Can the Yanks Compete in 2017?

Had a little time and saw some of you talking about whether or not the Yanks can compete when they are "more than one player away."   I think the answer is maybe. As it stands now the Yanks have uncertainty in their starting rotation, a sinister 1-2 punch in their bullpen, and a lineup that should be chockfull of patience and pop for the first time in some time.   They also finally have a farm system that is deep in pitchers and hitters - some of whom might even force their ways to the majors this year.  So they might just compete, but it really will depend on the kids.

I think we can all agree that the Yanks are cannot expect much from Ellsbury (who will miss time and thus give time to a kid) and whom they cannot trade, but Headley and or Gardy could still be flipped for more young players, creating more room for kids.  

In the rotation there are Tanaka, CC, and maybe Pineda (who has been insanely inconsistent).  That leaves Severino, Cessa, Mitchell, and Green, with possibly Enns and Montgomery showing enough in camp to earn a spot.  Severino is once again the key here.  He was supposed to break out last year, but he got so much stronger than he lost the feel for his change up.  This year could be the year he puts it all together, and thankfully, Cash is willing to send him to AAA and NOT THE BULLPEN if he's not ready to start.

Both Cessa and Green showed at times last season and could improve.  And there's always the chance that Chance Adams or James Kaprielian put an added charge in the rotation at some point.

There are literally scores of arms available to build a bridge from the rotation to Betances and Chapman.  The Yanks, in fact, seem so comfortable with their rack of relief talent, they let Lindgren go for nothing and Nick Goody for cash or a PTBNL.  So the cupboard is loaded and the only way they will have problems is if Girardi auditions so many that the 40 man roster once again becomes the kind of mess where we can lose a Lindgren or a Torrens.

As for the line-up, we've always wanted the Yanks to start developing kids with both patience and pop.  They're now doing that again and Sanchez and Judge, especially, have plus plus power potential, and homeruns can undo a both the other team's and your so so pitching.  I do believe Aaron Judge will make the adjustment he made at AAA and become a very dangerous man.  What's more, having him in right field instead of 135 games or whatever of Beltran out there should save some runs.

Mason Williams is probably the best defensive CF on the team at this point - defenitely if they trade Gardy, we'll see if they make him split left with Austin or let him play CF and Ellsbury LF (or CF when Austin plays LF).

Bird and Austin have also shown patience and pop in the system, and could also really contribute at first and some DH in a three way rotation with Holliday.

I'm still concerned with having Castro at second (or third should Headley be moved) because he has pop but no patience, and Didi, who can field and has pop but also lacks patience and the Yanks could do well by trading him if either Gleyber or one of the other SS prospects shows they're ready at some point this season.  I don't know how they'll move Castro.  Meanwhile they should bat 8th and 9th for the foreseeable.

Higgy should beat out Romine at back up catcher, because he is better at hitting and on defense.  But because they let Torrens go, they are now bereft of C depth in the minors and might decide to keep Romine at back up and Higgy in the minors - just to have someone there.  Though that wouldn't help the majorl league team one lick.

Meanwhile, down on the farm they now have so much talent, we could see any number of lights go on and surprises, so it should be fun down there too.

So can the Yanks compete this year?  It will be largely up to the kids, and they are talented.

This Week on the Blog

A few days late with one, as we continue to barrel through the holidays.  I hope you're are joyous.  This past week, the Giants sidestepped into the playoffs, the Rangers dove into the tank and the Knicks continued to show an unwillingness to play consistent D.  Let's take a look.

Rangers:  The Rangers gave up 7 goals in each of their last two games before the Christmas break, and early tonight gave up goals on each of the Sens' first two shots tonight.  This is ridiculous and Dan Girardi is now a pylon.  I don't want to resent a guy who has been valiant for us, but he's constantly getting exposed these days, especially over this recent 16 goal barrage.  I think losing Nash again, when he was playing so well, may have been too much for this team to handle, given the long injuries to Buch and Mika that the Rangers have also been dealing with.  Hank has the flu so Brandon Halvorson has been called up.  And with the way things are going, he could make his debut. Woo hoo: Nick Holden just scored!  Down 2-1.  LGR!  Raanta give up another one.

