Pinstripe Alley: All Posts by Aaron EspositoBig boi dinger enthusiastshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51961/pinstripe_alley_minimal.png2020-03-27T16:00:00-04:00https://www.pinstripealley.com/authors/aaron-esposito/rss2020-03-27T16:00:00-04:002020-03-27T16:00:00-04:00ALCS Game Five Rewind: James Paxton’s playoff arrival
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<figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>James Paxton came up clutch when the Yankees’ backs were against the wall in Game Five of the ALCS against the Astros</p> <p id="SP0xvg">The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>’ final win of the 2019 season was an important one, despite the fact that their season would come to an end the next night. After taking Game One in Houston, the Yankees lost three straight, including a gut-wrenching extra innings loss in Game Two and back-to-back losses in front of their home crowd at Yankees Stadium. In a win-or-go-home situation, the Yankees turned to <span>James Paxton</span>, the left-hander who carried them through the final weeks of the regular season.</p>
<p id="S6XP86">After spending the first five seasons of his MLB career in Seattle, <span>Paxton</span> was getting his first taste of the postseason, and it wasn’t going particularly well. The big lefty surrendered three runs through 4.2 innings in Game One of the ALDS, keeping the Yankees in the game, but not instilling a ton of confidence with his command or ability to pitch into the later innings. They turned to <span>Paxton</span> again in Game Two of the ALCS in Houston, and this time he didn’t make it out of the third inning. It’s unclear how much of his struggles in Game Two can be attributed to certain factors at Minute Maid Park, but a rematch with <span>Justin Verlander</span> in Game Five at Yankees Stadium didn’t feel promising for the Yankees with their season on the line. </p>
<p id="xC8wEN"><span>Paxton</span> got into immediate trouble in the first. The game started with a weak grounder up the middle that <span>Paxton</span> couldn’t handle and the “here we go again” crowd was out in force right from the jump. </p>
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<p id="RxdPGz">A passed ball, a ground-out, a walk, and another passed ball later and the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> were on the board before their Cy Young pitcher even took the mound. That’s seemingly when the Yankees decided that’s not how their season was going to end. <span>DJ LeMahieu</span> led off the bottom of the first with an opposite-field home run, and Hicks blasted a three-run shot off the foul pole minutes later to put the Yankees ahead 4-1. The pressure was back on <span>Paxton</span> to do his part and keep the Yankees’ <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> hopes alive. That’s exactly what he did. </p>
<p id="cHnFcm">At least one Astros’ batter reached base in each inning, but Paxton made big pitch after big pitch to keep them at bay. </p>
<p id="JYUEBC">A strikeout of <span>George Springer</span> with two aboard in the top of the second:</p>
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<p id="luD9Pm">Back-to-back strikeouts after the leadoff man reached in the fourth:</p>
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<p id="i1EOVd">A strikeout of <span>Yordan Alvarez</span> in the top of the sixth:</p>
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<p id="BIQoRZ"><span>Verlander</span> was dominant after the first inning, but Paxton went toe-to-toe with him and pitched with more emotion than he had previously displayed in his first season in pinstripes. With high-90’s fastballs and a devastating breaking ball, Paxton has the stuff to match nearly any pitcher in baseball. Perhaps the most important moment came in the top of the sixth, after Paxton’s strikeout of Alvarez. With two down, <span>Aaron Boone</span> came out to the mound and was quickly sent away by a confident Paxton, who retired <span>Robinson Chirinos</span> on a fly ball to left. </p>
<p id="xB5n9P">It wasn’t the pitch Paxton wanted to deliver, but it got him through a strong six innings and gave him playoff success he can build off of as the Yankees’ number two starter behind Gerrit Cole. Even more than the six innings and nine strikeouts, Paxton proved that he has the mental fortitude to show up in a big moment at Yankees Stadium in October. Boone’s trust in Paxton paid off, and the best bullpen in MLB slammed the door, giving the Yankees a 4-1 win. When the Yankees can get six innings from their starters they’re in great shape to win games. Every playoff game is a learning experience, good or bad, and both the Yankees and Paxton learned what he can be capable of in the postseason against an elite lineup. The Yankees might have lost the series, but they’ll take plenty away from their final win of 2019. </p>
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https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/3/27/21195677/yankees-alcs-game-5-james-paxton-playoffs-astrosAaron Esposito2020-01-31T10:00:00-05:002020-01-31T10:00:00-05:00What to expect from the Yankees’ bullpen in 2020
