New York Yankees 2015 Thread

[Derek21]

I figured why not. I know most here aren't Yankee fans. But I know there are some diehards. So, that said, what are you most looking forward to now that A-Rod wrote his ridiculous letter apology.  

 

1.Refsnyder and Pirela competing for 2nd against Drew. Let's face it. Refsnyder sounds like a dream. He has hit at every level and wants to prove the scouts wrong for not taking him. Maybe he turns into that next guy.

 

2.A full season of Michael Pinetareda. I just had to. In all seriousness, he made great strides last year following Pine Gate. Can he finally stay healthy and put it all together? If he can and Tanaka doesn't have any arm trouble, they can form a solid 1-2. 

 

3.Betances closing and Miller setting up. Imagine you have two flamethrowers who are nasty and in their prime. Enter Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. How will Betances handle closing? Is he ready? Can Miller adjust to life in the Big Apple? A great lefty/righty 1-2 punch. 

 

4.Jersey retirements. Whether we agree or disagree with it, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettite and Jorge Posada will be honored this season. Bernie is the most deserving of the former Core members. Also, nice to see them recognize Willie Randolph. How about finally honoring other past greats such as Ron Guidry? Or is that not allowed? 

 

5.Keep an eye on Luis Severino and Aaron Judge. Both could be call ups in August or September. 

 

 

Questions:

 

A.Who will lead the Yanks in home runs and RBI's? I'll say McCann.

 

B.Can Teixeira stay on the field? Short answer. No. Garrett Jones is the backup. 

 

C.What can we expect from A-Rod? Aside from the circus, maybe 10-15 home runs if he proves capable at DH. 

 

D.Can Beltran rebound from an injury plagued 2014? I'm gonna say yes. He hits 20 homers and knocks in 75. 

 

E.How will new SS Didi Gregorius do? Defensively, he should be fine. Offensively, that could be a issue. 

 

F.Can they turn around Nathan Eovaldi? I am not sure. 

 

G.Who are potential sleepers? Bryan Mitchell, Justin Wilson and J.R. Murphy. 

 

H.Can Austin Romine beat out J.R. Murphy for backup catcher? Possibly since he's out of options. Otherwise, he'll be traded.

 

I.What can Ivan Nova bring when he returns? It's iffy.

 

J.Does CC Sabathia have anything left? At this point, probably not. But he should be able to win 12.

 

 

 

Prediction: I have the Yankees penciled in for 85 wins. 

['7']

A-Rod is hitting more than 10-15. He's good for 20 this year. He's got a lot to prove this year. Wouldn't shock me if he knocked in 90 either. He's got a chip on his shoulder

 

I'm not quite bullish or bearish on Beltran. Having watched so much of him, he'll be his usual detached self. Hit about 15, knock in 60. Spend a lot of time on the DL. About what you'd expect from a 38 year old outfielder. Some sparks of greatness, and some "damn he's old moments"

 

He's the Yankees Jagr really.

Edited February 18, 2015 by '7'

[NJDevs4978]

In terms of retiring the numbers I could go either way on Bernie and Pettite with Bernie probably being the most deserving of the three.  Although Pettite didn't have a HOF career he might actually be the second best starting pitcher in Yankee history, at least if you don't count Clemens or other mercs that parachuted in there.  Posada's the most suspect of them, honestly he's arguably only the fourth best catcher in Yankee history and never close to being the best player on any of those Yankee teams.

Edited February 18, 2015 by NJDevs4978

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

In terms of retiring the numbers I could go either way on Bernie and Pettite with Bernie probably being the most deserving of the three.  Although Pettite didn't have a HOF career he might actually be the second best starting pitcher in Yankee history, at least if you don't count Clemens or other mercs that parachuted in there.  Posada's the most suspect of them, honestly he's arguably only the fourth best catcher in Yankee history and never close to being the best player on any of those Yankee teams.

