S.T. Game 28. Afternoon (home) game of split squad. Volpe homers, Cole sharp, Abreu not. Yanks lose, 6-4.

The Yanks had split squad games, one at home in the afternoon and one on the road at night.

This is the afternoon game. Anthony Volpe (more on him in a bit) homered, and Gerrit Cole was in midseason form, but Albert Abreu blew a Yankees lead late and the Yanks (10-16-2 in spring training) lost to the Twins, 6-4.

Meanwhile it was reported that Carlos Rodon should be ready in early May. He will miss the first month of the season.

The race for the SS job may come down to the last day, but as far as I’m concerned, I’d go with Volpe. A few tidbits, most if not all by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Volpe, if he is the opening day starter, would be the youngest opening day starter since Derek Jeter in 1996.

He would be making his MLB debut. Since 1951, the only Yankees to make their MLB debut on opening day have been Mickey Mantle in 1951, Jerry Lumpe in 1956 and Hideki Matsui in 2003.

The last Yankee players who had rookie qualification to be in the Opening Day lineup were Aaron Judge in 2017 and Brett Gardner in 2009.

Aaron Judge was in LF and threw out a runner at second today. I don’t think CF or LF would be a problem for him.

Volpe 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI #1 prospect. Will be interesting to see if he is opening day SS. I think he should be.
Willie Calhoun 1 for 4. Will be interesting to see if he makes the team.
Jose Trevino 2 for 3.
Estevan Florial 1 for 2, 2 RBI.

Those are all five of the Yankees’ hits. They were 1 for 10 w/RISP.

Cole 5 2/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Cordero (H) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. Will he make the bullpen?
Abreu (BS, L) 1 1/3 IP, 5 R, 4 H, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up 2 HR.
M. Gomez 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.

S.T. Game 27. Nestor is Nasty in Yanks 1-1 tie with Cards.

Opening Day is one week away.

Nestor Cortes. because of a hamstring strain, is a little behind the other pitchers and as a result, today was only his second start of spring training.

But Nasty Nestor was in midseason form, tossing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in what turned out to be a 1-1 tie game with the Cardinals.

The Yanks are 10-15-2 in spring training.

Both teams only got three hits apiece, and the Yankees run was on a HR by Oswaldo Cabrera.

Notes:

Volpe 0 for 4 #1 prospect.
Stanton 1 for 3
Cabrera 1 for 3, the HR
Peraza 0 for 3, #3 prospect. So neither Volpe or Peraza was outdoing the other today in the SS competition battle.
Trevino 1 for 3.

Cortes 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 7 K.
Weissert 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP.
Marinaccio 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Ramirez 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.

S.T. Game 26. Yanks lose to Washington, 5-2.

Clarke Schmidt was so-so and the Yanks bats were a bit quiet as the Yanks (10-15-1 in spring training) lost to Washington Wednesday, 5-2.

Notes

Peraza 0 for 4. #3 prospect. .188 in spring training, as for me, Volpe should be starting SS.
Stanton 1 for 3, scored a run.
Cabrera 2 for 3. SB
Elijah Dunham 1 for 1, RBI. #18 prospect.
Rafael Ortega 0 for 2, RBI. .161 in spring training. Does he make team? I’d go with Calhoun.
Willie Calhoun 0 for 1. Not as versatile in OF as Ortega, but .306 this spring training
Estevan Florial 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts. .167 in spring training, and out of options. Could be DFA’d soon.

Schmidt (L) 3 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 2 W, 1 K.
King 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Krook 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. Has good chance of making team as 2nd lefty in bullpen.
Danish 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. No chance of making team with a 33.23 spring training ERA.

S.T. Game 25. Donaldson homers twice in Yanks’ 6-3 win.

Josh Donaldson homered twice and drove in four runs in the Yanks (10-14-1 in spring training) 6-3 win over Detroit on Tuesday.

Now is the time to start seeing results, with Opening Day 9 days away. You want to hit the ground running.

Luis Severino has not had a good spring before today, even though everyone says he is healthy. The day didn’t start out well, as he gave up a HR to the leadoff hitter and 2 runs in the first inning, but he settled in after that. His performance this spring has been concerning so far.

Torres 1 for 3, RBI.
Donaldson 2 for 3, 2 HR 4 RBI
Volpe 1 for 2. Double, walk, SB. #1 prospect. I think he should be starting SS.
Kiner-Falefa 1 for 3, was in LF
Alexander Vargas 1 for 1 double
Mickey Gasper 1 for 1
Ortega 1 for 3, SB

Severino 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 W, 9 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K
Loaisiga (Winner) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Norwood 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 W, 3 K. 1 WP

S.T. Game 24. Yanks fall to O’s, 5-3.