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<figcaption>Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Yankees’ bullpen should be one of the league’s best in 2020, but with a few improvements from 2019 they can be the best.</p> <p id="tKY0OT">The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> have one of baseball’s deepest and most talented bullpens, there’s no denying that. But how good should we expect the Yankees’ relievers to be next season, and should we expect them to be better or worse than 2019? According to FanGraphs, the Yankees’ bullpen finished ninth in ERA, fourth in xFIP, and second in WAR among all MLB teams last season. A lot of teams would be happy with those results, but considering the investment the Yankees have made in their bullpen in recent years, there should be room for improvement. </p>
<p id="ocx8Jn">The Yankees had eight relief pitchers throw 38 innings or more last season. Among those eight relievers, seven figure to be back in the fold come spring training, with <span>Nestor Cortes Jr.</span> being the only exception. Cortes pitched to a 5.60 ERA over 64.1 innings, quietly racking up the third-most innings in the Yankees’ bullpen. It’s hard to imagine they won’t be able to improve on that long relief production with some combination of <span>Jordan Montgomery</span>, <span>Jonathan Loaisiga</span>, <span>Michael King</span>, or even <span>J.A. Happ</span>. Luis Cessa, who led the Yankees with 81.0 IP in 2019, should factor into a similar role if he has a good spring. His 4.11 ERA feels like a bit of an overachievement, but Statcast suggests he was actually unlucky in terms of xBA, xSLG, and xWOBA. If they can get repeat production from Cessa and improve from Cortes, consider the Yankees’ long relief outlook a positive one heading into spring training. </p>
<p id="wU15VK">When Dellin Betances went down with injuries last spring, the Yankees’ bullpen was forced to rely on <span>Tommy Kahnle</span> and <span>Chad Green</span> to become the bridge to the late innings. <span>Kahnle</span>, coming off a lost 2018 season, became a two-pitch changeup specialist and can safely be considered the Yankees’ greatest bullpen overachiever of 2019. He revitalized his career with a 3.67 ERA in 61.1 IP, and much like Cessa, Statcast indicates he should have produced even better results. Among MLB relievers who pitched at least 60 innings, Kahnle ranked fourth worst with a 23.1 HR/FB rate. His previous career worst HR/FB rate was 16.7% in 2015, and that’s when he was pitching his home games at Coors Field. Kahnle could be the relief pitcher who swings the pendulum one way or the other for the Yankees this year, but there’s reason to believe he could be just as good, or better, this season. </p>
<p id="Annw1p"><span>Green</span> posted a 5.68 ERA in the first half and a 2.89 ERA in the second half, so place him in a similar wildcard category for the middle innings. Green’s consistency in the early going of 2020 could be a good indication of the work new pitching coach Matt Blake is capable of, as Green has proven his ability to dominate stretches of the season, but also lose his bearings for weeks at a time. Green’s career ERA stands at 3.16, so it’s entirely fair to expect him to improve upon the 4.17 ERA he registered in 2019. </p>
<p id="l59IHs"><span>Aroldis Chapman</span>, <span>Adam Ottavino</span>, and <span>Zack Britton</span> are back in 2020 after combining for a 2.00 ERA in 184.2 innings of work last season. Asking for those three to combine for much better would be asking a lot, and <span>Ottavino</span>’s 4.32 xFIP and five losses might be more indicative of his overall performance. Both Ottavino and Britton struggled with command at times in 2019, but got out of jams with elite ground ball and strikeout rates. Both figure to carry a similar recipe over to 2020, but also have some room for improvement concerning their walk rates. <span>Chapman</span> was his usual dominant self last season, and there’s little indication he’s going to age poorly.. The closer posted a career low 98.0 mph average fastball last season, but he dominated by complementing the fastball with a career high 31.1% sliders, against which opponents batted just .159. </p>
<p id="OLUfgi">The band’s back together for the 2020 season, and there’s plenty of reason to believe the Yankees’ bullpen can be one of the best in MLB once again. The consistency of middle relievers like Green and Kahnle could be the ultimate difference maker that takes the Yankees’ bullpen from top 10 to number one, but an improvement over Nestor Cortes in long relief, and some fine tuning of command in the late innings could pay big dividends as well. </p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/31/21116236/yankees-bullpen-2020-expectations-chapman-kahnle-britton-ottavinoAaron Esposito2020-01-29T08:00:00-05:002020-01-29T08:00:00-05:00The one glaring weakness in the Yankees’ farm system
