back to the big-league rotation, after a few spotless bullpen appearances. The Yankees were hoping that his success in the bullpen, where he retired 25 of 29 batters faced, would translate to the rotation. The righty tossed 4.1 innings, allowing five earned runs and seven hits while punching out three.

With the Yankees accumulating so much high-end talent, “future superstars”, to the system in recent days, it’s easy to forget that they have an emerging one already on the roster, Didi Gregorius. It hasn’t been an easy road for the Dutch native. He was never consistent playing time as a member of the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. He struggled mightily in his first few months in pinstripes. Through his first 70 games as a Yankee, he hit just .238 and looked a bit lost defensively, a surprise given his defense-first identity.

Clint Frazier Photo Credit: Cheryl Pursell | Pinstriped Prospects Trade deadline sellers for the first time in over 25 years, the New York Yankees made an abundance of trades in an attempt for a rebuild of some sort. Although the Yankees will remain competitive, the moves made were clearly in the interest of the team in the long term as opposed to this year's team. First, they went out and dealt Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs for four players including Gleyber Torres and Adam Warren. The Yankees next move was trading Andrew Miller to the Indians for four prospects including Clint Frazier. Then, the team acquired Tyler Clippard from the Diamondbacks to fortify the bullpen for the time being. But the Yankees weren't done there. On the day of the trade deadline, the Yankees traded Carlos Beltran to the Rangers for three prospects, and they got rid of Ivan Nova for two players to be named later from the Pirates. Now, hear from our very own writer's with their thoughts on the ...

It was a somber day for the New York Yankees. Guys like Carlos Beltran, Ivan Nova, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman were gone. The locker room wasn’t the same and the game they had to play tonight almost seemed like an afterthought. In tonight's 6-5 win, the Yankees showed that they might still have some energy left in them. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

The New York Yankees (52-49), will begin a three game set on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays (39-61), the final series before the trade deadline. Winners of seven of their last ten games, the Yankees will look to continue their hot streak and (unfortunately) not sell at the deadline. This series could ultimately decide the Yankees future. If they lose two of three or get swept, they will almost definitely become full-blown sellers. But if they win two of three or sweep the Rays, they will most likely stand pat at the deadline.

A free agent at the end of the season, Ivan Nova’s name has been floated around in trade rumors for a while now, dating back to last season. Sure, he’s really just a back-end of the rotation type arm, but the pitching market is heavily inflated this summer. His 4.65 ERA isn’t attractive, but his 2.66 ERA in his last four starts has increased his trade value. With a severe lack of high-end talent for starting pitching, Nova would bring back a return higher than most would expect, despite his fairly mediocre career numbers. With this being said, here are a few teams that could be interested in acquiring Nova. Jim McIssac - Getty Images

Taking two out of three from a premier team like the San Francisco Giants was not something the Yankees were supposed to do, if you want them to sell. But, for now, that sell mentality will once again be put to rest after a 5-2 victory over the Giants on Sunday afternoon. Finding himself in the middle of trade rumors, Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 4.80 ERA) tossed 7.2 innings of two-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking two. Today’s start coupled with his strong start against Baltimore last week have increased his trade value, and it should be interesting to see if a team makes a deal for him in the days leading up to the deadline.

This season, our prospect team consisting of five people ranked the top 40 prospects in the organization based on tools (skill set), player performance, and individual research. The five of us then collaborated, and the rankings were averaged out to form a consensus top 30 prospect list in the Yankees organization. We did the list during the preseason and wrote features on each of the top 30 prospects , as well as paragraphs about the 10 honorable mentions . Although we will not be doing midseason features on these players, the comprehensive list is below. We look forward to re-ranking the top 30 after the season, and again in February of 2017 which will include the player features and breakdowns. Photo Via CBS Sports

The midsummer classic is upon us as the game’s best will soon flock to San Diego, California and put on a show for all MLB fans. For the Yankees, they will have Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances representing them. After an up and down first half, the Bombers record currently sits at 44-44, an even .500. Unless the team goes on a torrid stretch, they will (hopefully) become sellers at the deadline. So with this, I offer my thoughts on the season so far.

So, who were these guys in the Yankees uniforms that smacked 20 hits tonight? Yesterday, the Yankees went 0 for 13 with RISP. Someway, somehow, it was the actual New York Yankees who took home the 9-0 victory over the White Sox tonight. AP Photo - Jeff Haynes

The Yankees continued their trend of walk-off victories today, beating the Texas Rangers by a score of 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th as a result of none other than a passed ball. After Chase Headley got on with a leadoff walk, he was moved to second from a sac bunt by Didi Gregorius. Aaron Hicks then walked, and both Hicks and Headley were moved to 2nd and 3rd from Starlin Castro’s groundout. Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate and didn’t have to do any work, as Chase Headley was able to score from 3rd on a passed ball. Coming into today’s game, Michael Pineda (3-7, 5.24 ERA) had been cruising through the month of June, positing an ERA of 3.00. In a game he deserved to win, the righty picked up the no decision despite mowing down the Texas lineup.