 

I'm assuming the #1 guy is Whitey Ford?

 

To me, Pettitte was like a left-handed Jack Morris...a pretty good pitcher who often benefitted by getting a lot of run support and being on some great teams.  Most of his season ERAs were nothing great (I know some of that was due to the AL), he gave up a lot of hits...his W-L record is really the only number that jumps out at you.  Some people will play the "Well, he knew how to win" card, but overall he was a slightly above-average pitcher who was often in the right place at the right time, and had a way of pitching just good enough to let the Yankee offense do the rest (and to his credit, did have some clutch performances).  Also helps greatly that he had the best closer of all time finishing out his games. 

 

I'd say Guidry was more dominant in his smaller body of work...his career was actually very similar to Dwight Gooden's, in that he got off to a big start that led to huge expectations, then had a number of good years, but people kept waiting for another 1978...same as Met fans kept wanting another 1985.  Guidry was very solidly good from 1979-1985, but like Dwight, he set the bar so high so early that it seemed like no matter what he did after 1978, it was good, but somehow not quite good enough. 

 

If you go back further, Red Ruffing had a terrific career as a Yankee...I'd put it at least on par with Pettitte's.  Lefty Gomez was also very good, as was Mel Stottlemyre (who was the opposite of Pettitte, in that he was very much in the wrong place at the wrong time...he pitched for some dreadful Yankee teams). 

 

I'd say Pettitte goes in the top 10 Yankee starters somewhere, partly because he pitched so damned long compared to some other (better) short-term guys, but I can't put him 2nd all-time in the list of greatest Yankee starting pitchers. 

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

I don't think it's a big deal to retire the numbers of these guys TBH, it's a marketing move as much as an "honor the last great Yankees of the last great era".  Williams I'm happy with, considering he's already fallen off the Hall of Fame ballot, he deserves some kind of honor for his contributions to the team.  Posada and Pettite...I mean Pettite is probably out of the HoF due to the fact that he admitted having HGH (and don't get me started on that long-winded post), and Posada's biggest asset is that he's a catcher and his batting numbers jump off the page when you look at them in comparison to some of his peers.  I think Pettite is more deserving than Posada of HoF, having pitched year-in and year-out in the playoffs for the Yankees and Astros, and just kept winning.  They're both borderline cases though, and it could go either way all things considered.  

 

With those three, and Jeter's inevitable #2 retirement, the Yankees will have retired 21 numbers.  Nos. 1 (Billy Martin), 2, (Derek Jeter), 3 (Babe Ruth), 4 (Lou Gehrig), 5 (Joe DiMaggio), 6 (Joe Torre), 7 (Mickey Mantle), 8 (Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey), 9 (Roger Maris), 10 (Phil Rizzuto), 15 (Thurman Munson), 16 (Whitey Ford), 20 (Jorge Posada), 23 (Don Mattingly), 32 (Elston Howard), 37 (Casey Stengel), 42 (Mariano Rivera and Jackie Robinson), 44 (Reggie Jackson), 46 (Andy Pettite), 49 (Ron Guidry), and 51 (Bernie Williams)

 

Regarding Paul O'Neil, I don't think he's looked at with the same reverence because he wasn't brought up in the Yankees' system.  That's not to say he isn't deserving, but he's definitely knocked down to "we'll get you later" status because of that, fairly or not.

 

Looking at that list, I feel fortunate to have watched a bunch of these guys play.  The Yankees truly had a ton of great players all come up at the same time in the late 90's.  One hopes they can put it all together again sometime soon.

 

The other point made by a lot of other guys in the sports community, which I echo, is that there's no one else on the current landscape that's got any chance of getting their number retired.  I'll be shocked, SHOCKED if they call A-Rod back at all when his contract is up, and the only other players with the combination of arrow-pointing-up and bleed-Yankee-blue, if they improve, are Gardner and Tanaka.  And I'd argue that both have significant hurdles in front of them to get there.  Once #2 goes up, it will be a great while before the Yankees retire another number, barring something completely unforeseen happening.

