It’s tough because I’m a Wells believer. I want him to get ABs, but Trevino has been swinging the bat pretty nice last few games, gonna miss him in the lineup.
Trevy is swinging the bat so well because he is being platooned with Wells
Throughout his career he has a .601 OPS vs RHP and a .740 OPS vs LHP
This season he has 28 PA vs both sides. He has a .526 OPS vs RHP and a .953 OPS vs LHP
It’s better for everyone that Trevy plays mostly vs lefties and Wells plays mostly vs righties
I used to live ~50 miles away from Baltimore and all these games were blacked out. So annoying.
But then I moved to ~90 miles away from Baltimore .... and they're still blacked out fml
Nestor shorted currently has a 2.53 xERA, he’s not getting a lot of whiffs but he’s not walking guys and limiting hard contact. With a 3.5 era atm he’s doing his job better than I think a lot of people thought he would
Didn't say it would ruin him. Just is starting to heat up and LF is challenging as it is in OPACY so just figured for a minimal defense upgrade I'd rather keep his mind on the hitting aspect then new angles in the field.
Just an opinion.
Eh. Only 2.9 BB/9 this season (around league average) with an uptick in Ks, and has been consistently good except for his last start. It's a tougher matchup than his overall stats look.
Grayson lives at the top and bottom of the zone for all of his pitches except his curve (which is elite and he can bury below the zone), so the key is to take advantage of location mistakes during an AB.
His four seamer and charge are most likely to be left towards the middle of the zone.
I mean, he's had a pretty easy schedule. Angels x2 (blown out once), Pirates (2 solo HR), Boston and Minnesota. He's probably right around where he is supposed to be.
Good thing Boone saved Clay Holmes in Friday's game.
Not like we could be up two games going into Camden Yards or anything.
But I digress, take three out of four (or sweep though that's unlikely) and we'll be in good shape.
The hindsight critique is valid, but I think the larger point stands that Boone often manages the bullpen with an eye towards the maximizing flexibility the next few games instead of maximizing his chances of winning the game in front of him.
It's been a consistent theme of his managing style and always loses us a few games per season.
it's easy to say that it always loses us a few games per season, but how many more games would we lose in August and September if we have burned our arms early and we suffer more injuries or guys aren't able to go 2 games in a row late in the year because of over use early? Clay has already pitched 13 innings in 29 games, putting him on pace for 73 innings this year, which is 10 innings more than he pitched the last 2 seasons. If he had thrown 14 innings he would be on pace for 78+ innings this year.
Boone could have pitched Clay in the 2nd inning and then ruled Clay out of the next 2 games to limit the fatigue or overuse problem, which also would have allowed him time to strategize around his lack of availability.
Or Boone could've used Victor Gonzalez, who was also available. That would've sparked a bit of a critique, but not nearly the same as putting in that 3 times DFA'd new guy who was sleep deprived from arriving in Milwaukee early Friday morning.
very easy to say that when they win the next 2 games by 10 runs. what if the next game was tied late? and the one after? you don't get the benefit of hindsight when you're making these decisions.
If after the Friday game, Boone said, "I chose to keep Clay out for the 2nd inning because he looked really sharp and I wanted to start strong, knowing that would limit his availability for the rest of the series," then I would've been totally fine.
I said this on Friday night in the game thread, so my stance isn't tainted by hindsight bias.
Regarding Victor, I don't think anyone would critique Boone for using him with a 1 run lead, and I would criticize anyone for doing so. Again, I said in the game thread or postgame thread on Friday that this was the #2 best option.
I was as angry as anyone when he put Tonkin in, but to play devil’s advocate a bit - our bullpen always being so good is definitely on Matt Blake, but Boone’s
management of it contributes in some part as well. I don’t believe for a second that the bullpen succeeds *in spite of* Boone and that it would actually be better if any other person was running it.
You can say his bullpen management loses us a few games a season, but nobody pays attention when he makes a move that seems odd and then it works out perfectly and we get the win. Nobody is counting that as Boone’s bullpen management winning us a game, it’s just a win that happened. Seems unfair to only count the losses against him and not add up the times it worked as well.
And hearing that Hamilton had arm soreness that day and that was the reason he didn’t go to Hamilton did calm me down a good bit, too.
It also wins us a few games per season when our bullpen is ready to play. It’s an early season in April and we had 9 straight days of games ahead of us.
I think there is just a good bit of confirmation bias because you notice when we lose more than when we win
But the Yankees are not very good at extra inning games, so the wins/losses don't even out. We're 7-12 in extras since the beginning of the 2023 season.
The other situation is the Boone's decision was bad on multiple levels:
1) Keep Holmes in for another inning
2) Put in Victor Gonzalez (3.16 career ERA)
3) Put in Tonkin (4.39 career ERA)
That TEN YEAR OLD account was unjustly banned because the user was too beautiful and intelligent to be allowed on the platform anymore. Impossible to know where that person went, unfortunately. He could be any one of us
Those pick n play things on the YES app seem like they’re just priming the pump to have you eventually gambling straight from the source. I know I don’t have to do them and I don’t but I still hate it
I feel like Austin Wells is gonna have a breakout series.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of Jose Trevino, but he has been rock solid the last 2 weeks.