Knicks: The Knicks lost on Christmas because they refused to play defense for the entire second period, and throughout the game challenged the Celtics to settle for 3's, which they kept hitting.  The Celts also got away with many, many moving screens. I don't know why that happens, but like the NFL, the NBA still has a ref problem.  Also, if the Knicks are going to lose, I want them to do it with the kids, who can learn, rather than with the vets who can be a little ball hoggish.

Giants: The Giants got reffed in Philly and are now locked into the #5 seed in the NFC playoffs. This weekend they play Washington, and while nothing will change for them win or lose, I think they should play hard because they need the reps.  The Giant O never really got going all year, and I won't believe it is possible in the post season until I see it in the regular season.  Also, if they beat Washington, it will keep them out of the playoffs. I'd like to see them put to sleep with a heavy dose of Paul Perkins.

Yanks: The Yankees are still rumored to be in on Quintana, whom they just could have kept instead of allowing him to become a minor leage FA back in 2011. Let's if they do make a deal, it reflects better self scouting than letting him go did.  Seems like it will be tough to do because the White Sox will probably ask for some of the deadline gold.  I think the Yanks have to pass at that point.  They are also patiently pursuing deals that would free them of Gardy, Headly or both.  Godspeed in those tasks, room must be made and protected for the kids.

Have a great week and your best year yet!

Giants Clinch!

The Giants didn't exactly back into the playoffs, but sort of sidestepped in due to what looked like either ref incompetence or malfeasance Thursday night in Philly.  This season, the Giants have proven talented enough to overcome almost all of their unforced errors, but if those officials the other night had whistled to clear PI on the 4th down throw to Sheppard, the Giants would already have already made it. This, of course takes all the pressure off the Washington game, but the Giants can't rest starters because - until they stop making soooo many mistakes - they need the reps!  But as much as they can frustrate us, they are easy to like, and we all know now that they're in the tourney, anything can happen.  GO GIANTS!

This Week on the Blog

This week just started off nicely as the Giants beat the Lions to move to 10-4.   The Rangers play later.  The Knicks need to regroup and the Yanks still haven't done anything stupid.  Let's take a look.

Giants: It's pretty incredible that they've gotten to ten wins since they are prone to so many unforced errors. Once again they lost an Odell punt return TD because of block in the back away from the play.  But they did get TD's from Odell and Sterling as well as a big catch by Cruz early.  I'm surprised they haven't been more clever with the three of them.   OBJ did launch a great block on Sterling's WR screen which set up their second TD.  Wing had another good game and pinned the Lions a few times.  Jackrabbit Jenkins left the game with a back and we'll have to see what that is. Perkins was averaging 5 yards a carry, but somehow they tried to grind it down with Jennings again, and ended up going three and out twice in the final four minutes.  Sub-optimal.

Knicks: the Knicks D has come apart again. And it's made them look terrible over the last two games.  Rose has been out, and Melo and KP are both nursing stuff that seems to be limiting them a bit.  It may be time to start starting KOQ or Willy at C.  Both of them have been impressive, and Willy had a double double last night. Noah hasn't been able to muster much, and they've got to figure out their best rotations.  Still a work in progress, but they need to regroup.

Rangers:  the Rangers won by way of a shootout last night and later today have to come back against the Devils.  Nash and Puempel have been back, which has helped, but their margins have really narrowed without Buch and Mika.  The call-ups have been playing well, but the talent level is degraded without those two. But they are showing some character(though they indefensibly let Hank get run the other night - which I hate), but they're winning tight games, and they might run into some of those even if Buch and Mika are back for the playoffs.