Gerrit Cole had one bad inning (he’s had a good spring training) and as a result, the Yanks (9-14-1 in spring training) lost 5-3 to Baltimore on Sunday.

Now is around the time I really pay attention to results. Because now most of the minor leaguers have been sent down and others cut.

I read from Jon Heyman that he thinks the best Yankees infield would be Rizzo at 1B, Volpe at 2B, Peraza at SS and D.J. at 3B. Fine, but what then happens with Donaldson and Gleyber? It’s basically a given right now that IKF will serve as a utility man.

My thoughts. I think Rizzo, Gleyber, Volpe and D.J. would be best. Peraza could still go to the minors until the infield glut is resolved. Maybe there will be a trade soon. But Donaldson is hitting just .179 this spring, and despite manager Aaron Boone’s confidence that Donaldson still has something in the tank, concerns abound after Donaldson’s off year in 2022 and with Donaldson’s age (37). Maybe at the trade deadline Gleyber would be dealt, opening a spot for Volpe or Peraza, whoever doesn’t make the Opening Day cut. But in order to get Peraza and Volpe on the team, someone has to go.

As far as LF is concerned, Hicks will probably be there, but I’d prefer Cabrera. Hicks is hitting .290 this spring but mostly with no one on. When there are RISP, then nothing. Actually, the best hitter among the LF candidates has been Willie Calhoun. (.344). Rafael Ortega can play all OF positions, but after a hot start to spring training, has cooled off. Jasson Dominguez (#2 prospect) isn’t a consideration. He’s only played five games at AA, and that is where he’ll probably start the season. He isn’t far away, though.

So, my choices? Gleyber at 2B, Volpe at SS, Cabrera in LF. Until Bader is over his oblique injury, the OF alignment won’t be what I’d like (who plays CF? Hicks? Judge? Cabrera? Heck, IKF was out there the other day. Ortega?)

Boone says that Volpe is a leadoff or middle of the order hitter. As of now, he is committed to LeMahieu leading off. I beg to differ. I’d have Volpe lead off for a few reasons.1) He’d be helped by Judge behind him. No pitcher wants runners on base with Judge coming up. He wouldn’t want to walk Volpe. Volpe would see better pitches to hit. 2) Volpe would disturb pitchers more than DJ. He is a better SB threat. If the pitcher is concentrating on Volpe, there is less concentration on Judge. 3) Volpe is more likely to get the extra base, like scoring from first on a Judge double, or going first to third on a Judge single, than DJ. I’d have DJ batting fifth.

So my lineup would be:

Volpe SS #1 prospect
Judge RF
Rizzo 1B
Stanton DH
LeMahieu 3B
Torres 2B
Cabrera LF
Bader CF
Trevino C

Today’s highlights:

LeMahieu 2 for 3
Judge 1 for 4, double.
Rizzo 0 for 2, RBI, walk.
Stanton 1 for 3
Donaldson 0 for 3
Cabrera 2 for 3, RBI.
Hicks 1 for 2
Peraza 0 for 3 #3 prospect.
Calhoun 0 for 2
Trey Sweeney 1 for 2 #7 prospect

Cole (L) 5 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 1 W, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1 HBP. All runs in fifth.
Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Marinaccio 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Ramirez 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.

S.T. Game 23. Yanks fall to Toronto, 5-2. Cortes’ first outing.

Because of a hamstring strain, Nestor Cortes is a little behind the other pitchers. He made his first spring training start today and the rust showed as he gave up five runs as the Yanks (9-13-1 in spring training) lost to Toronto 5-2.

I usually don’t pay too much attention to spring training results until the last 10 days or so. That time is coming up.

Today’s highlights:

Volpe 1 for 3, walk, run scored. #1 prospect. As far as I’m concerned, he should be starting SS.
Judge 1 for 4, double.
Stanton 2 for 3, RBI
Donaldson 0 for 3
Willie Calhoun 1 for 3. Doesn’t play all OF positions like Hicks or Ortega, but as far as LF goes, he has hit better this spring than Hicks, Cabrera, Florial or Ortega.
Kiner-Falefa 0 for 1, walk
Cabrera 0 for 2.
Ortega 0 for 3.
Chaparro 0 for 1
Sweeney 0 for 1 #7 prospect

Cortes (L) 3 1/3 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR.
King 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 1 HBP

S.T. Game 22. German roughed up in Yanks 8-7 loss.

It was not a good outing for Domingo German, who gave up 7 runs on 4 HR and 2 HBP in an outing that lasted less than three innings. The Yanks (9-12-1 in spring training) lost to Detroit, 8-7.