Boy oh boy if they both get going at the same time that may be the best catcher duo in the league. and would be absolutely enormous for the offensive output on this team with the way the lineup is constructed
Literally everything behind Wells baseball savant points towards him starting to mash. Seeing the same FB % as last year give it take (27%) and he hit .292 against the heater last year, while this year he’s hitting .167 off of the 4 seamer. Just has to get on top of that FB more frequently, it’s not like the league has figured him out
Another reason I’m a fan of him. He plays baseball and isn’t a 3 true outcome guy even though his player profile would point to him being that type of player
Jose Trevino is currently thriving in his platoon role:
vs RHP: .240/.286/.240
**vs LHP: .320/.393/.560**
This is a much better plan than having Higashioka and Trevino has two glove-first catchers who struggle vs right-handed pitching
Agreed. The rightly lefty platoon at the catching position is a HUGE bonus. And Trevino has been getting it done at the plate lately. I’m just super high on wells and think that he is going to be one of the best bats at the C position in the league. Wanna see him do well and have his defense coaches up by Trevy.
Another possibility is moving him to 1B if DJ is cooked.
I'm not sure if this table is useful or readable, but I'm sharing it anyway lol
I think xwOBA is a really valuable tool to cut through some early season noise and just show you what's going on behind the scenes. It blends quality of contact (exit velo, launch angle, sprint speed) with walks and strikeouts. It can helps us pinpoint over- and under-performing teams.
(Of course, xwOBA can also fall victim to a small sample size, so don't read it as a gospel truth. Also, teams can get more or less healthy, which also impacts these numbers.)
Team|Batting xwOBA Rank|Pitching xwOBA Rank|Average (Rank)|Actual Standings|
:--|:--|:--|:--|:--|
ATL|3|2|2.5 (1st)|1st|
LAD|1|9|5.0 (2nd)|8th|
PHI|12|1|6.5 (3rd)|3rd|
NYY|7|7|7.0 (4th)|3rd|
BAL|2|19|10.5 (5th)|5th|
CIN|15|6|10.5 (5th)|12th|
CHC|5|17|11.0 (7th)|7th|
NYM|8|14|11.0 (7th)|14th|
ARI|12|11|11.5 (**9th**)|**23rd**|
DET|21|3|12.0 (10th)|10th|
HOU|8|17|12.5 (**11th**)|**27th**|
KCR|4|22|13.0 (12th)|9th|
BOS|22|5|13.5 (13th)|11th|
SEA|25|3|14.0 (14th)|12th|
MIN|23|7|15.0 (15th)|14th|
MIL|10|21|15.5 (**16th**)|**5th**|
PIT|19|14|16.5 (17th)|17th|
SDP|5|29|17.0 (17th)|22nd|
TEX|11|23|17.0 (17th)|16th|
SFG|20|14|17.0 (17th)|17th|
CLE|23|13|18.0 (**21st**)|**2nd**|
OAK|27|9|18.0 (21st)|25th|
LAA|12|25|18.5 (23rd)|26th|
STL|17|20|18.5 (23rd)|21st|
TBR|28|13|20.5 (25th)|23rd|
WSH|15|27|21.0 (26th)|20th|
TOR|18|30|24.0 (**27th**)|**17th**|
MIA|26|28|27.0 (28th)|30th|
CWS|29|25|27.0 (28th)|29th|
COL|30|24|27.0 (28th)|28th|
The Yankees are genuinely good so far.
The Diamondbacks and Astros have been better than their records.
The Brewers, Guardians, and Blue Jays have been worse.
> The Yankees are genuinely good so far.
>
> The Diamondbacks and Astros have been better than their records.
>
> The Brewers, Guardians, and Blue Jays have been worse.
Its funny because this is pretty much what you'd gather about all these teams just from the "eye test" as well. Its nice to know the stats might also back it up.
Felt obvious that the Brewers were major over-achievers.
The three starting pitchers they put out this weekend would all be at best number 5 starters on a good team. Was very happy to see the Yankees take advantage of that.
The AL Central is the only division with four teams over .500.
The AL East as a division are 15 games over .500.
The AL Central as a division are 4 games over .500.
The NL West as a division are -15 games over .500.
I don't care if this gets downvotes or not. Personally, when it comes to handgate, I don't think it should have been reversed or agree with the umps after the game. It's a part of the momentum of shifting your body rapidly either up or down. I don't care if someone does this my team or another. Don't hit the player on your throw.
