MLB suspension also pushes back German return.

If you are wondering what the suspension of spring training and the postponement and delay of Opening Day means for Domingo German and his return to the Yankees, think no further.

It pushes it back.

German wasn’t suspended for a certain time, but for a certain amount of GAMES. So his suspension resumes whenever the games resume.

Originally considered a candidate for a June return, now, depending on when MLB does kick in, he may not be back until August.

And with the changes to MLB as far as the rosters (no increase from 25 to 40 in September, but only from 26 to 28), if this delay pushes him into September, then there could be a chance he doesn’t come back at all this year.

He’s not eligible until the Yankees’ 64th game of 2020, but who knows now when that 64th game will take place?

That 64th game was originally supposed to be June 5th. Now?

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This pandemic / national emergency does give some players like Judge, Stanton and Paxton time to heal without missing games. So there is that. A silver lining.

But we wish the black cloud never would have appeared.

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As expected the minors followed MLB’s lead. Minor league baseball postponed for the time being as well.

Yankees hold first full squad workout Tuesday, but no BP (shoulder) for Judge.

The position players reported Monday and yesterday saw the Yanks hold their first full-squad workout of spring training.

But Aaron Judge didn’t take BP because of a sore shoulder.

The Yanks don’t think it’s serious, and as long as they take it slow with him and that he is good to go on March 26 (Opening Day in Baltimore) all will be good.

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The Yanks are going slow with Luis Severino, after what happened with his shoulder last year.

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With this cheating scandal, Rob Manfred is really showing himself as a weak commissioner.

Baker pleading for the A*trori*k* to be protected.

Dusty Baker is in a tough situation. He has to protect players he didn’t manage when those players cheated in the past few years. Now he is begging MLB to help protect them.

One thing you learn at an early age. Respect isn’t given, it is earned. And once lost, you have to work two or three times as hard to re-earn it.

I don’t advocate beanballs, but if some pitcher decides to fire a pitch at some Astro hitters’ butt or plunk him in the ribs, I would not mind that at all.

Put it this way. Houston is damned lucky. Imagine if they were facing a lawsuit because of a hitter— knowing what pitch was coming— hitting a line drive that hit a pitcher in the head.

So looking at it THAT way, I have no problem with some pitchers looking for retaliation. But once that pitch is thrown, then warnings have to be given out so that the game doesn’t get out of hand.

But Houston, you asked for it. And some of your comments defending yourselves are flat out ridiculous, like the little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Meanwhile, a couple of Little League organizations have removed the name Astros from their league because they don’t want kids associated with a name now synonymous with cheating. They want kids doing things the right way.

I do like this, from Mike Vaccaro’s NY Post column:

Dick Schlott: Were the umpires deaf during the Astros games? It is incumbent on the umpire crews to see and hear what is going on, including strange noises coming out of a dugout!
Vac: And to think, all these years, people thought you could only make fun of umpires being blind, not deaf.

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Looking at pictures of Yankees’ C Gary Sanchez in spring training, it looks like he lost a good deal of weight. Looks trim and chiseled and hopefully more mobile behind the plate. Hopefully it helps him stay off the DL more often.

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Another minor signing: Yanks sign Chad Bettis RHP, 31 in April. Bettis went 1-6, 6.08 in 39 games for Colorado in 2019 (3 starts). ERA+ 86. He is 31-31 in his career with an ERA of 5.12 (ERA+ 93). His best years were in 2016 when he went 14-8, 4.79, ERA+ 101 in 32 starts, and the year before when in 20 starts he went 8-6, 4.23, ERA+ 110. His 162 game average is 8-8, 5.12, ERA+ 93, 24 starts, 20 more appearances in relief.

No offense to Bettis, but it appears to be a depth signing. Not much to get excited about. Granted Colorado doesn’t help his numbers, but…

Jeter dissenter remains anonymous.

Today was the day that the public ballots for the Hall of Fame vote became public.

315 of the 397 votes cast were public. The other 82 were private.

To no surprise, all of the 315 public votes had Derek Jeter’s name checked off.

So the one voter who didn’t vote for Jeter decided to remain anonymous.

Now that voter may or may not have had a good reason.

Someone may (and they have) been mad that I called that voter a coward.

But hey, when you decide something take a stand, but then hide behind the cloak of anonymity, what else do you call it but cowardice?

You believe in something, stand up for yourself and your beliefs. This person had to know that they may be the only dissenter.

They had to know that people would want to know why that person was the only one of 397 who didn’t vote Jeter for the Hall of Fame.

Maybe that person had a good reason. Fine. Maybe not. Maybe that person is just moronic.

By not standing up for themselves and by hiding behind the cloak of anonymity, we do know what that person is.

A coward.

There. I said it. And I am not taking it back.

