Archive for June, 2014
Masahiro Tanaka’s Odds of A.L.’s »
Take a moment to try this one on for size: Masahiro Tanaka as the American League's answer to Fernando Valenzuela. That'll be the case if the New York Yankees' $175 million ace wins both the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award. Valenzuela did that in the National League in 1981, but the next American Leaguer to pull it off will be the [...]
Dellin Betances’ Lights-out 2014 Evoking »
The 1996 New York Yankees rode the back of a 26-year-old relief pitcher all the way to an American League East title and World Series championship. Nearly two decades later, history could be repeating itself in the Bronx with the emergence of Dellin Betances as Mariano Rivera 2.0. Rivera's 1996 season was the most unique and dominant campaign in a [...]
Predicting New York Yankees’ Top Targets in 2014 »
The international prospect market opens on July 2, and the New York Yankees are gearing up to spend a whole lot of money. After spending over $300 million this past offseason on players like Masahiro Tanaka, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury, general manager Brian Cashman is now looking to boost his farm system with international [...]
Yankees Sign Relief Pitcher Heath Bell to Minors Deal »
The New York Yankees have come to terms on a minor league deal with former San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Bell will report to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. According to the LoHud Yankees Twitter account, the move resulted in a demotion for minor [...]
Should Yankees Fear Top Prospect Gary Sanchez Could »
For the New York Yankees, star power always trumps the success or failure of top prospects. In the case of 21-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez, a difficult start to the 2014 season could be a prelude to another bust emanating from general manager Brian Cashman's farm system.According to Nick Peruffo of The Trentonian, the Double-A backstop was [...]
MLB Picks: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics »
The New York Yankees have scored four or fewer runs in 12 of their last 13 games, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as they prepare to take on the Oakland Athletics at the O.co Coliseum. Sports bettors will find that the Yankees are plus-170 road underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total [...]
Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses of the Yankees’ »
Following the conclusion of Day 1 of the MLB Draft, I wrote a piece re-ranking the New York Yankees' Top 10 prospects. Now, I take a more in-depth look at those players and determine their biggest strengths and weaknesses. My rankings went as such: Gary Sanchez C Slade Heathcott OF Mason Williams OF Eric Jagielo 3B Tyler Austin 1B/3B/OF Gregory [...]
Derek Jeter’s Struggles Show He’s Making »
When Derek Jeter announced his impending retirement during a February press conference, the end of a brilliant career began for the legendary New York Yankees shortstop. After an injury-plagued 2013, predicting major success for Jeter in 2014 was a fool's errand.As the farewell campaign rolls on, it has become abundantly clear that Jeter made the [...]
Masahiro Tanaka’s Dominant 10th Win Shows »
In the fourth inning of the New York Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, Masahiro Tanaka struck out Endy Chavez with a wicked splitter. With that, Yankees play-by-play man Bob Lorenz noted, Tanaka became just the fifth pitcher since 1900 to strike out 100 batters in his first 13 games. One of the others? Hideo [...]
Is Derek Jeter the Greatest Shortstop of All Time? »
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Where does he rank among the all-time great players at his position? The position of shortstop has seen some amazing players, ranging from Honus Wagner to Cal Ripken Jr., so where does Jeter rank?Watch Scott Miller break down Jeter's standing among the [...]