Bronx Bomber Ball

  The Yankees shuffled their 40-man roster last night in advance of December 8th’s Rule 5 Draft, saying goodbye to some familiar faces to make way for five prospects. Outfielder Everson Pereira (the organization’s No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline), infielder Oswaldo Cabrera (#16), and pitchers Ron Marinaccio, J.P. Sears, and Stephen Ridings were all protected ahead of the 6 PM deadline. In turn, the club designated Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade, and Rougned Odor for assignment, while trading Nick Nelson and newly-selected catcher Donny Sands to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguers T.J. Rumfield (1B) and Joel Valdez (LHP). Photo Credit: Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Pereira, a right-handed centerfielder, had a very strong year at the plate between three levels of the Yanks’ system. In just 188 at-bats, the 20-year-old cranked 20 home runs and drove in 57 RBI -- good for a .303/.398/.686 clip -- along with nine stolen bases. He finished the season with High-A Hudson Valle...

 

The New York Yankees have essentially completely transformed themselves here in the second half of the season. Since they were 41-41 (1 more game than halfway through the 162-game season) the Bombers are 29-11 giving them the best record in the league over that span. 

Unless you live under a rock, or you don't have a television or Twitter, you've heard all about Corey Kluber's historic no-hitter on Wednesday night.   Photo credit: Cleveland.com

  The New York Yankees have acquired IF Rougned Odor from the Texas Rangers for outfield prospects Antonio Cabello and Josh Stowers.   The news was first broken by ESPN’s Jeff Passan this afternoon.   Passan also notes that the Rangers will be assuming the majority of the money owed to Odor ($27 million) through the 2022 season plus a buyout on a 2023 option.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post was the first to report the prospects going to Texas in the deal.  Photo Credit: Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News

  In the final installment of our preseason positional preview, today let’s take a look at the Yankees forecasted bench for the 2021 season.

With Aaron Hicks  undergoing Tommy John surgery in the winter and targeting a July/August return date,  and Giancarlo Stanton  and Aaron Judge’s  status es  for Opening Day unknown,  the Yankees outfield  could see  some changes throughout the  opening weeks of the season  as players try to establish themselves as contributors to the team.   

The postseason is finally upon us, and it’s time to look at the options present for the Yankees in terms of who will patrol the  outfield.  It ’s a mix of established names and some key players who have stepped up in a major way this season.   Right Field: Aaron Judge   The Yankees’ talisman and  one of the brightest young stars in baseball, Judge was able to hit 27 homers and drive in 55 runs despite being limited by injury some of the year.  He’s also coming in hot, posting a .991 OPS through the last 20 games of the regular season.  Judge is also terrific defensively, with 7 outfield assists in the regular season.  He will look to carry a lot of the load offensively in this postseason, batting out of the #2 spot almost exclusively.   Photo Credit: Getty Images Left Field: Giancarlo Stanton   Stanton’s 2019 regular season has been one to forget,  having only played 18 games due to a variety of injur...

Flashback to early 2018, and Yankees’ infielder Thairo Estrada endured a tragedy much bigger than the game of baseball. He sustained a gunshot wound in an attempted robbery back in his home country of Venezuela. His injury was not life-threatening, but still created consequences that the average baseball player does not have to go through. His initial surgery to remove the bullet was carried out poorly, arguably causing more damage than the initial wound, however he was cleared to play and felt ready to go. Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images

It took the better part of nine innings, but the banged-up Yankees did just enough to secure a win in Anaheim. They were on the back foot almost immediately thanks to a solo shot from Andrelton Simmons in the first inning, given up by CC Sabathia. Carsten Charles would not reach the famed 3,000 strikeout mark in this game, but he would draw ever closer. His career total now sits at 2,997 after five innings of work. However, he would surrender another Simmons solo homer and a bigger blow, a Kole Calhoun three-run blast that gave Los Angeles a five-run lead in the fourth inning.    Photo courtesy of AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Coming off an impressive two-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees were flat yesterday as they dropped game one of the four-game series versus the lowly Royals. However, the bats woke up today and backed CC Sabathia’s second consecutive start in which he allowed zero earned runs.   Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II | AP

The Yankees came into the rubber game looking to get their offense going and their first series win of the year. However, neither one of those things happened as the bats continued to struggle, leading to the Yankees losing their second consecutive game and series by a score of 2-1.     Frank Franklin | AP

Despite electing to pass on big-ticket free agent Bryce Harper over the Winter, the Yankees will still enter the 2019 season with one of the better all-around outfields in Major League Baseball.   Aaron Hicks’ lingering back issue puts a dent in the outfield depth heading into Opening Day, but assuming he can recover quickly and return to play in April, the Yankees’ boast an outfield trio that provides both strong defense as well as considerable pop.   Add in Giancarlo Stanton who will see time in both right and left fields over the course of the season, and the Yankees are not short on superstar OF talent. Photo Credit: Dick Druckman/Gold Medal Impressions

The Yankees have reached an agreement with free agent infielder DJ LeMahieu, according to multiple reports. The reported contract is for two years and $24 million. LeMahieu, who won a batting title in 2016 and Gold Gloves in 2014, 2017 and 2018, has spent the majority of his career with the Colorado Rockies. Source confirms: Free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu heading to #Yankees on two-year deal. Believed to be in $24M range. First reported: @JackCurryYES . — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 11, 2019 The Yankees plan to use LeMahieu as a versatile player around the infield. They will use him at second base, first base and third base. — Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) January 11, 2019

It’s no secret the Yankees happen to be targeting a middle infielder this offseason. Following a visit to Yankee Stadium earlier this week, Manny Machado is the number one priority in the Bronx as it stands. There is, however, another intriguing option on the market who shares the position with one Johnny Hustle himself: Troy Tulowitzki. Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY Sports

Yankees fans, the postseason is finally upon us. The 162-game journey that is the Major League Baseball regular season has come to a close, and the Bronx Bombers won 100 games for the first time since 2009. While the season had its ups-and-downs, it’s remarkable that this team found a way to win that many contests considering the injuries they faced. Unfortunately, the Boston Red Sox had an historic 108-win season, so New York will be hosting the Wild Card game for the second straight year, and the third time in four years. With that comes some difficult roster decisions, namely who the starting pitcher will be, who to keep in the bullpen and which position players to keep on the bench. This article is a prediction of the Yankees' 25-man roster, starting pitcher and starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Athletics. I have predicted the team will keep 14 position players and 11 pitchers. Last year, Joe Girardi opted for 15 position players and 10 pitchers. For ...

Following their victory against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, the Yankees announced a minor trade in the wee hours of Saturday morning. With several minor leaguers likely to join the big club in the coming days, the Yankees further bolstered their depth by acquiring SS Adeiny Hechavarria from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To make room for Hechavarria on the 40-man roster, LHP Ryan Bollinger was designated for assignment. The Yankees have been stretched thin due to injuries in recent weeks and Hechavarria will give the team an experienced big leaguer to add to their bench. Credit: Justin Berl/Getty Images

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.