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...

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.

After spending time on the DL with two hamstring injuries, Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka is expected to make a rehab start in Triple A this week with Scranton before possibly returning to the rotation in the Yankees’ upcoming series against Baltimore, as Brian Cashman said Tanaka returning to face Baltimore is “the best case scenario”. Tanaka’s return will mark the end of a rookie’s rotation spot, as Tanaka will replace one of either Jonathan Loaisiga or Domingo German. Photo Credit: Brad Mills | USA Today Sports

Today, the Yankees announced that they have optioned outfielder Clint Frazier back to Triple-A and recalled catcher Kyle Higashioka from Triple-A, as well as reliever Giovanny Gallegos before their series opening game tonight in Philadelphia. With Brett Gardner returning from injury, Clint Frazier is the odd man out in the Yankees outfield and will see more time with Scranton Wilkes-Barre for now. Photo Credit: David Maxwell | Getty Images

The Yankees currently have a surplus of outfielders that could hinder the advancement of Baby Bombers like Clint Frazier. Currently, the Yankees have Brett Gardner in left field, Aaron Hicks or Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, and Aaron Judge in right field. Barring any injuries, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge, isn’t going anywhere. And the same goes for Brett Gardner in left. In short, the Yankees can’t do much about ensuring Clint Frazier playing time unless they can trade away Jacoby Ellsbury. Brendan Kuty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Before the season started, it was thought that Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier wasn’t supposed to make his MLB debut until late in the season. However, due to injuries to Aaron Hicks and Dustin Fowler, Frazier made his debut on the first of July against Houston, where he went 2-4 with a double and HR. His electric start didn’t end there, recording a walk off HR against the Brewers, and currently is slashing a .298/.306/.638 with two triples, three doubles, and three HRs. Photo Credit: NY Daily News Yankees GM Brian Cashman told WFAN’s Mike Francesa, he plans on sending the red hot outfielder down to the minors when Aaron Hicks returns from the disabled list. The switch-hitting outfielder Hicks caught a lot of criticism last year from the fan base with his .217 batting average. After losing the competition for the starting right field spot to Aaron Judge this past spring training, he had taken on the role of the fourth outfielder for the Yankees. Hicks has been out of the line...

The Yankees have optioned Rob Refsnyder to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and selected the contract of left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Webb to take his place. Webb was not previously on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees never made a corresponding move after Tommy Layne was DFA'd, so they had been carrying 39 players. Refsnyder has a poor slash line of .172/.226/.276 on the season in 29 at-bats, with no homers or RBIs. Webb, meanwhile, has a 3.24 ERA in 21 relief appearances with Scranton, and has struck out 47 batters in just 33.1 innings. Photo via Icon Sportswire

Today is a dark day in Yankeeland as top prospect Gleyber Torres is set to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow - an injury that effectively ends his 2017 and potentially impacts next season as well. The RailRiders are calling up Miguel Andujar from Double-A. He's batting sixth and playing third tonight. #Yankees — DJ Eberle (@ByDJEberle) June 19, 2017 In the wake of this injury, the Yankees have promoted top double-A third basemen Miguel Andújar to replace Torres at the hot corner for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.  Andújar was ranked  #9 on our preseason Top Prospects Countdown  and has only improved his stock this season after absolutely torching the Eastern League (AA). Photo Credit: Martin Griff

After designating Tommy Layne for assignment on Saturday night, he has officially cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. Domingo German, who replaced Layne on the 40-man roster, was sent down to AAA on Sunday, after a solid Major League debut. Photo Credit: AP Layne has been terrible this season at the Major League level posting a 7.62 ERA across 19 appearances and 13 innings. He will look to fix his mechanics and become more effective in the minors, but will not likely be called back up anytime soon. Article by: Ryan Thoms Follow @_TheRealRT_ Follow @BronxBomberBall  