Yanks: I'd assume they're done till January.  Let's be grateful that they're haning onto their picks and prospects.

It's a slow week, so maybe I can post some more, but if not, have a great one, and thanks for posting.

This Week on the Blog

Put this off most of the weekend because of the unusual scheduling that had our Giants, Rangers and Knicks all playing at roughly the same time this afternoon/evening my time.  Amazingly, the Giants, Rangers and Knicks all posted signature wins and this week is off to an amazing start.  And Mariano was at the Giant game and was their honorary captain, so all our teams were in on it today.  Also, this must be the start of an amazing week for all of us, because when else has this happened?  Let's get down to cases.

Giants: the Giants D is now playing better than it has since Spags 1.  Those of us who wondered if Spags could still coach D at an elite level have got our answer and it's a big fat hell yeah!   Janoris Jenkins was amazing tonight and has really made huge strides this year after seeming to breakout and earn the big contract last year.   Vernon was great, too, as we Landon, and Okwara may be our latest ringer.  They gave up some runs to the JPP side, but not enough to hurt them. Owa was out, too, but they still somehow held the Cowboys to 7 points.  Amazing.  Meanwhile, on O, Eli was again shakey and big drops from OBJ and Cruz held down the Giants' chances.  If they can clean up the drops, and Eli gets back to what he's been the past two years, the Giants might actually have a run in them.   Sounds crazy, but there are some similarities to past Giant teams that have gone on runs.

Rangers: The Rangers are down 4 top forwards: Buch, Mika, Nash and Pumpel.  That's more than most teams can handle, but the Rangers, with Raanta in net again, just won their third straight and second straight shutout by thrashing the Devils 5-0.  Kreider, Skjei, Miller (all Ranger first roung picks) then Pirri and Vesey (both for this past offseason) scored the goals.  The call ups, Hrivik and Jensen have been close, and playing so well the Rangers waived Jooris, who was picked up by Az.  We'll see how long they ride with the hot hand in Raanta, but they should start getting some of the missing forwards back.  They could still use help on D.

Knicks:  KP had been in the tank since the first Minny game.  This weekend it was learned that he had tweaked his knee at some point, but he wasn't using that as an excuse.  Tonight he didnt need one as he went for 26, 12, and 7 blocks against the Lakers.  KOQ was out, but Billy Hernangomez pitched in with 6, 12 and 2 blocks of his own.  Rose, who had missed the last two, was on fire and the Knicks were also helped by Jennings and Melo.  We've been calling them a work in progress, and this work is progressing!  They're on a little run now, and if KP is over his knee, this could be the most fun we've had since Linsanity.  Good times.   They still need to consistently pick up their D.

Yanks: Pretty sure the Yanks are going to trade Gardy.  Don't know when, but I think they will.  I also think there's about a 20 per cent of a big surprise trade.  Don't know why I think this, but I do.  We'll see.

So those of you who can, head to the track this week!  Our luck is finally back!  Have a great one!

Yanks Stuff

The Yanks are signing Aroldis Chapman for 5/86 with a full no trade for 3 and an opt-out after 3 as well.  They get to keep their pick, with is now #16 and could move up depending on how signs the remaining FA's. This is a perfectly acceptable move for the Yanks and should lockdown the back end of the bullpen if it's ever needed.

The Yanks did get slammed this morning in the Rule V,  they lost Luis Torrens to the Reds, who then traded him to the Padres, who will probably be able to keep him on their 25.  He was the second player chosen.  They also lost pitchers Caleb Smith,  Tyler Webb and Tyler Jones.  Then in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 they lost an interesting hitter in Kevin Cornelius, an oft injure power pitcher in Ty Hensley and RHP Kevin Magallanes.  The Yanks also picked up a 26 year old C and another RHP in the minor league portion of the draft.

Torrens is the big loss. Organizationally, he was the next catcher in line behind Sanchez, who had the talent to eventually start. He's only 20, so he might be back, but the Padres trading for him probably means they have a plan to keep him. Believe it or not, the Yanks are now really thin on minor league catching talent.