And the same goes for the three who remain anonymous who didn’t vote for Ken Griffey, Jr. a few years back.

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Greg Bird finally found a home (or is it nest?) He signed a minor league deal with Texas.

Yanks have 3 prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.

MLB pipeline has three Yankees prospects in their top 100. Here is what they have to say as well as their ranking, and a little about each one from me.

Yankees (3)
54. Jasson Dominguez (ETA: 2024)
88. Clarke Schmidt (2020)
92. Deivi Garcia (2020)

Homegrown talent has helped fuel back-to-back 100-win seasons for the Yankees, though promotions and trades have thinned out their farm system somewhat since MLB Pipeline ranked it as baseball’s second-best three years ago. Dominguez has an immense ceiling and is drawing athletic comparisons to Bo Jackson and Mickey Mantle before making his pro debut, while Schmidt and Garcia could bolster the big league rotation in 2020.

It’s important to note that Dominguez was just signed to a deal (international signing) last year at the age of 16(!). Already #54. He hasn’t even played a minor league game yet (too young for it last year) but look at those comparisons—and before even making his pro debut.

Schmidt, RHP, turns 24 next month. He was the Yanks’ 1st round pick in 2017 out of the University of South Carolina. He spent most of 2019 at High A Tampa, ending up in AA Trenton. I’d expect him to start at AA Trenton, but won’t be surprised if he actually starts the year at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (abbreviated as SWB to make things easier). In a total of 18 starts and one relief appearance, Schmidt was 6-5, 3.47 in 2019 and struck out 102 in 90 2/3 IP. You have to wonder what his innings limit would be this year, though. 125? An injury cost him a lot of 2017 and 2018. He only has 114 minor league innings under his belt, going 6-8, 3.39 with 132 K in 114 IP. In his college career, he was 15-9, 3.21 in 45 games (36 starts) with 254 K in 229 2/3 IP. I wonder if he may actually be a year away, needing more time and innings in the minors, and ETA more likely 2021.

Garcia, RHP, is slight, 5′ 9″, 163 lbs., as opposed to Schmidt’s 6’1″, 200 lb frame. Garcia is still 20, turns 21 in May. He rose quickly, starting 2019 at High A Tampa and finishing at AAA SWB. He’ll probably start the year at SWB. His 2019 combined record was 5-9, 4.28, (21 starts, 5 relief appearances) with 165 K in 111 1/3 IP. The record wasn’t great, but he is only 20 and look at the number of K’s to IP. I wonder about his innings limit for this year, but if around 140-150, he seems more likely for a 2020 arrival than Schmidt. I could be wrong, we’ll see, but he did pitch some 20 innings more than Schmidt did last year.  In his whole minor league career so far, Garcia is 17-20, 3.37 with a whopping 416 K in 293.2 IP. In 2018, between A to AA (three levels), Garcia was 5-4, 2.55 in 14 starts, with 105 K in 74 IP. Young, still learning, but already, with that K to IP ratio, showing a very high ceiling.

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There is a resolution approved by L.A.’s City Council calling for the 2017 World Series title to be stripped from the Astros and awarded to the Dodgers. We know is won’t happen, even though the Astros should probably now be called the Asterisks for what they did.

However, isn’t it presumptuous of L.A.’s City Council to think the Dodgers would have won the WS? Let’s say Houston’s cheating kept the Yankees from the AL Pennant and that the Yankees would have and should have played the Dodgers in the World Series that year. Who’s to say that the Yankees wouldn’t have won that World Series? Sorry, L.A. City council, but we’ll never know what might have happened if the Yankees, not the Astros were your opponent in the WS in 2017. If you think Houston screwed you over in the 2017 WS, well, the Yankees think the same as far as the 2017 ALCS.

Finally official. Jeter in HOF with Larry Walker. Jeter misses being unanimous by ONE vote.

It’s finally official. SS Derek Jeter is headed to Cooperstown.

ONE voter kept Jeter from being unanimous. ONE. Sorry, Joel Sherman and Ken Rosenthal, but I welcome a witch-hunt to find out who the jerk was.

Really. I want to know who and what stupid rationale he or she has. See below for more comments and my opinion.

Jeter is sixth all-time with 3465 hits. Two of the five players above him (Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker) were born in the 1880s and last played in 1928. A 5x World Series Champ, Jeter hit .310 in his career. His 162 game average was .310-15-77 with 21 SB. OPS+ 115.

He also played in 158 postseason games, hitting .308 with 20 HR.

He was SI’s Sportsman of the Year for 2009.

The 1996 ROY was also a 14x All-Star, won 5 Gold Gloves, 5 Silver Sluggers, and was both the 2000 All-Star Game and 2000 WS MVP.

He finished in the Top 10 of MVP voting eight times.