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<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Yankees have maintained a respectable farm system without any top draft picks, but they’ve struggled to acquire and develop left-handed pitching.</p> <p id="AVDmnn">Considering the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> have not had a top 10 overall draft pick since <span>Derek Jeter</span> in 1992, they’ve built a relatively deep farm system and have done an admirable job of stocking up on international signings and trading for talented prospects in recent years. They have one of the deepest systems in baseball when it comes to right-handed pitching, and Jasson Dominguez headlines a solid crop of talented young outfield prospects. </p>
<p id="18W8eA">However, the Yankees farm system has struggled to produce quality left-handed arms in recent history, and there wasn’t a single left-handed pitcher among the Yankees top 38 prospects in FanGraphs’ system <a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/top-38-prospects-new-york-yankees/">evaluation</a> entering last season. </p>
<p id="ggS6it">The Yankees have <span>Aroldis Chapman</span>, <span>Zack Britton</span>, <span>James Paxton</span>, <span>J.A. Happ</span>, and <span>Jordan Montgomery</span> on their 40-man roster, so it’s not as if they have no interest in left-handed pitching as an organizational philosophy. Perhaps their lack of success drafting and developing left-handed pitchers forced them to focus their attention elsewhere. Draft picks like Sam Stafford, <span>Ian Clarkin</span>, <span>Jacob Lindgren</span>, and Jeff Degano all turned out to be poor selections in the early rounds over the past decade, making Montgomery their only real success story as a left-hander coming out of the draft in recent memory. </p>
<p id="F7gWwc">If the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/2019/6/6/18654684/yankees-2019-mlb-draft-in-review-anthony-volpe-tj-sikkema">2019 MLB Draft</a> is any indication, the Yankees are actively seeking to change that narrative. With the 38th overall pick in the draft, the Yankees selected left-handed pitcher T.J. Sikkema out of Missouri. Sikkema now ranks as the team’s 16th best prospect in MLB Pipeline’s <a href="https://www.mlb.com/yankees/prospects/stats/top-prospects">evaluation</a> of the organization. In 10.2 innings for short season Staten Island, Sikkema allowed just one earned run and struck out 13, a positive start for the 21-year-old SEC standout. The Yankees also selected left-hander Jake Agnos from East Carolina in the fourth round and left-hander Ken Waldichuk out of St. Mary’s in the fifth round.</p>
<p id="CEYW0W">Before Sikkema was drafted, the Yankees most promising left-handed prospects were two former 10th round picks, 26-year-old James Reeves and 25-year-old Trevor Lane. Reeves spent 2019 with the Trenton Thunder, pitching to a 1.79 ERA over 55.1 innings of work. Lane, his teammate in the Trenton bullpen, posted a 1.99 ERA over 68.0 innings. Both could make their big league debuts with the Yankees at some point in 2020, but neither project as much more than a lefty-on-lefty specialist at the next level and MLB’s rule changes regarding pitcher substitutions will make that a tough role to fulfill.</p>
<p id="LfCIE6">Lane is described by teammates and coaches as having a “wipeout breaking ball” that he’s able to command in the zone. </p>
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<p id="6L3CgF">He should enter spring training in competition with <span>Luis Avilan</span> and <span>Tyler Lyons</span> for a spot on the Yankees’ radar – and maybe even roster – should they decide to carry a lefty specialist at any point in the early going of the 2020 season. </p>
<p id="a67QbK">Even with a new crop of talented draft picks, and a pair of mid-20’s prospects who have had some professional success, the Yankees’ farm system has a noticeable absence of left-handed pitching depth across its affiliates. With all that being said, all it takes is one or two big league success stories to pay dividends and change that perception. </p>
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https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/29/21112838/yankees-farm-system-weakness-left-handed-pitching-tj-sikkema-trevor-lane-james-reevesAaron Esposito2020-01-25T00:00:00-05:002020-01-25T00:00:00-05:00NYY News: Shifting gears and gloves
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Miguel Andujar will try first base and left field in spring training; Cashman still confident in J.A. Happ; Stanton bench presses a supermodel and is projected for 50 home runs next season</p> <p id="v7HbuW"><a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2020/01/yankees-tell-miguel-andujar-to-learn-new-positions-and-he-needs-to-do-so-fast-or-else.html">NJ.com | Randy Miller</a>: Brian Cashman has made it clear this offseason that the third base position belongs to <span>Gio Urshela</span> until further notice. <span>Aaron Boone</span> spent some time last week in the Dominican Republic, and informed <span>Miguel Andujar</span> to come to spring training ready to get some work in at first base and left field. “He can go to Triple-A, but is there a role on the major league club in a different capacity? That bat is special. His makeup is off the chart,” Brian Cashman said. The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> would obviously love to get <span>Andujar</span>’s bat in the lineup however possible, and it appears versatility is going to be key for the 24-year-old slugger to stay out of Triple-A. </p>
