Bronx Bomber Ball

There is a lot of speculation as to what type of season Masahiro Tanaka will have in 2018.  The Japanese right hander had a dreadful start to the 2018 season, but managed to turn it around at the most important time of the year.  Tanaka went 2-1 in the postseason posting a 0.90 ERA in 20 IP.   He allowed only 10 hits and two earned runs in that time while striking out 18.   Photo Credit: Boston Herald

With Opening Day now just five days away, the Yankees have seemingly finalized their 25-man roster they will begin the season with.  In the wake of Jacoby Ellsbury's injury, Yankee manager Aaron Boone opted to go with a short three-man bench and instead carry an additional bullpen arm.  That spot went to Jonathan Holder as of this morning. New York will open the 2018 season with 12 position players and 13 pitchers.     The only wrinkle in the current plan is the potential injury suffered by Greg Bird.  Bird was pulled from today's starting lineup against Atlanta.  More details on the injury will be announced following an MRI and CT Scan Bird will undergo later today .   Cashman on Bird: “I’m worried about it to be honest” because he doesn’t yet “know what we’re dealing with.” Said Bird first talked about feeling discomfort toward the end of yesterday’s game — Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 24, 2018 With the roster now settle...

With the deep and talented roster that Brian Cashman and the Yankees have assembled, it is easy to overlook one player that could play a larger role than you might think this season and that player is Aaron Hicks. Hicks was acquired two seasons ago and had an up and down 2017 season. One of our own wrote about Hicks last season as a potential bounce back player to watch and it appeared early on like it would prove to be true. Hicks got off to a strong start before injuries derailed his campaign. Hicks did not begin the 2017 season as a starter but he received regular starts in the outfield while Joe Girardi employed a rotation that appeared to be successful at keeping the Yankees outfielders fresh and healthy. Hicks was on his way to a career year through June 25 when he excited a game against the Texas Rangers with an injury to his right oblique. Hicks would return in August before injuring his left oblique in early September. There were many positives for Hicks in 2017 and he appe...

The Yankees have one of the best outfields in all of baseball right now, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and even Clint Frazier and Jacoby Ellsbury. With all the talk this winter about the new “Bash Brothers,” one of the bigger storylines has slipped through the cracks, how great centerfield prospect Estevan Florial is. AP

Brian Cashman has made a lot of high profile moves over the course of the past few seasons, and while those moves have put the core of this year’s roster in place, a less heralded trade he made early in spring training could play an important role in how the roster shapes up entering the season. The Yankees acquired Brandon Drury in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks that cost them pitcher Taylor Widener and infielder Nick Solak. Drury is 25 years old and has primarily played second and third base in his three-year career. He has also played some outfield and the flexibility that he has displayed in his career thus far makes him an intriguing option who seems like he still has room to grow.  Credit: Patrick Breen/azcentralsports

Following yesterday’s game, the Yankees reassigned six players to minor league camp: RHP Cale Coshow, RHP Raynel Espinal, LHP Trevor Lane, C Chace Numata, LHP Justus Sheffield, and RHP Dillon Tate. This represents the first round of cuts this spring training, and there will be plenty more as soon as the team narrows down where specific players will be in the 2018 season. Mike Janes / AP

Tonight the Bronx Bomber Babble crew brings on a new host, Ryan Thoms! The guys discuss Pinstripe Previews for Montgomery, Torres, and Stanton, as well as AL competition in Cleveland. The episode concludes by answering several fan questions from Twitter. Be sure to check out our SoundCloud below! Follow us on Twitter: -Matthew Luzzi -Nick Scott -Ryan Thoms

Since he was acquired in December of 2014, we have watched Didi Gregorius transform from a tentative young prospect tasked with replacing Yankee icon Derek Jeter into one of the energetic faces of this Yankee team and one of the favorites of the fanbase. Didi had a rough start to his Yankee career, but he steadied himself and has improved overall in each of the last three seasons. That tentative prospect is gone now and has been replaced with a comfortable and confident player who has become one of the centerpieces of this Yankee squad. On a team that featured Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, it was often Didi penciled into the cleanup role and coming up with clutch plays in key moments. After turning in his best season yet in 2017 it leaves us asking, how much better can Sir Didi get? Credit: David Dermer/Associated Press

With 2018 spring training now in full swing, we continue to dive deeper and deeper into our Pinstripe Previews at BBB. Today's feature will focus on 2017 trade deadline addition, Sonny Gray. The 28-year-old right-hander was acquired from Oakland at last year's trade deadline for what many considered to be another fantastic Cashman deal. The Yankees sent rising prospect Jorge Mateo alongside injured prospects James Kaprielian and Dustin Fowler to Oakland in exchange for Gray. The latter two certainly have quite a bit of upside, however each were in the midst of recovery from serious injuries with Kaprielian having undergone Tommy John and Fowler recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon. We certainly wish both a complete recovery and successful careers, but the Yankees felt comfortable parting ways with them to acquire a pitcher in Gray, who had been an ace in past years. Photo Credit: Newsday.com

