Around the Empire: Yankees news - 6/12/17

Aaron The Empire

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Here’s what I wrote in yesterday’s link dump:

The hardest hit dinger in yesterday’s game was hit by Aaron Judge. The hardest hit dinger in the Statcast era, or since 2015, was hit by Aaron Judge. It has a 121.1 MPH exit velocity.

That was Saturday. How did Aaron Judge decide to top the hardest hit dinger in the Statcast era? He hit the longest home run in 2017. It went 495ft. It cleared the left field bleachers. Allow me to repeat that. JUDGE HIT A 495FT HOME RUN THAT CLEARED THE LEFT FIELD BLEACHERS!! As Michael Kay said, it almost hit a retired number. Judge also went 4-for-4 and hit another opposite field dinger for his 21st. This is just so much fun to watch.

Newsday | David Lennon: It’s not just fans like us that are in awe of Judge. His teammates are also astonished by what they see him do as well. Chris Carter and Didi Gregorius think Statcast is lying and that it went over 500ft. As Joe Girardi said during the post-game interview, how can you not be excited by that home run? It’s not just the home runs though, and man are those fun. Judge’s singles are exciting. His plate discipline is amazing. His outfield defense is pretty good and his base running skills are also good. He’s using the whole field. He’s legit adorable and humble about everything he’s doing. I have no idea how long this will last but man, this has been an exciting two and a half months of Yankee baseball.

New York Daily News | Peter Botte: There has been so much talk of Aaron Judge’s home run. There was another amazing dinger hit in yesterday’s game. Gary Sanchez destroyed a baseball in the first inning. It went 450ft, which is the longest home run of the Kraken’s career. It didn’t quite, you know, clear the left field bleachers. It’s still pretty awesome. There were talks a week or two ago about Gary being close to having his swing back. Like John Wick, yeah I’m thinking it’s back. The thought of Judge and Sanchez doing this all year is just...damn.

Newsday | David Lennon: As was mentioned yesterday, the offense has been the talk of the town. It’s understandable considering that some members of the offense can apparently hit dingers that clear the left field bleachers. We need to talk about the pitching though. We specifically need to talk about Luis Severino. He’s been good. Very good. Severino should be in the “maybe he should go to the All-Star Game” conversation. Whether he goes or not is up in the air. It’s still exciting to see the pitcher the Yankees hoped for two years ago.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Draft Week officially starts today. Again, be sure to follow Pinstripe Alley’s draft coverage this week. After Brian Cashman’s moves during the 2016 Trade Deadline, the Yankees farm system is currently ranked 2nd in the majors. It’s good and there is depth. Their 1st round draft pick last year, Blake Rutherford, is thus far doing well in Single-A Charleston. Patrick Osborn, the Riverdogs manager, is impressed by his ability to hit with power and use the entire field. They are trying him at every outfield position but still praise how well he’s doing in center. It’ll be a while before we see him, but it’s promising thus far.

New York Daily News | Daniel Popper: Masahiro Tanaka will start tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in California in the United States of America on the planet Earth. He was originally slated to start in yesterday’s game against the Orioles, but did not due to a slight case of not being good. His un-goodness is a definite cause for concern and Girardi is hoping Tanaka’s mechanics can be fixed. If not, they have no plans not to pitch him against the Athletics on Saturday.

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