<p id="njlNkO"><a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/24/brian-cashman-sees-j-a-happ-as-leader-in-yankees-rotation-race/">NY Post | Dan Martin</a>: There’s been a lot of speculation that the Yankees would look to trade <span>J.A. Happ</span> after a disappointing first full season in the Bronx. With Gerrit Cole on board and <span>Jordan Montgomery</span> back in the fold, it makes a lot of sense for the Yankees to trim payroll by dealing <span>Happ</span>. However, Cashman maintains that he envisions <span>Happ</span> as the fifth starter to begin the season, and he believes he’s in for a bounce back 2020 campaign. If Happ pitches 165 innings or makes 27 starts this year, he will earn another $17 million for the 2021 season. </p>
<p id="sUNNvn"><a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2020/01/yankees-giancarlo-stanton-prepares-for-spring-training-by-bench-pressing-an-ex-victorias-secret-model-video.html">NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein</a>: <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> usually makes headlines with an offseason workout or two, but he outdid himself this time. <span>Stanton</span>’s trainer posted a viral video of him bench pressing supermodel Adriana Lima at the gym earlier this week. The good news here is that Stanton appears to be recovered from the left biceps strain and left shoulder strain that hampered his 2019 season, in which he played only 18 regular season games. Yankees position players report to spring training in just a few short weeks, and Stanton looks ready to go. </p>
<p id="GYVG5a"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/most-interesting-steamer-projections-for-2020">MLB.com | Andrew Simon</a>: Fangraphs’ Steamer projections are always a fun way to look ahead at the upcoming MLB season. If this year’s projections are accurate, Stanton is in for a monster season. Steamer projects Stanton to bat .268/.355/.590 with a 143 wRC+ and a league leading 50 home runs in 143 games. Needless to say, the Yankees would benefit greatly from that added production this season. </p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/25/21080911/yankees-mlb-news-andujar-left-field-first-base-happ-fifth-starter-stanton-adriana-lima-projectionsAaron Esposito2020-01-23T10:00:00-05:002020-01-23T10:00:00-05:00Jonathan Holder is at a career crossroads with the Yankees
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<figcaption>Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Holder will need to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2019 season to cement a future in the Yankees’ bullpen</p> <p id="e2gXFW">There are few <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> players who have more at stake this season than Jonathan Holder. The 26-year-old right-hander enters his fourth MLB season with a mixed bag of results in his past and an uncertain future in the Yankees bullpen. Holder owns a 7-6 record and a 4.30 ERA over 155.0 career innings, but his ERA spiked to 6.31 in 34 games in 2019 before he was shut down with a shoulder injury in August. Even with the departure of <span>Dellin Betances</span>, the Yankees have plenty of bullpen depth in their organization, so now it’s up to Holder to prove he can replicate – or improve upon – the 3.14 ERA he registered in 60 games back in 2018.</p>
<p id="kbxmGZ">Holder would probably feel pretty good about his job security on most MLB teams. He’s a young pitcher with two productive seasons under his belt, set to be paid a team-friendly $750,000 this season. However, the Yankees already have five relief pitchers who can be considered locks for the Opening Day roster, barring injuries. Assuming the Yankees decide to carry eight relief pitchers, that leaves Holder in competition for the final three spots with <span>Jordan Montgomery</span>, <span>Luis Cessa</span>, <span>Jonathan Loaisiga</span>, <span>Deivi Garcia</span>, and anyone else who impresses in camp. <span>Domingo German</span> will also likely return from suspension in June, further cluttering the pitching staff. </p>
<p id="hCUohm">The Yankees still have reason to be optimistic about Holder’s future. Even as he struggled with shoulder injuries last season, Holder posted a 10.02 K/9 and a 2.40 BB/9, both improvements from the year prior. He also didn’t experience any significant dips in velocity. The biggest problem Holder faced in 2019 is that he stopped generating weak contact at a high rate. Holder ranked in the top 6% of MLB in 2018 with a 28.6% hard hit rate against him. A look at Holder’s Statcast metrics shows that he left too many breaking balls out over the plate in 2019, and his hard hit rate went up to a career worst 34.2% as a result. </p>