Yanks Sign Matt Holliday

The Yankees, continuing their tradition of signing guys who had offered them discounts years before, finally signed Matt Holliday today.  It's said to be a 1 year deal worth 13M.  In other words, about what they wanted Beltran for.  He'll probably get all the chances at DH, knowing Girardi, but this also means they won't be spending their #17 pick on Encarnacion.  So, it was an imaginary need filled for just cash. Still would have preferred to see them float the kids through DH on their half days.

This Week on the Blog

Okay, Chris Kreider just took over a lackluster game by the Rangers and won it with two 3rd Period goals.  Those were his first two in 6 games and two of only 3 since he missed all that time with the neck, after his hot start.  More on them later.  This past week was more up and down for the Rangers and Knicks, and more winning without playing well for the Giants.  The Yanks still haven't done anything stupid.  The Winter Meetings start tomorrow so let's hope they keep their streak going.

Giants: The Giants have their first big test in some time tomorrow as they try to beat the Steelers and stretch their winning streak to 7.  They're could crappy weather which wouldn't help the Giants anemic running game take over for it's occasionally high flying passing game.  They're also taking a hit on their improving DL as Owa is going to miss the game with a knee.  The Steeler, love them or hold them in the proper contempt, do always field a physically tough team.  That's why it was so gratifying when the Giants pounded them in 2008.  That's why this is a huge test for the Giants.  We've seen them play down to everyone's level, now it's time to see if it works the other way.

Yanks:  The Yanks are headed to the Winter Meetings with the news that Carlos Beltran, their purported target for their imaginary old DH need is going back to the Astros. I would much rather see Austin, Refs, Higgy, and whoever else is not on defense that day flow through the position, and I really don't want to see them give up the #17 pick in the first round to sign an old DH, or a reliever or an old pitcher.  I suppose they could get Napoli or Holliday, but what't the point?  Haven't we seen enough of the ups and downs of past their prime guys like Giles and Berkman to take away at bats from younger talent?   It will be less odius if they don't give up the pick, but they should know by now Girardi has a long leash for veterans and short one for kids.  He's not the right manager for this rebuild/reload, and they shouldn't be picking up players to further expose his weaknesses.  We'll see what gets done.

UPDATE:  The Braves announced today that they have signed Jacob Lindgren.  This no doubt screws the Yanks chances of sneaking another guy through as they've done in the past.  Still losing even an injured player of this caliber without compensation, is suboptimal.  They should cut Hicks.

Rangers:  The Rangers are really missing Mika and Buch.  And until today, they were also really missing the Kreider of the preseason and the first few games.  Earlier in the season, the Rangers were overwhelming teams with their forward depth, but now with two of their best forwards and best passers out, they are struggling to maintain the possession or two create the quick possessions that lead to all those quick goals earlier this season.  What's more, they do not currently possess the defensive chops to hold onto one goal leads, or maintain ties.  So, until they can tighten up the D, every game will be more of a struggle.  But, if Kreider is really back, it will help quite a bit, because Nash and Stepan are also percolating.

Knicks:  The Knicks are still a work in progress, but they just won back to backs against the really dirty TWolves, and that was fun.  Kyle O'Quinn was a monster last night, and I think we all thought we'd see more of that when we signed him to that seemingly savvy deal, but last night was by far his best game as a Knick, and they need more of that.  KP seems to be in a phase where, if he isn't hot early, he stops getting the ball.  Of course, this has never happened to Melo, who was great again last night after a few stinkers.  The Knicks seem much better so far with Jennings at the point and Rose on the bench.  They are also 4-0 without Noah in a small sample.  But this year is all about the next core of KP, Billy, and Kuz, so look it that way and don't worry about the playoffs till they are made.

Have a great week everyone, and I'm sure we'll have more Yankee stuff to talk about as it progresses.