Yankees/Orioles rained out.

Sunday’s Yankees-Orioles game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a split DH on Saturday August 25th.

Here is a list of DHs the Yanks have coming up:

Tomorrow, June 4. Split DH at Detroit. Severino going in afternoon game at 1, Domingo German in the night game at 7.

On June 18 at Washington, not so much a DH, but you could consider it like that. Around 5 PM (I believe), the Yanks and Nats are to resume the suspended game from May 15, then after that game will be the makeup game from the May 16 rainout.

On July 9, the Yanks and Orioles will play a straight twi-night DH starting at 5 PM. One of the games is a makeup of the 5/31 rainout. ESPN and MLB, in all of their idiocy, rescheduled the July 8 game at Toronto as a Sunday night game. The Yanks are asking them to reconsider, what with a DH the next day. I don’t think they’ll win the appeal, but what were MLB and ESPN thinking, rescheduling the July 8 game AFTER the 7/9 DH was announced?

Then we are looking at 8/25, split DH, 1 and 7 PM. One game the makeup of today’s (June 3) rainout.

Got all that? Hopefully no more rainouts this summer. Whew.

 

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Yanks rained out.

The Yankees/Orioles game Thursday night was rained out. Since the Yanks have a DH in Detroit on Monday, the game won’t be made up this weekend. Instead, a DH is scheduled for July 9.

Important series, even in April.

The Yanks’ four game series with Toronto is an important series, even in April.

Now that isn’t to panic, because there are over 140 games after this, but you don’t want to fall too far behind and play catch up for the rest of the season.

Going into the Yanks’ off-day on Wednesday, they were 8-8, six games behind 14-2 Boston, who you hope isn’t going to run away with things and be like the 1984 Tigers who started 35-5, but also three games behind 11-5 Toronto.

You don’t want to lose three of four this weekend or get swept and wake up Monday morning, six or seven behind Toronto and nine or ten behind Boston.

Don’t get too far behind too early and play catchup all year long.

The time to right the ship and start taking off is now. Take three of four, or better yet, sweep Toronto.

It’s early, but it’s an important series.

Game 15. Yanks/Tigers PPD. Saturday.

The Yankees/Tigers game scheduled in Detroit for Saturday, April 14 has been postponed.

The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader Sunday at 1:10 p.m. ET and 7:10 p.m. ET.

But there is a good chance one or both of Sunday’s games will be postponed as well.

2018 Opening Day Lineup and Roster.

Here is the 2018 Opening day lineup and roster.

Stats listed are 2017 stats.

Note that against the lefty Happ, Boone isn’t splitting up the righty bats. Instead, the three monsters of Judge, Stanton and Sanchez are 2-3-4.

Gardner LF. .264-21-63, 23 SB, OPS+ 104 (100 is average)
Judge RF .284-52-114, 9 SB, OPS+ 171
Stanton DH .281-59-132, OPS+ 165
Sanchez C .278-33-90, OPS+ 126
Hicks CF .266-15-52, 10 SB in just 88 Games, OPS+ 122 (Could be a 20/20 guy).
Gregorius SS .287-25-87, OPS+ 106
Drury 3B, .267-13-63, OPS+ 89; potential for more.
Walker 2B, combined stats, NYM and MIL: .265-14-49, 111 g.; OPS+ 111
Austin 1B, .225-2-8 in 40 AB, OPS+ 83.

Austin, given 310 AB this year as a platoon player, is projected for .251-15-45, ops+  about 97.

Even with Bird out, a lineup that could hit 250+ HR

Severino starting. 14-6, 2.98, ERA+ 152 (100 is average.)

On the bench are Austin Romine, Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes.

The 12 other pitchers are:

Tanaka
CC
Gray,
Montgomery

 

Betances,
Warren,
Green,
Kahnle
Holder
Robertson,
Shreve
Chapman

 

 

 

Sanchez Yanks’ MVP? Drury box? Some thoughts.

All the talk is of Stanton and Judge being the Yanks’ Mantle & Maris now.

But I will make a case for the Yankees’ MVP right now being Gary Sanchez.

Bear with me a moment here.

I am not talking their BEST player, I am talking their most VALUABLE.

And in regards to that, I am talking depth. Depth at a particular position, and how much it would hurt the Yanks to lose one particular player. 

If Judge sprained a knee and was out two weeks, Stanton could play RF and say, Ellsbury could DH. You could bring up a Billy McKinney or Jake Cave from the minors to be on the bench.

If Didi missed a couple of weeks for the same issue, Torreyes or maybe even Torres could play SS. You see what I am getting at. There is a dropoff, but it would not be too bad.

But if, say, something happened to Sanchez, the dropoff would be bigger. Behind Sanchez, there is Romine (who can’t hit, .220 career average, OPS+ just 54 {average is 100}), Higashioka (0 for 18 in his brief MLB time last year) and 37 year old Erik Kratz. Of the backups, Kratz has the most power potential in replacing Sanchez, who, as we know, has PLENTY of power.

Which is why I was kind of hoping that the Yanks would find another backup C this offseason. That dropoff from Sanchez to the backups is bigger than at other positions, I believe. And why I believe that Sanchez is actually the team’s most VALUABLE player right now.

Maybe something happens. I was kind of hoping that the Yanks could get an Alex Avila. Jonathan Lucroy is still on the market, but I am sure he (a starter elsewhere) wouldn’t sign just to become a backup playing 40 times a year.

No offense to Romine, but say Sanchez misses two months with an injury. Would you be comfortable with Romine and Higashioka as your catchers? I wouldn’t, and that is why, to me, Sanchez is the Yanks’ most VALUABLE player right now.

Luis Cessa has been tabbed to start the Yanks’ ST opener on Friday. The game is at 1 PM but will be shown on the MLB network at 8 PM.

One day after designating Jabari Blash for assignment to make room for Brandon Drury on the 40 man roster, the Yankees have traded Blash to the Angels for $$$$ or a player to be named later.

As for Drury, the Yanks now have Judge and Drury. Since there is the Judge’s Chambers in RF, if Drury, as expected, wins the 3B job, will there then be a “Drury Box” along the third base line?

Baseball winter meetings begin tomorrow.

It’s been a slow offseason so far, but things could heat up as baseball’s winter meetings begin tomorrow.

The price for pitching went up, as the Cubs paid $38MM for 3 years for free agent Tyler Chatwood. MLBtr.com had him estimated at 3 years, $20MM. Big difference.

We’ll see about a lot of things soon. Stanton. Ohtani. Free agent signings. Trades.

The Yanks are trying to get under the cap to reset themselves for a big push next offseason, when the free agent class will be better.

Josh Bard has interviewed for a job on Aaron Boone’s coaching staff and we’ll see if he gets one.