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<p id="0vURjM">When Holder struggled last season he was sent down to the minor leagues, using up his final minor league option and leaving the Yankees with less flexibility moving forward. If the Yankees are impressed with the performance of pitchers like Garcia, Mike King, or even <span>Albert Abreu</span> this spring, they might feel comfortable trading Holder while he still has some value and freeing up space on the 40-man roster. The acquisition of <span>Gerrit Cole</span> has also dampened Holder’s chances of sticking in New York for the long term. Holder had some success in the opener role when called upon last season, but the Yankees are far less likely to utilize that strategy with the depth <span>Cole</span> brings to the pitching staff. </p>
<p id="21n4r5">If Holder can put his shoulder inflammation behind him, he could bounce back in a similar fashion to <span>Tommy Kahnle</span> last season, providing some stability in the middle innings for the Yankees. However, he has much less margin for error with young relief pitchers nipping at his heels and no minor league options left to play with. Holder will be coming to spring training with a lot to prove and his future is as uncertain as anyone on the Yankees’ roster. </p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/23/21077974/yankees-jonathan-holder-roster-bullpen-2019-previewAaron Esposito2020-01-14T08:00:00-05:002020-01-14T08:00:00-05:00Unsigned free agents the Yankees should keep an eye on
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<figcaption>Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>There are still some free agents on the market who might be able to help the Yankees in 2020</p> <p id="Xwh7gx">The top of the free agent market moved relatively fast this offseason. There’s still a significant crop of veteran free agents on the market, however, and some of them could remain available over the next few weeks as teams round out their rosters before spring training. </p>
<p id="VlY6nq">The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>’ 26-man roster appears pretty much set, but trades and injuries can always change things at a moment’s notice, and Brian Cashman is always looking to improve his club. Remember, in 2018 the Yankees signed <span>Neil Walker</span> to a one-year deal on March 12th. Last season they swung a trade for <span>Mike Tauchman</span> on March 23rd, slightly reshaping the roster just days before the opener. </p>
<p id="Z42rEJ">Expect the Yankees to keep an eye on these remaining free agents if they continue to go unsigned:</p>
<h3 id="Olh6Eo"><span><strong>Cameron Maybin</strong></span></h3>
<p id="Ws7lk0"><span>Maybin</span> came to the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations in late April of last season, and in 82 games, he posted some of the best offensive production of his career. Just a year after signing a minor-league deal with the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>, it looked like <span>Maybin</span> was due for a major-league contract that would price him out of the Yankees’ range. </p>
<p id="MWMXnQ">However, he has yet to sign with another team, and the Yankees could keep an eye on his status moving forward. <span>Aaron Boone</span> raved about his veteran presence in the clubhouse, and <span>Maybin</span> really seemed to enjoy his time in New York last season. The Yankees have more than enough depth at the outfield positions right now, but they could have Maybin at the top of their list if they discover a need for an outfielder. </p>
<h3 id="bVnhy6"><span><strong>Yolmer Sanchez</strong></span></h3>
<p id="xLAzSz">The Yankees have turned lemons into lemonade with infielders like <span>Didi Gregorius</span>, <span>Gio Urshela</span>, and even <span>DJ LeMahieu</span>. Their roster is loaded at all the infield positions right now, but the departure of <span>Gregorius</span> forces <span>Gleyber Torres</span> to play shortstop and takes away a bit of their flexibility to move <span>LeMahieu</span> around the diamond like they did last season. </p>
<p id="zYHHXr"><span>Yolmer Sanchez</span> is a 27-year-old infielder coming off a Gold Glove-season and was a bit of a surprise cut by the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a>. He has the defensive capability to play all around the infield, and he’s driven in over 55 runs each of the past two seasons. <span>Sanchez</span> has done enough in his career to warrant a major-league deal somewhere with more opportunity, but as long as he remains on the market, he should be on the Yankees’ radar. </p>
<h3 id="tKlZ5M"><span><strong>Brandon Kintzler</strong></span></h3>
<p id="dn6s0r">At age-35, <span>Brandon Kintzler</span> has as lengthy a track record of MLB success as any free-agent reliever on the market. He’s had some ups and downs in recent years—as have most relief pitchers—but the right-hander recorded a 2.68 ERA in 57.0 innings for the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> last season, working his way into a set-up role. He wouldn’t have that type of role in New York, but a middle reliever who could give the Yankees 60 innings or so could prove to be quite valuable on the right deal. It’s more likely that the Yankees give some of their younger pitchers an opportunity to prove themselves, but there’s no replacement for <span>Dellin Betances</span> on the market, and <span>Kintzler</span> might be the closest thing they could get at this point. </p>