 

*****

 

With the numbers stuff out of the way, I'm really looking forward to seeing what this team can do.  It's kind of like a bridge team between old and new philosophies.  I'd love to see if Refsynder makes this team as the starting 2B; I'd love to see if Pirela can unseat Ryan on the last spot on the bench (unlikely).  The backup catcher job is Murphy's to lose, but I hope Romnie makes it difficult for a time, so we can get a better player in the inevitable trade.  Gregorius should be interesting at SS.  And, of course, we get to see if A-Rod has one of the world's best F-U seasons left in him from a primarily DH position.  We're building a (gasp) somewhat fundamentally sound team with solid defense.  Now if only we could hit our way out of a paper bag, we'd be dangerous.

[Onddeck]

the most exciting thing for me this year?  Betances.  The guy is unbeleivable to watch.  I hope this year is the year we know we have found our replacement to Mo (i know he cannot be replaced but couldn't find the right word).

 

if Refsnyder plays out like we hope he does, then awesome.  nothing id love more than seeing the Yanks start building a team with promising youth.  If we can build a platform to excel once the Arods, Teixeiras, Sabathias die out, then I will REALLY be excited.

 

unfortunately, this year will probably, in a nut shell, be:

solid pitching, below average hitting, some sparks of youth promise. its up to the old veterans on whether or not we make the playoffs.  will they hit like they're supposed to or will they repeat of the last few years?

[thefiestygoat]

I'm ready for baseball to start even though the Yankees are in for another down year. It'd be nice if Refsnyder won the 2B job but I think it's likely he spends a bit more time in AAA. I've seen Pirela play a handful of times live and I'm not convinced he becomes anything more than a backup/AAAA player.

Hopefully Tanaka can stay healthy. They desperately need him. I have no expectations for Pineda. We all know how great he can be when healthy but with his track record, I won't get my hopes up. He's one of those guys that you just feel is a pitch away from the DL every time he's out there.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Eovaldi does under Rothschild. He's already had some success and their is a chance he can get even better. River Ave Blues has an interesting analysis of how working with McCann and Rothschild should help.

Looking forward to Jacob Lindgren joining the bullpen at some point this season.

I expect Teixeira to miss a whole lot of time again. Hoping McCann who is still awesome defensively to rebound offensively after a hugely disappointing year. Really like the Gregorius acquisition and Headley re-signing.

I wouldn't be surprised if A-Rod only gets around 10 home runs. I'm still a fan of his but it's hard to expect much out of a guy who turns 40 in July, has played 44 games in the last 28 months, and has had two hip surgeries and a knee surgery in the last few years.

I think Pettitte, Posada, and Bernie all deserve their numbers retired, without a doubt. They were all big pieces of the last Yankee dynasty, one which brought the Yankees back to prominence. Yes the Yankees have a lot of retired numbers but they've also had a lot of important players that won multiple championships. Also, it's not like they do this that often - prior to this recent batch they only retired 2 numbers over the last 20 years and 7 in the last 40 years. I think this speaks to how important and special the most recent dynasty was.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I think Pettitte, Posada, and Bernie all deserve their numbers retired, without a doubt. They were all big pieces of the last Yankee dynasty, one which brought the Yankees back to prominence. Yes the Yankees have a lot of retired numbers but they've also had a lot of important players that won multiple championships. Also, it's not like they do this that often - prior to this recent batch they only retired 2 numbers over the last 20 years and 7 in the last 40 years. I think this speaks to how important and special the most recent dynasty was.

 

It's debatable, but the fact that it's even debatable at all makes me wonder if they're all that worthy.  That's why I'd love to know how a lot of Yankee fans really feel. 

 

I really feel that it should've been just Jeter and Rivera, to show that those guys were just that little bit more special.  Mariano was the absolute very best at what he did.  And Derek was Derek.

