Bronx Bomber Ball

It's been a long, long time since the Yankees fan base has had a reason to be legitimately excited about the farm system. Though I've been critical of him in the past, it can't be argued that Brian Cashman did a terrific job reloading the Yankee minor league system at the trade deadline this year, giving Pinstripe fans real hope for the future. One of the biggest names acquired at said trade deadline was Clint Frazier, who came to the Yankees amongst others in exchange for the ever dominant Andrew Miller. Frazier has been ranked at #1 and #2 respectively in MLB.com and Baseball America's top Yankee prospects. Additionally, the former fifth overall pick has been ranked at #15 and #21 in each of the aforementioned sites' most recent league-wide top prospects list. Via MiLB.com

Let’s play everyone’s favorite game, guess that Arizona Fall League player! Player A:   .281 BA, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 0 SB Player B:   .245 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB Player C:   .364 BA, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 3 SB Player D:   .403 BA, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB Player A is the reigning NL rookie of the year, Corey Seager . Player B is AL MVP and all-world talent Mike Trout . Players C is newly crowned MLB champ and NL MVP Kris Bryant . Player D is Yankees' red-hot prospect Gleyber Torres . Pretty good company, eh?   Photo Credit: Buck Davidson | MiLB.com

As the Yankees look to address the weaknesses of their roster via trades and free agency, there is one spot that the Bombers appear to be content with having an internal competition: first base. With the retirement of Mark Teixeira, the Yankees have lost a player who has been an integral piece of their roster for the last few years. Teixeira's presence was felt not only at the plate, but also in the field. He was consistently a lock to put together gold glove caliber seasons, subsequently elevating the play of his fellow infielders. The two candidates to take over for Teixeira are youngsters Greg Bird and Tyler Austin. Bird burst upon the scene in 2015, putting up impressive numbers in the midst of a pennant race. Austin, on the other hand, made his debut last season immediately after the forced retirement of Alex Rodriguez. While Austin certainly showed some promising signs, Bird is clearly the front runner for starting first baseman next season. Below, I will assess the relative ...

The Yankees come into this offseason with a few holes on the roster that they will look to take care of in order to field a winning team on paper going into 2017. The Yankees haven't spent big since they signed Jacoby Ellsbury for seven years at $153 million, Carlos Beltran at three years for $45 million (his contract has since expired), and Brian McCann for five years at $85 million. The Yankees recently traded McCann to the Houston Astros for two minor league pitchers, and they will also pay $11 million of the $34 million McCann is set to earn over the next two seasons ($5.5 million each year of his annual $17 million). With Mark Teixeira's monster eight year 180-million-dollar contract also coming off the books, and the luxury tax potentially expanding under the new collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the Yankees are poised to be free agent spenders as well as trade market players once again. Let's take a look at some things that should be at the top of Brian ...

Any red-blooded American sports fan remembers the LeBron James “Decision 2010.”  Along with my undying allegiance to the Yankees, I am also (and unfortunately) a staunch Knicks supporter. I’ll never forget being in a musty dive bar on 2 nd ave. waiting to hear where the greatest basketball player since Michael Jordan would be taking his talents. As history goes, the Knicks and other NBA hopefuls cleared payroll and prayed LeBron would choose them and change the future of their franchise forever. As we all know, this didn’t quite work out for the Knicks and the team has been basking in futility ever since. But, what if I told you New York had another chance at the decision? What if I told you it’s actually like the decision times 10? Photo via ESPN.com

As the Yankees head closer to the 2016 Winter Meetings, it is crucial that they lock up a reliable designated hitter to pad the middle of the lineup. With a lot of different options out there, the one that makes the most sense to me is Mike Napoli. In 2016, Napoli (35) had one of the best years of his career belting 34 home runs while driving in 101 runs and playing in 150 games. Not only did Napoli put up big time numbers, he did it in one of the least hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball. I can only imagine what kind of power numbers Napoli could put up in Yankee stadium. Photo via Fansided

It's no secret the Yankees have been linked to just about every free agent on the market this offseason. From Chapman to Cespedes, you name a free agent, the Yankees have contacted them. One free agent of particular interest that the Yankees have been linked to is Rich Hill. At first glance the Yankee interest makes a little sense. The Yankees rotation is short handed and the team could use a left handed starter to limit opposing lefties from taking advantage of the short porch in right - but that's really the end of the reasons why the team should sign him. Rich Hill seems to be a disaster waiting to happen for whatever team steps up and pays him. Via Fox Sports

The 2016-2017 offseason is underway, and the Yankees have many holes to fill. General Manager Brian Cashman got off to a quick start this past week, making a series of moves. Trading Brian McCann, releasing Dustin Ackley, and designating Nathan Eovaldi for assignment are amongst the most notable. Still, the Yankees have quite a few flaws on their roster, particularly the pitching staff. In this article, we’ve decided to do a position-by-position breakdown of how the Yankees are looking across the diamond. For some positions, the Bombers have a degree of certainty. Conversely, there are many open spaces on this roster that need to be filled by opening day, whether that be via free agency, trades, or even from within. The Yankees have been connected to some big free agents, but have also expressed a desire to get under the luxury tax threshold. The Yankees can approach this offseason in a number of ways. We’ll just have to sit back as usual and watch the process unfold. Photo via NJ....

With the upcoming Rule 5 draft just a few weeks away the Yankees had to make some decisions on which Rule 5 eligible players should be protected. The Yankees eventually decided to protect shortstop Jorge Mateo, third baseman Miguel Andujar, and pitchers Dietrich Enns, Giovanny Gallegos, Ronald Herrera and Yefrey Ramirez. Because of their healthy minor league system, the Yankees were going to have to leave some of their prospects unprotected and exposed to the Rule 5 draft, thus the penalty for having a good farm system. Photo Credit:  AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

Prior to the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline, the New York Yankees farm system was regarded as a rising, but mainly just average bunch. However, after the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline, the Yankees farm system took the No. 1 spot in Bleacher Report’s rankings . It was such a dramatic shift in organizational philosophy that led to this sudden rise. Now, as we sit at the beginning of the 2016 offseason, rumors are swirling, per usual. Not unexpectedly, almost all of the big names are being connected to the Yankees. And why wouldn’t they be? The Yankees are the big spending, prospect-trading, bullies of the MLB, right?