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https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/14/21064641/yankees-unsigned-mlb-free-agent-targets-cameron-maybin-yolmer-sanchez-brandon-kintzlerAaron Esposito2020-01-13T00:00:00-05:002020-01-13T00:00:00-05:00NYY news: Third base is Gio’s job
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<figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Jordan Montgomery excited for return; Deivi Garcia confident heading into next season; Third base is Urshela’s job to lose </p> <p id="SnWmIA"><a href="https://www.sny.tv/yankees/news/yankees-brian-cashman-says-third-base-is-gio-urshelas-to-lose/312402758">SNY | Nick Wojton:</a> Brian Cashman is keeping no secrets when it comes to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>’ plans at third base this season. For the second time this offseason, Cashman told reporters that the third base job is <span>Gio Urshela</span>’s to lose. Whether that means <span>Miguel Andujar</span> will come off the bench or move around the diamond remains unclear. It will likely depend on how well he adapts to alternative positions like first base, and maybe even left field, when spring training rolls around. </p>
<p id="UdXdTJ"><a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2020/01/why-yankees-jordan-montgomery-thinks-this-change-will-make-him-better-than-ever.html">NJ.com | Brendan Kuty</a>: <span>Jordan Montgomery</span> missed almost the entire 2019 season as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery. It’s been a long rehab process for Montgomery, but he believes the surgery will make him a better pitcher in the long run. The now 27-year-old left-hander said his mechanics were out of sync prior to undergoing surgery, as he forced his arm into positions that wouldn’t hurt as much. Now that he’s fully recovered, Montgomery is focused on using a smoother delivery with better use of his legs.</p>
<p id="5REinl"><a href="https://www.sny.tv/yankees/news/yankees-deivi-garcia-says-futures-game-helped-development-in-2019/312401988">SNY | Nick Wojton</a>: Without question, Yankee fans will look forward to what top prospect Deivi Garcia will bring in 2020. The talented right-hander recently pointed to last year’s Futures Game as a source of a boost in confidence, one that he thinks will help propel him into next season. Cashman has been reluctant to consider moving Garcia for immediate help, and the young hurler could impact the big-league team soon.</p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/13/21063000/yankees-news-jordan-montgomery-stephen-tarpley-gio-urshela-brett-gardnerAaron Esposito2020-01-12T10:00:00-05:002020-01-12T10:00:00-05:00How DJ LeMahieu can repeat his strong 2019 season for the Yankees
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<figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>There are three phases to LeMahieu’s game that improved last season, and stand a good chance of remaining for 2020</p> <p id="TaT0Sz"><span>DJ LeMahieu</span>, a two-time all-star and three-time gold glove award winner in Colorado, came to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> as a free agent with very little fanfare last offseason. While all eyes were on <span>Manny Machado</span>, <span>Bryce Harper</span>, and <span>Patrick Corbin</span>, Brian Cashman quietly picked up <span>LeMahieu</span> on a two-year $24 million deal with a plan to use him as the Yankees’ infield swiss army knife. </p>
<p id="kjStpS">It couldn’t have gone much better than it did, as <span>LeMahieu</span> went on to slash .327/.375/.518 and finish fourth in American League MVP voting. There’s no doubt the Yankees, and LeMahieu, would love to replicate his 2019 success in the second year of his contract with the Yankees.</p>
<p id="TH9GSa">What is it that turns a 2.1 WAR player into a 5.4 WAR player like LeMahieu in 2018 and 2019? A huge boost in offensive production, especially in the power department. LeMahieu slugged .409 in 2017 and .428 in 2018 — while playing his home games at extremely hitter friendly Coors Field — before slugging .518 in his first season in New York. In 2019, LeMahieu tapped into more power with a career high 6.7 launch angle. He previously won a National League batting title with a 4.8 launch angle, but his ISO that season was 44 points lower than his ISO in 2019. If LeMahieu is to replicate or improve upon his magnificent Yankees debut, he’ll likely look to maintain that higher launch angle. </p>
<p id="qEBjJv">The UCLA product was also more aggressive at the plate last season. No matter the pitch type, LeMahieu swung at a higher percentage of pitches in the strike zone than the previous two seasons, according to Statcast. </p>