 

Not really sure Mattingly and Guidry should've gotten their numbers retired either, though at least Mattingly's ceremony was done fairly quickly after his career was over.  Guidry's was almost 15 years after he'd thrown his last pitch.  Almost seemed like the Yankees were jonesin' to retire someone's number. 

 

  

 

[nmigliore]

I think most Yanks fans would say those guys deserve to have their numbers retired given the dynasty run.

Wish the Mets would give Piazza his due but they seem inclined to wait until he gets elected to the Hall of Fame which I personally find really silly (and it's a joke that hasn't happened yet but that's another story).

[Derek21]

The A-Rod circus showed early. As usual, the Yankees are upset. They're such hypocrites. They need him and don't want to pay him $61 million just to walk away. As usual, the Alex comeback is weird and will always be because of how embarrassing he is. But it is what it is. It'll be interesting to follow.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

The A-Rod circus showed early. As usual, the Yankees are upset. They're such hypocrites. They need him and don't want to pay him $61 million just to walk away. As usual, the Alex comeback is weird and will always be because of how embarrassing he is. But it is what it is. It'll be interesting to follow.

 

Some of this is media looking for a story, some of it is just business BS that needs to be settled.

 

The only Yankees vs. A-Rod controversy we should have for now is if he hits those home run milestones, and I hope he does because that means he's actually hitting for us, which we desperately need.  I think a win for the Yankees would be .280/25/75 or something like that, but I'm expecting closer to .255/10/30.

 

What worries me about A-Rod is he takes DH at-bats away from Beltran, which means he's going to wear down faster running around RF.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

The A-Rod circus showed early. As usual, the Yankees are upset. They're such hypocrites. They need him and don't want to pay him $61 million just to walk away. As usual, the Alex comeback is weird and will always be because of how embarrassing he is. But it is what it is. It'll be interesting to follow.

 

I hate when teams kind of pull a subtle (or less than subtle) "We really don't like this guy, but we need him to produce for us."  Suck it up and back the guy up if you need him.  I get that A-Rod is damned near impossible to back up, and is about as unlikable as it gets, but no one made the Yankees sign him to that idiotic contract.  At this point, build him up a little, and hope he produces and can find away not be to be annoying.

 

The situation is obviously different in many ways, but the Tejada situation last year had some similarities...basically the lazy non-creative entity masquerading as the Mets' GM couldn't be bothered to go find an upgrade at SS (same as this year, though Lazy Boy decided his inability to do his job was something to chuckle over), so Tejada laughingly became the guy by default...Sandy and the Mets made it clear they weren't thrilled about the SS situation they did nothing to improve, taking shots through the media at Tejada.  Tejada clearly is a guy who didn't help his own cause (lack of work ethic has always been a knock), but he's someone you need to help you win games, so you might as well try to get his back until you can better the situation. 

[Onddeck]

Does anyone follow any of the yanks' beat writers on twitter? I'm trying to find like the TG-equivalent

Edited March 14, 2015 by Onddeck

[thefiestygoat]

Does anyone follow any of the yanks' beat writers on twitter? I'm trying to find like the TG-equivalent

I follow most of them since I need to get my news asap...which usually means getting a bunch of the same tweets in my timeline a lot during baseball season lol.

 

I really think highly of Chad Jennings who writes for LoHud and and runs the blog. He's in the loop, informative, and reliable. Jack Curry of YES is also a good follow. He breaks things from time to time and has some solid connections in the organization. If you only want to follow a few accounts then I'd recommend those two.

 

Some other accounts I follow , Meredith Marakovits, Bob Kalpisch, Sweeny Murti, Mark Feinsand, Ken Davidoff, Andrew Marchand, Erik Boland, Bryan Hoch, Daniel Barbarisi, and Joel Sherman. I'm probably forgetting a few guys but that's some of the Yankees reporter/beat writer accounts I like. 

