Bronx Bomber Ball

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 are playing without a lot of depth due to players traded at the deadline and the numerous injuries they have had to deal with over the summer, so the September 1st roster expansion could not come at a better time. Despite the shortage on reserves compared to the last few seasons, there are a handful of players the Yankees would highly benefit from if they are added come the switching of the calendar month. Here are ten candidates to join the team in the next few weeks. Players with *’s next to their names are not on the 40-man roster, which in a lot of cases could hurt their chances of being called up.   Photo Credit: NY Post

The Yankees’ once fearsome, daunting lineup has slowly been deteriorating due to the injury bug. Judge has been out since late-July with a fractured wrist, which is still bothering him, and Stanton has been regulated to only DH’ing due to an ailing hamstring. Judge is still some ways away as he has not been able to swing yet, and Stanton is being used cautiously to avoid any extended missed time. As a result of the Yankees’ plethora of outfielders dealt and these injuries, Aaron Boone has penciled in journeyman Shane Robinson into the Bronx Bombers’ lineup essentially every day. Robinson has started five straight games and ten out of the Yankees’ last fifteen. He’s serviceable on defense and quick, but the bat is almost non-existent. He has a .493 OPS, and the Yankees simply need someone more productive with their division hopes dwindling and the Athletics breathing down their necks for the first Wild Card spot.   Photo Credit: Getty

Living in Virginia Beach and being a New York Yankees fan is a tough gig. The closest major league stadiums to me are in Baltimore and Washington DC, and the Bronx is a solid eight-hour drive away. However, the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, are a short trip away and this is a prime chance to see the next wave of Yankees talent play when the Railriders come into town, usually once a year. I was able to catch two games of their three-game series (both wins), and here is what I noticed in the eighteen innings I watched.

Earlier today, the Yankees PR department announced on Twitter that the Yankees had acquired minor league 1B Ryan McBroom in exchange for INF/OF Rob Refsnyder. Once ranked has high as the fourth best prospect in the Yankee farm system by MLB.com, Refsnyder’s tenure with the Bombers failed to live up to high expectations, and ultimately ended with his DFA last week. Photo via Adam Hunger of USA Today Sports