The lineup featured mostly prospects and minor leaguers. The most notable thing was IKF in CF.

Volpe 0 for 4 #1 prospect.
Benjamin Cowles 1 for 1, 2-run HR.
Peraza 1 for 3, was HBP. #3 prospect
Hicks 2 for 3 with walk but made his third bad fielding play of spring training.
Kiner-Falefa (IKF) 1 for 3
Spencer Jones 2 for 2 #5 prospect
Estevan Florial 2 for 4, 3 RBI
Wilmer Difo 2 for 4, 2-run HR
Mickey Gasper 1 for 1

German (L) 2 2/3 IP, 7 R, 9 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 4 HR. 2 HBP.
Krook 2 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up HR
Deivi Garcia 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K.
Danish 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.

S.T. Game 20. Yanks lose to Phils, 9-8.

The Yanks (9-10-1 in spring training) gave up 7 runs before they came to bat, came back to take an 8-7 lead, but then fell to the Phillies 9-8 Wednesday afternoon.

Luis Severino started and had a bad first inning before settling in. He says he feels fine but so far this spring the results aren’t there. It is only spring training but from here on in, you want to see better results so that when the regular season starts, he hits the ground running.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Gerrit Cole—to no surprise—will be the Yanks’ Opening Day starting pitcher.

Jose Trevino is dealing with a strained right wrist but should be ok.

Michael Hermosillo was sent down to minor league camp.

From what I’ve seen, Anthony Volpe should be the Yanks’ starting shortstop. The kid continues to impress.

Highlights:

Volpe 1 for 2, RBI, 2 walks, SB.
Judge 1 for 2, walk and double.
Cabrera 1 for 2, RBI double.
Rafael Ortega 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts, misplayed a ball in CF.
IKF 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts.
Hicks 0 for 2, walk, 2 strikeouts
Florial 0 for 2
Mickey Gasper 2 for 2, RBI

Severino 2 1/3 IP, 4 R, 2 H, 3 W, 4 K. 1 balk
C. Gomez 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 3 W, 1 K. 1 WP
Cowart 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Marinaccio 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Nick Ramirez 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Luis Santos 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.
Jack Neely (L) 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 W, 1 K. gave up 1 HR.

S.T. Game 18. Yanks fall to Twins, 1-0.

The Yanks (8-9-1 in spring training) lost 1-0 to the Twins on Monday, getting just three hits, one of them a double by #1 prospect Anthony Volpe.

Of all the contenders for the LF job, Willie Calhoun (1 for 2 with a walk today but also picked off first) has done the best. It still looks like Aaron Hicks will be in LF (because of his contract. Hicks was 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts) unless he is traded. But Calhoun has done the best so far in spring training.

Notable:

Oswald Peraza 0 for 2 with a walk. .176. By contrast, Volpe is hitting .321 this spring in SS competition. #3 prospect.

Oswaldo Cabrera 1 for 3. Made error.

Volpe 1 for 3, double.

Rafael Ortega 0 for 3. Competing with Hicks, Cabrera and Calhoun for LF spot.

Estevan Florial 0 for 2, walk, strikeout. SB .125 in spring training and out of options.

Tully 2 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1 WP
Deivi Garcia (L) 3 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 2 K. Gave up HR.
Norwood 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K
Bowman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.

S.T. Game 17. Yanks tie, kids impress again.

The Yanks (8-8-1 in spring training) tied Boston Sunday, 3-3, but once again, the show was the kids.

#1 prospect Anthony Volpe went 2 for 4 with a double and HR, and #2 prospect Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez was 1 for 2.

Others:

Aaron Hicks 1 for 3, but I have noticed in spring training that a bad habit of his is continuing. He gets his hits with no one one, but continues to struggle with RISP.

Rafael Ortega 1 for 3 as he fights for an OF spot.

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who could be on the trade block, especially if Volpe wins that SS job, 1 for 2. I read where IKF, who made a lot of soft contact last year, put on 18 pounds of muscle in the offseason. Nice, but hope it doesn’t affect flexibility.

Andres Chaparro 1 for 3, RBI. Hmm. Donaldson is 37, and I don’t expect his option to be picked up after this season. Could Chaparro play himself into a 3B spot for 2024?

Jake Bauers 2 for 2, RBI.

Yoendrys Gomez 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 W, 4 K. 1 HBP. #11 prospect.
Cordero (BS) 1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 1 K. gave up HR. Hurt himself today in trying for bullpen spot.
Abreu 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K
Marinaccio 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Weissert 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Evans 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K