 

I'd also highly recommend River Ave Blues which is the best Yankees blog on the internet. It's run by Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, and Joe Pawlikowski.

[Onddeck]

I follow most of them since I need to get my news asap...which usually means getting a bunch of the same tweets in my timeline a lot during baseball season lol.

I really think highly of Chad Jennings who writes for LoHud and and runs the blog. He's in the loop, informative, and reliable. Jack Curry of YES is also a good follow. He breaks things from time to time and has some solid connections in the organization. If you only want to follow a few accounts then I'd recommend those two.

Some other accounts I follow , Meredith Marakovits, Bob Kalpisch, Sweeny Murti, Mark Feinsand, Ken Davidoff, Andrew Marchand, Erik Boland, Bryan Hoch, Daniel Barbarisi, and Joel Sherman. I'm probably forgetting a few guys but that's some of the Yankees reporter/beat writer accounts I like.

I'd also highly recommend River Ave Blues which is the best Yankees blog on the internet. It's run by Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, and Joe Pawlikowski.

awesome. I ended up following those first two and I'll Def be checking out that blog. Thanks man!

[Derek21]

Opening Day is finally here. Tanaka opens up tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how they handle him. Plus the closer situation is worth watching. With Betances struggling to distinguish himself, he and Miller will share duty for now. 

 

Best part of Spring is no one got hurt and A-Rod showed he could still hit. How will he do when it starts up for real? 

 

A-Rod HR: Over/Under 10 

 

Pineda is the key to the staff. If he stays healthy, I see him winning between 16-18 games and making the All-Star Game.

 

Ellsbury and Gardner must hit. Teixeira and Beltran must drive them in. McCann is the only lock. Headley is my pick for a good year. 

 

Can't wait to see Gregorious field his position. Hopefully, Refsnyder will be up by June. 

 

Pencil them in for 83 wins. 

[thefiestygoat]

I'm happy the Yankees are back even though they're going to suck. CAIRO has them projected to go 79-83, last in the division. Fangraphs is more forgiving, projecting them at 82-80, second in the division. Though the AL East is weak so that's not really saying much. Plus Fangraphs has the Blue Jays also going 82-80 and the Rays 80-82.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

This year will certainly not be a wild card year, but I can see the Yankees competing in a weak division for the crown before fading in late August/early September.  It's all dependent on health, especially of the starters.  Speaking personally, I'd be happy to see a .500 finish if it means that Didi, Headley, and Refsnyder (yes, I said it, I don't think Drew makes it through the year) are up and playing well in the majors.  That plus Ellsbury and Gardner are a good core to build on in the field.

[Derek21]

I'm happy the Yankees are back even though they're going to suck. CAIRO has them projected to go 79-83, last in the division. Fangraphs is more forgiving, projecting them at 82-80, second in the division. Though the AL East is weak so that's not really saying much. Plus Fangraphs has the Blue Jays also going 82-80 and the Rays 80-82.

 

If they can't score runs, then yeah. It could be a long year. Love how the media assumes there's something wrong with Tanaka because he gave up 5 in one inning. We got our ace on the mound tonight. At least in my book.

[Derek21]

Well, it looks like A-Rod is gonna have quite the year on a bad team. 2 dingers tonight including a 471 foot bomb, game tying 2-run jack and game-winning RBI single. 4 HR 10 RBI for a "washed up" player. Whatever I think of him, he loves the game. Just wonder if it's clean. 

 

There's not much else happening with the Yanks, who have been woefully bad. At least Miller is doing the job and Betances still is pitching to a 0.00 ERA despite not as good command. 

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

You know, if this is woefully bad...6-6, a weekend sweep of a divisional rival, and one game out of first...I can't wait to think about how good it might get.  

 

Two tough teams this week, Detroit and the Mets.  I'd love to see a 4-3 week record or better if the Yankees fancy themselves competition in the playoffs.