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<p id="15BZ2C">Early in his career, LeMahieu might have been a bit over aggressive, and he became more selective in 2017 and 2018. It appears he found a happy medium last season, and it paid off, especially against breaking balls. LeMahieu swung at 11% more breaking balls within the strike zone last season compared to 2018, and his xSLG of .538 against breaking balls was 99 points higher than his previous career high in 2017. </p>
<p id="p5M3iD">With a more aggressive mindset comes a tendency to chase pitches outside the zone, and LeMahieu did chase about 4-5% more pitches than previous years. However, his 13.7 K% was on par with recent seasons. LeMahieu is such a great contact hitter that he can afford to be more aggressive early in counts and not get burned by strikeouts. It also didn’t seem to matter what type of pitches opponents threw to LeMahieu last season, he hit everything at a high level. LeMahieu batted at least .319 and slugged at least .487 against all pitch types in 2019, something that couldn’t be said about any of his seasons prior to joining the Yankees. </p>
<p id="qwxkh7">He was also unfazed by his first regular experience at third base and first base when called upon. LeMahieu posted 130+ at bats at three positions and batted at least .315 at all three. If LeMahieu can maintain his higher launch angle, keep an aggressive mindset against all pitch types, and remain unfazed as he moves around the diamond, there’s little reason to believe he can’t be a force atop the Yankees’ lineup again in 2020. </p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/12/21061793/yankees-dj-lemahieu-2020-repeat-performance-launch-angle-plate-aggressionAaron Esposito2020-01-08T08:00:00-05:002020-01-08T08:00:00-05:00What Gerrit Cole can do to improve in 2020
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<figcaption>Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Yankees’ new ace still has elements of his game that he can refine in search of his first Cy Young Award</p> <p id="wifmOQ"><span>Gerrit Cole</span> does almost everything well. The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>’ new ace ranked in the top five among MLB starters last season in total innings, K/9, LOB%, ERA, xFIP, and WAR. In other words, he represented the cream of the crop among starting pitchers at the highest level of the sport. </p>
<p id="aZU5FG">That said, <span>Cole</span> joins a Yankees team with a brand new pitching coach, and he’s spoken about his desire to always pick up new information that can take his game to another level. The question remains, what does <span>Cole</span> even have left to improve upon? </p>
<p id="HEns5e">The first and most glaring weakness last season for Cole came courtesy of the long ball. Nearly 17% of fly balls against Cole left the yard in 2019. That was the second-worst HR/FB rate among all MLB starters. You can probably chalk some of that up to bad luck, but it’s not the first time he’s struggled to keep fly balls in the ballpark. Cole registered the eighth-worst HR/FB rate in MLB (15.9%) in 2017 with the <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a>, before cutting it down to 10% in his first season in Houston. </p>
<p id="Msk3EG">Cole surrendered 29 total home runs last season. Seventeen of those homers came off his fastball, eight were off sliders, and four were curveballs. If you consider his pitch mix (52% fastball, 23% slider, 15.5% curveball), he was equally susceptible to the long ball with all three of those pitches. Cole’s propensity for home runs appears to be more a result of missed location, regardless of pitch selection. </p>
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<p id="gAlorx">Cole served up 20 of the 29 home runs allowed last season directly in the middle of the strike zone. He also had a bit more trouble leaving pitches over the plate to left-handed batters. Left-handed opponents’ xSLG on pitches middle-middle against Cole last season was .772, nearly .300 points higher than any other part of the strike zone. When you’re talking about Cole, the only player worth comparing last season was his teammate in Houston, Cy Young Award winner <span>Justin Verlander</span>. </p>
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<figcaption>xSLG vs. lefties</figcaption>
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<p id="dfrpME">When <span>Verlander</span> missed middle-middle to lefties, opponents xSLG was only .336. However, <span>Verlander</span>’s opponent xSLG was higher in nearly every other zone, showing just how dangerous Cole can be if he stays out of the middle of the zone next season. It’s impossible to hit your spot every single time, but Cole’s a perfectionist and there’s no doubt he’s going to try to cut down on those mistakes. </p>