As part of our lead-up to the 2018 Major League Baseball season, the BBB has been rolling out previews for each player on the Yankees' 40-man roster.  Today's preview focuses on MLB's number five overall prospect, New York's number one  overall prospect, and starting second baseman hopeful,  Gleyber  Torres.   Since being acquired back in  2016 in the trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, Torres has been well regarded across Major League Baseball and 2018 is almost assuredly the year he gets his shot at the Major Leagues. Still just 21 years old, he has  an   ultra-bright  future and hopes to take the leap from prospect to MLB stud this season.     Photo Credit: J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday

The New York Yankees played a baseball game yesterday. Given it was an exhibition game, it was the first action that the Bronx Bombers have had since the last out was recorded in Houston back in October of 2017. With that being a thing of the past, this first spring training game was a portrayal of the future. Aaron Boone penciled in a plethora of Yankee youngsters in their inaugural contest, and Yankee fans witnessed Giancarlo Stanton in pinstripes for the first time. The Yankees came away with a 3-1 victory, but as everyone knows and constantly reminds me, wins and losses do not matter in the Grapefruit League. They are correct; however, spring training is important, and the games are very telling of what is to come. Here are five observations I made from the Yankees’ “first game.” Photo Credit: Lynn Sladky | AP

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 Yankees bullpen has been a strength of their team in recent years and thanks to some great work by Brian Cashman last season, the group got even stronger. Although the new faces played an important role in the team’s success down the stretch and in the playoffs some familiar faces remained, led by flame throwing closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is entering the second season of his five-year deal with the team and although he had an up and down season plagued by injury and inconsistency, he was eventually able to regain his form and lead the group down the stretch last season. We do not know how Aaron Boone will deploy this Yankee bullpen but it would be a huge boost to the club if he could remain healthy and consistent all season. When he is right, he is electric and one of the best in baseball but heading into this season, which Aroldis Chapman will the Yankees get? Credit: Getty Images

For all the hype and intrigue surrounding this Yankee team and their young stars as they open spring training, perhaps one of the most intriguing players heading into this season is Greg Bird. After bursting onto the scene in the second half of the 2015 season, Bird has struggled to remain on the field and missed significant portions of the last two seasons. After tearing up spring training 2017, Bird missed most of 2017 with reoccurring foot and ankle injuries but was able to return in August for the stretch run and the playoffs. When he has been on the field Bird has shown solid defensive capabilities and hitting chops that fit Yankee Stadium perfectly. The key question as always is, is this the year he will finally stay healthy? If he can, Bird will be a big addition to a Yankee lineup that already looks loaded. Credit: Rich Schultz/AP Photo

The Yankees’ skipper is in the midst of his first major league spring training since his playing days, but in a role he has never embraced until this season. Spring training will be a huge test for Boone in preparing for the 2018 season and for creating his image and presence in the clubhouse. Here are five keys for Aaron Boone rocking the Grapefruit League.   Photo Credit: Mike Mazzeo | NYDN 1      

With spring training games just eleven days away, opening day of the regular season will be here in the blink of an eye. When camp starts, there will be approximately sixty players vying for 25 spots on the Yankees major league roster. While some of them are extreme longshots and others are merely prospects garnering some experience, there will be a plethora of competition in Yankees camp this spring. Despite the roster not lacking superstars and veterans, there are holes in the roster that need to be filled. In this article, I will predict who will be in the dugout on opening day alongside Aaron Boone and his new coaching staff. Photo Credit: SI.com

The Yankees will head into this years’ spring training with considerably more hype and buzz than previous years. The Yankees look different now than they did in any other time in recent memory. The roster is loaded with young players and budding stars but for the first time in several years, the Yankees will feature a bonafide superstar in the middle of their lineup in Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton is as fearsome a hitter as you’ll find in MLB and is coming off season in which he won the National League MVP award. He will now join Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez in the middle of what should be a really fun lineup to watch every day. For the cost of just Starlin Castro and a few lower level prospects, Stanton will now call Yankee Stadium home. Credit: NYPost.com/Getty Images

Austin Romine will enter the 2018 season as the Yankees primary backup at the catcher position. It will be the seventh season of his major league career and his third in a row as the Yankees’ primary backup catcher. With no clearly better options to push him within the system, Austin’s spot on the roster seems very secure heading into the spring and I wouldn’t expect that to change. With a weak bat, strong defensive skills and a salary of just over a million dollars, Romine is basically the quintessential backup catcher.  Credit: Fanragsports.com