[thefiestygoat]

1. I can't believe how well A-Rod has been after a year off. I suppose it makes some sense, the rest probably did his body a world of good, but I'm really surprised at how much power he has shown so far. A lot can change, we're only 179 PA into the year for him, but right now he has 9 doubles, a triple, and 11 home runs. He's got a .289 ISO, .556 SLG, .401 wOBA, and 158 wRC+.

2. It's great to see that a healthy Teixeira is a very productive Teixeira. His steady decline and sub-par last 2 seasons were really frustrating to watch. He still doesn't hit for average the way he used to, but with 9 doubles, 14 home runs, and a .336 ISO through 185 PA's, it doesn't matter. He's going to have some regression at some point, but it seems like that new diet he's on is really paying off at the moment. I'm just enjoying the ride right now.

[Derek21]

Hard to believe there are no Yankee fans on here except me and fiesty. It's been a great summer. A-Rod turning back the clock. Teixeira showing he still has it and in the MVP discussion behind Trout. McCann delivering some bombs like the one into the second deck off Breslow or any other hapless Boston reliever. Boy. Are they bad. Didi turning his season around and hitting. Young off the bench going bombs away off lefties. And of course Ellsbury and Gardner forming a 1-2 punch at the top of the order. 

 

They don't have a true ace but Tanaka has hung in there. I trust him. Nova has been solid and Eovaldi wins every fifth day with lots of run support. I can't wait for Severino tonight. How exciting. A 21-year old prospect that's our own. Hope he pitches well.

[Daniel]

Hard to believe there are no Yankee fans on here except me and fiesty. It's been a great summer. A-Rod turning back the clock. Teixeira showing he still has it and in the MVP discussion behind Trout. McCann delivering some bombs like the one into the second deck off Breslow or any other hapless Boston reliever. Boy. Are they bad. Didi turning his season around and hitting. Young off the bench going bombs away off lefties. And of course Ellsbury and Gardner forming a 1-2 punch at the top of the order. 

 

They don't have a true ace but Tanaka has hung in there. I trust him. Nova has been solid and Eovaldi wins every fifth day with lots of run support. I can't wait for Severino tonight. How exciting. A 21-year old prospect that's our own. Hope he pitches well.

 

You mention lack of Yankee fans here.  I'm one, and have been since the days of Cecilio Guante and the drafting of Brien Taylor.  It wasn't too long ago that I was as passionate about following the Yankees as the Devils. Now though, it could be a  game 7 of the World Series  Yankees vs Dodgers and I'd probably prefer to watch Devils vs. Winnipeg.  I was pretty unenthused when the Yankees won the Series in 2009.

 

Still not quite sure why my interest in baseball in general has waned so much.  Might be the new stadium.  Might be the lack of any noteable home grown talent recently.

[Derek21]

You mention lack of Yankee fans here.  I'm one, and have been since the days of Cecilio Guante and the drafting of Brien Taylor.  It wasn't too long ago that I was as passionate about following the Yankees as the Devils. Now though, it could be a  game 7 of the World Series  Yankees vs Dodgers and I'd probably prefer to watch Devils vs. Winnipeg.  I was pretty unenthused when the Yankees won the Series in 2009.

 

Still not quite sure why my interest in baseball in general has waned so much.  Might be the new stadium.  Might be the lack of any noteable home grown talent recently.

 

 

Maybe all the championships had something to do with it. Plus it really spoiled the fanbase. Something that happens when you win. They always have to get everyone. It's kind of nice to see a kid like Severino come up and show promise. 7 K's in 5 IP and just the predictable Ortiz bomb on a 2-0 96 MPH. He showed good command. Didn't walk anyone and got better. Definitely exciting. They didn't trade Severino or Judge for any rental (Price, Hamels). There seems to be a plan for the future. Toronto is coming in with their Fantasy Lineup this weekend. That should be interesting.