Entering the 2017 season, the Yankees will boast a solid bullpen staff that has the potential to be one of the best in the league. One of the players who could help make them elite is Chasen Shreve. The 26-year-old southpaw is entering his third season in pinstripes, and hopes for the type of consistency that has eluded him early in his career. Yankees management, as well as the fans, hope this is the year he finally puts it all together. Photo Credit: Kathy Kmonicek | AP

It is now May 17, 2016 and the BBB is bringing you a long overdue minor league update. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a few weeks now, but I anticipate it being a weekly update, probably to be released every Sunday afternoon going forward, so be sure to check in for the latest on the Yankees farm system. Here, we’ll be updating you on the team’s top prospects, standout players who are enjoying strong seasons so far, as well as those with high expectations that they are not fulfilling. Since it has been just over a month and this is our first update, this will be a 4-part series with updates on each individual team, starting in Triple-A. But following this week's update, I will be able to put them all into one article.

After being pulled from the game with two outs in the third inning, Luis Severino underwent an MRI late Friday night and it revealed a mild right triceps strain. Severino will not pick up a baseball for 5-7 days, and therefore, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. In Friday’s game, Severino gave up seven earned runs in 2.2 innings and struggled with his command. With Severino now joining CC Sabathia on the disabled list, the Yankees called up Chad Green from Triple-A Scranton as the corresponding move. Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

Picture Credit: Arnulfo Franco-AP Shortly after their win against the Royals to take 3 of 4 from the defending world champs, the Yankees called up the BBB’s 3 rd ranked prospect in catcher Gary Sanchez. After a dismal Spring Training, Sanchez got into a grove in 26 games in Triple-A hitting .288 with 5 homers, 21 RBI and 11 doubles. The news was first reported by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat writer Shane Hennigan. Gary Sanchez has been promoted to New York. — Shane Hennigan (@RailRidersTT) May 13, 2016  

After yesterday’s (Tuesday, 4/26) abysmal start against the Texas Rangers, Luis Severino’s record fell to 0-3 on the season with an absolutely atrocious 6.86 ERA through four starts. He’s already allowed 15 earned runs this year in just 19.2 innings, and his pitches have not been located well, especially when his fastballs and sliders end up over the middle of the plate on two-strike counts. Severino seems to be struggling from the sophomore slump and has not been able to build off his great rookie year. Outside of Tanaka and Eovaldi’s last start, there has not been much to cheer for this year as a Yankees fan. With this in mind, the Yankees have three options with Severino: keep him in the rotation, send him down to Triple-A Scranton for a month and let him work on his pitches in a low-pressure environment, or send him to long relief in the bullpen. All statistics are current as of Wednesday, April 27. Other BBB writers will also deliver their verdicts, which will be at the end of t...

As a result of both minor-league call-ups and trades during the offseason, the Yankees roster already looks significantly different from last year. New players from trades such as Aaron Hicks, Ronald Torreyes, and Starlin Castro started the season in the Bronx and both Torreyes and Castro have taken advantage of the new environment and have succeeded early in the season. Only one player that spent significant time in the Yankee farm system has done exceedingly well with the Yankees this year, and he’s Johnny Barbato, who has pitched 6.0 IP, allowed only 2 hits, and has struck out 9. There is definitely talent brewing in Triple-A Scranton and here are the top 5 most likely call-ups, the probable timing of the call-up, and the likelihood of a call-up on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not likely at all and 10 being very likely. Here is the list of rankings on the Yankee farm system, developed by some of my BBB colleagues, Chad, Julian, Sammy, Phil, and James. Picture Credit: Pinstr...

Finally, Yankees GM Brian Cashman made his first big move of the offseason as he acquired Chicago Cubs SS Starlin Castro in exchange for P Adam Warren and Utilityman Brendan Ryan. This trade looks to be a good one for the Yanks and for more information on the specifics of the deal and analysis, refer to the BBB’s rapid reaction on it BBB's rapid reaction on the Starlin Castro trade . Even though the Yankees have found their new second basemen, the deal leaves both Dustin Ackley and fan favorite Rob Refsnyder as options in the infield. It’s becoming clear that someone will have to go.