<p id="yKa9On">Cole’s fastball, slider, and curveball are all plus pitches, but could he reach another level with more usage of his changeup? Last season, Cole only threw his changeup 7.4% of the time. However, as dominant as Cole’s three primary offerings are, the swing-and-miss rate on his changeup was higher than all of them. In fact, the whiff rate against Cole’s changeup has climbed each of the past four seasons, all the way from 12% in 2015, to 41.2% in 2019. That level of improvement is a testament to the work Cole puts in behind the scenes and his evolution over time. The 83.5 mph average exit velocity against Cole’s changeup last season was also the lowest of any of his pitches. </p>
<p id="Ubimjm">Cole might not throw 97-100 mph throughout the duration of his nine-year contract with the Yankees, but the continued development of his changeup could give him another weapon in an arsenal that’s already the cream of the crop for MLB pitchers. Believe it or not, Cole is still in search of his first Cy Young award, and there’s no doubt he’ll be working hard with new pitching coach Matt Blake to refine the parts of his game that could take him from a dominant ace to perennial award winner. </p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/8/21054445/yankees-gerrit-cole-ace-offseason-improvements-changeup-home-run-rateAaron Esposito2020-01-05T12:00:00-05:002020-01-05T12:00:00-05:00Jonathan Loaisiga can help the Yankees replace Dellin Betances
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<figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The 25-year-old still has some untapped potential, and his pure stuff is reminiscent of a young Betances</p> <p id="xdSbLt">After years of dominance with the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>, <span>Dellin Betances</span> now pitches for the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. That’s not what Yankees fans wanted to hear this offseason, but the team simply wasn’t willing to dish out the money for a player who missed nearly the entire 2019 season, and still has to recover from a partially torn Achilles. The Yankees have enough late-innings bullpen weapons to soften the blow, but they could benefit from the emergence of a young relief pitcher with a surprisingly similar arsenal to <span>Betances</span>.</p>
<p id="0pDyx1"><span>Jonathan Loaisiga</span> looks absolutely nothing like Betances. He’s 5-foot-11 and 165 lbs, and his delivery doesn’t resemble Betances’ in any way. When he releases the ball, however, he’s one of the few young pitchers in MLB whose stuff could be considered comparable to Betances in his prime. </p>
<p id="HdBscG">In 2018, the 6-foot-8 Betances averaged 97.7 mph on his fastball and 84.3 mph on his curveball, with spin rates that consistently grade as well above average. In 31.2 innings of work last season, Loaisiga averaged 96.8 mph on his fastball and 84.2 mph on his curveball, with a fastball spin rate in the 84th percentile and curveball spin rate in the 89th percentile. </p>
<p id="KiJtoY">Their pitch mix is also quite similar. In 2018, Betances threw 47.8% fastballs and 35.2% curveballs. Loaisaga threw his fastball at 47.7% last season and his curveball at 30.8%. He also mixed in a changeup and a power sinker, neither of which were as effective as the curveball. </p>
<p id="7UBrXV">It’s also worth noting that Loaisiga made four starts last season, likely dragging down his average fastball velocity a bit. The right-hander has the ability to reach back for triple-digit fastballs and the high spin rate on his curveball started to translate into real results last season. Opponents posted an xBA of .096 and xSLG of just .132 against 182 curveballs from Loaisiga last season. It’s not fair to expect Loaisiga to ever post strikeout numbers quite like Betances, but if he can improve his command he could be something of a Betances lite for the Yankees moving forward. </p>
<p id="KJtarJ">Betances posted a K/9 of 13.5 or better in all five full seasons with the Yankees, but his BB/9 varied from 2.40 in 2014 to 6.64 in 2017. His stuff was so utterly dominant that he was able to register a 2.87 ERA in 2017, regardless of his erratic location. Loaisiga posted a 10.52 K/9 and a 4.55 BB/9 in his limited action in 2019. If the 25-year-old can improve to a K/9 around 11.0 or 12.0 and a BB/9 closer to 3.5 he could become a weapon similar to someone like <span>Adam Ottavino</span> in the middle innings. He has that kind of stuff, but durability has been a concern since he got injured as a <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> prospect in 2013 and missed the entire 2014 and 2015 minor league seasons. </p>
<p id="Fx91nN">With Eric Cressey and Matt Blake now on board, the Yankees appear to be taking a new approach to how they’ll apply strength and conditioning programs to their pitchers. If Loaisiga can remain healthy for a full season and put his focus on the bullpen from the start, it could start to make a lot of sense why the Yankees would let someone like Betances walk. He’s not a sure thing, but the best version of <span>Jonathan Loaisiga</span> could be a breakout star for the Yankees’ bullpen in 2020. </p>
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https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/1/5/21049614/yankees-bullpen-jonathan-loaisiga-dellin-betancesAaron Esposito