Bronx Bomber Ball

After all that controversy, the Yankees made the only decision they could: slotting 21-year-old breakout sensation Anthony Volpe as the youngest Opening Day shortstop since The Captain. 

Jim Crane: “Our opinion is this didn’t impact the game. We had a good team. We won the World Series and we’ll leave it at that.” — Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) February 13, 2020 I mean come on. This was never going to be easy to address for anyone in the Houston organization and I get that. The thing is, they looked to be on the right track -- after the league announced repercussions following its probe into their championship season, owner Jim Crane fired Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch, disowned their actions, and promised to issue an apology. But here we are one month later, and with a complete reversal of attitude, the Astros have absolutely obliterated themselves from a PR standpoint.  Photo Credit: Getty Images It all starts with Jim Crane. Seriously, how ignorant can you be? To sit and tell everyone this didn’t impact the game when it literally won you a World Series is just mind boggling. He continues by laying blame on people like Luhnow, Hinch, and Carl...

I don't have to tell you that that this offseason in baseball has been slow - painfully slow. MLB fans of all teams have been driven mad by the dull proceedings this winter and as a result, even the smallest of moves have been met with far greater reaction than necessary. I'm not sure there's any better example this offseason, than of the reaction of Yankees fans to the acquisition of Brandon Drury. Photo Credit: NJ.com  

The Baby Bombers got a taste of the big leagues last year, most notably Gary Sanchez took the league by storm. Another Baby Bomber to make their Major League debut was big man Aaron Judge, who infamously went back to back with Tyler Austin in their debut. Judge has come into Spring Training looking to lock up the starting right field job, but will be competing with Aaron Hicks in the process. Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Spring training is less than two weeks away, but I need baseball now. My football team got embarrassed in the playoffs and then their best player punched a hole in the wall, my basketball team is enduring over a decade of futility with no light at the end of the tunnel, and my hockey team’s all world goalie is suddenly playing like a middle aged man at his local YMCA during open skate. I repeat I need baseball now. You can understand that even though the season isn’t here, I’ve been thinking about it, a lot. Here are a few random thoughts as we dream of spring training. Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray/ The Star Ledger

For the last few years, the Yankees have been waiting on Bryan Mitchell to make an impact. Prior to suffering a near season-ending injury at the conclusion of spring training in 2016, Mitchell was on track to play an important role in the Yankees bullpen, likely pitching the crucial middle innings. Barring injury or an atrocious spring training, Mitchell will make the big league club. Whether that will be as a starter, or reliever, has yet to be determined. Mitchell certainly has potential; however, he has not yet been given a consistent opportunity at the major league level to make a long-term impression. 2017 will more than likely be the year. With two rotations spots up for grabs at the moment, Mitchell will have a prime opportunity to shine in spring training and earn himself a spot on the starting staff. Even if he isn't chosen as a starter heading into the season, he can still make an impact out the bullpen. Assuming Mitchell can stay healthy for the duration of 2017, this ma...

The Yankees will enter this season’s spring training with a number of competitions for the opening day roster. One of the most notable competitions will be in the starting rotation. With three spots locked up for Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and CC Sabathia, there are two spots that are open to about five starters. One starter that is getting overlooked in this battle for one of the two rotation spots is Adam Warren. Warren will join Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell, and Luis Severino as the five guys vying for two rotation spots. Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac | Getty Images

As the Yankees gear up for the 2017 season, it appears that Brian Cashman is done making his offseason additions. Granted, Cashman may have some minor moves up his sleeves, but all signs seem to indicate that the team is pretty much content with what they have moving forward. As of now, the Yankees have two open spots in the starting rotation. 22-year old right hander Luis Severino will be given every chance to win one of these spots so he can establish himself as a viable major league starting pitcher. After struggling immensely as a starter in 2016, Severino found a niche for himself out of the bullpen. At this point, the Yankees still view Severino as a starter. I, personally, am a bit conflicted. Though Severino performed more than capably during his rookie campaign in 2015 out of the rotation, he was not the same pitcher in 2016. As soon as the Yankees "demoted" Severino to the bullpen, it appeared that something clicked. The Yankees should be patient with Severino. That...

After a long hiatus, the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast is back with its 9th episode, featuring Chad Raines, Phil Akre, and Sammy Criscitello. Chad, Phil, and Sammy discuss Aroldis Chapman, James Kaprielian, the Yankees bullpen, some top prospects, and the depth of the Yankees outfield. The young men also discuss Mark Teixeira and his controversial statement of wanting to play until he's 40, how Greg Bird will be replaced, and whether you will be able to spot BBB writers in action in Tampa for some Yankees Spring Training games! As the season gets started in about 5 weeks, get ready for more periodic podcasts and let's go Yankees! Podcast by Chad Raines ( @chad_rain ), Phil Akre ( @philakre ) and Sammy Criscitello ( @scriscitello11 ) Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog on Twitter @bronxbomberblog