He spent his whole career with the Yankees, 1995-2014.

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Larry Walker joins Jeter (as well as Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, both voted in by committee last month). Walker played for Montreal (1989-1994), Colorado (1995-2004) and St. Louis (2004-2005). He was a 5x All-Star, 7X Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, won 3 batting titles and was the 1997 MVP.

Besides winning the 1997 MVP, Walker had three other top 10 finishes.

He hit .313 in his career with 383 HR. His 162 game average was .313-31-107 with 19 SB and a fabulous 141 OPS+.

The right fielder played in 28 postseason games, hitting .230 with 7 HR and 15 RBI.

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From MLB.com: (298 needed for induction)

COMPLETE VOTING TOTALS

Derek Jeter: 396 votes (99.7 percent)   1 vote short of unanimous.

Larry Walker: 304 (76.6)  Made it barely.

Curt Schilling: 278 (70.0)  Missed by 20.

Roger Clemens: 242 (61.0)

Barry Bonds: 241 (60.7)

Omar Vizquel: 209 (52.6)

Scott Rolen: 140 (35.3). Big drop off from the publicized ballots, here down.

Billy Wagner: 126 (31.7)

Gary Sheffield: 121 (30.5)

Todd Helton: 116 (29.2)

Manny Ramírez: 112 (28.2)

Jeff Kent 109: (27.5)

Andruw Jones: 77 (19.4)

Sammy Sosa: 55 (13.9)

Andy Pettitte: 45 (11.3)

Bobby Abreu: 22 (5.5)

20 votes were needed to stay on the ballot. Abreu barely made the cut.

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The following drop off of the ballot:

Paul Konerko: 10 (2.5)

Jason Giambi: 6 (1.5)

Alfonso Soriano: 6 (1.5)

Eric Chávez: 2 (0.5)

Cliff Lee: 2 (0.5)

Adam Dunn: 1 (0.3) Guy below?

Brad Penny: 1 (0.3)

Raúl Ibañez: 1 (0.3)

J.J. Putz: 1 (0.3)

If the same guy who voted for Putz didn’t vote for Jeter, then who IS the Putz?

Josh Beckett: 0 apparently he did get ONE vote, see below. IS BELOW REAL OR FAKE?

Heath Bell: 0

Chone Figgins: 0

Rafael Furcal: 0

Carlos Peña: 0

Brian Roberts: 0

José Valverde: 0  As with Beckett, apparently he did get one vote, see below.

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Ok, here are some thoughts. It’s a shame that Jeter did not join Mariano Rivera as unanimous selections because to me, it was important, after all that went on this week with the cheating allegations from Houston and Boston, three managers and a GM fired as a result of it, and after all that has gone on with steroid allegations over the last two decades or more, to send a message.

That message is to not only play the game well, but to play the game RIGHT.

To carry yourself a certain way. To gain and EARN the respect of your teammates and opponents.

Mariano Rivera did so and was awarded with a unanimous selection.

Derek Jeter did so as well, and should have been rewarded the same way.

It’s too bad one voter disagreed. I have a lot of thoughts and words for that voter which I (for the sake of children who may be reading) won’t repeat here.

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UPDATE:

Apparently Dave Williams was the jerk (and I won’t take it back) who did NOT vote for Jeter.

UPDATE 2: TRYING TO FIND OUT IF REAL BALLOT LISTED OR FAKE

UPDATE 3: FAKE. Apparently Dave Williams isn’t a BBWAA voter, but put up a fake ballot on Barstool blog which people thought was a real ballot (sure looked like one). Now that Jeter fell one short of being unanimous, Williams is (rightfully?) being hammered.

Hey, even if it wasn’t him, serves him right for being a jerk.   So…. yeah, rightfully.

 

 

What is worse is who this guy did vote for:

Josh Beckett? Really?

Barry Bonds

Adam Dunn? Really? And leave Jeter off?

Jason Giambi

Paul Konerko

Jose Valverde? Please.

Billy Wagner

Anyway,

Whoever it was, he/she WILL be found out. — unless the person, in cowardice, requested anonymity.

 

 

 

Will Yankee Stadium “bee” like a buzzing beehive of revenge on September 21?

Yankees fans will have to wait a while to get some kind of revenge on the Astros.

While the Yankees are at Houston May 15-17, the Astros won’t come to NY until the end of the season, Sept. 21-24. (The Yankees last three games of the season are at home vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 25-27).

Here’s thinking that Yankee fans will not forget this scandal going on.

They could do something trash can related, or …

if they feel that the Astros were using electronic buzzers (we’re looking at you, Altuve) then maybe about 50,000 fans start buzzing when Altuve comes to bat.

Remember the “Who’s your Daddy” chant at Pedro?

Imagine if Yankee Stadium turns into a huge beehive?