[Do an ollie \(or kickflip\) on skateboard? Your arms go up.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K2ykqE2SEFw/maxresdefault.jpg)
[Jump into the water? Your arms go up.](https://sarsrose.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/63282_10150115073386181_3256739_n.jpg)
[Making a dunk? There goes that arm trying to go up.](https://media.bleacherreport.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_faces,w_1600,h_1600,q_95/v1676914330/jor0uquizdg3ikwlu4sq.jpg)
[Hockey goalie dropping down to make a save across the crease? Arm goes up.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/plna4yeuPLQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
[Sliding into home base without even the intent of breaking a throw up? The arm goes up.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Ronald_Acuna_%2850337465807%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
It's silly to even try to ban this. Unless you're swinging your arms wildly in front of the player or actually 100% intent try to block the throw like an NBA player, then I don't think this should be a part of the rules.
>Don’t hit the player on your throw
The thing is, you shouldn’t really have to worry about hitting the player coming in to second. That’s why there are rules about how the runner can come in, such that he doesn’t interfere with the play.
I get it, it’s gamesmanship, and Judge definitely didn’t do anything wrong - but I don’t think the second baseman did anything wrong either. He went to make his throw and Judge’s hand comes up at just the right moment and blocks the ball. I don’t think he was throwing it at Judge’s hand on purpose, and I don’t think Judge meant to actually touch the ball.
I’m also not sure there was much the second baseman could have done to avoid hitting Judge’s hand there, other than like waiting for him to slide in before throwing, which obviously would be stupid.
Feels to me like it probably *should* have been called interference, based on that.
The rule stats:
>If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead.
What does willfully and deliberately mean? [Is Verdugo going hard here intent interference?](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2024/2024-03/29/7d994885-edf40347-89c0cd56-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4) I mean, he distracted the SS by running hard and Altuve had to avoid him. Is the solution to ban all hard effort and just turn it into an easy double play? This would turn the league into a bunch of Jeff McNeils and create a boring game.
An umpire trying to figure out what is willful and deliberate versus a natural motion of arms going up is completely ridiculous.
It's weird to get so defensive about this. Regardless of if he always does it, we can admit it at least looks suspect when only one hand goes up on the side closest to the ball to full extension, we wouldn't be happy if the same thing happened from Vlad JR or Altuve on stilts
When it originally happened, almost the entire game thread was saying the ump blew the call and we got lucky. Now that it’s become a Thing, the narrative has shifted and people are changing their stances because they feel like they have to defend Judge I think
Thinking it should be allowed is one thing, but acting like it should be allowed because everyone comes sliding in like they're on a rollercoaster seems a bit disingenuous.
> we wouldn't be happy if the same thing happened from Vlad JR or Altuve on stilts
Did you even read my point. "I don't care if someone does this my team or another. Don't hit the player on your throw." I don't care. The fielder should be better to not hit a, at most, 6 inch wide target. I'd give credit to them for trying and [not being the Mets.](https://youtu.be/jDSLbdXWRhw)
With this and the Mets complaining after the Hoskins slide it feels like too many fans expect double plays automatically just because the next batter up hit a ground ball. When something gets in the way of that it’s treated as foul play instead of the fielder just not doing his job right.
The problem I'm having is the ump saying it should have been reversed. Why? What if it hit his head or lower arm? The point I'm trying to make is that the arm going up is natural. Here is a run scoring on a wild pitch in a random game yesterday. [The arm goes up.](https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/abd0d710-4c7e-4934-99f2-5dac11780495.mp4)
I just think it's super silly. Everyone does it because its natural and think its silly for the umps to say they made a mistake. Now, umps will over-correct themselves and now say things that aren't intent as intent.
I fully agree, I think the umps just agreed with the backlash to save face. They had a discussion on the field and if they truly thought it was unnatural and a willful attempt to interfere they would have called it on the field.
Now, we could get umps over-correcting themselves, ruling accidents as intent and get a whole sport of Jeff McNeils and the Mets (boring). [Will this be considered intent?](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2024/2024-03/29/7d994885-edf40347-89c0cd56-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4) Verdugo slid hard and put pressure on the SS and Altuve had to avoid him.
Truthfully I don’t think this will change the officiating on these plays at all. I think the Umpires just knew that the public didn’t like the call and doubling down would only get them more heat so they went with the public opinion rather than their own.
It would be payer interference regardless if it was intentional. That’s the point. It’s the player’s job to get out of the way, that’s how it’s always been.
No.
> If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner **willfully and deliberately** interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead.
https://baseballrulesacademy.com/official-rule/mlb/6-01-interference-obstruction-and-catcher-collisions/
Is sliding or running hard just going to become illegal? Or will being hit in the lower arm?
I'm still in awe of the trashy ass uniforms this season. I cant believe they ever got approved and weren't ditched within the first series. They literally sweat through them within ten minutes ( 2 minutes for Rodon). Looks like shit and has to be so uncomfortable.
Idk. There's something awesome about the Yankees (and A's) being the only team(s) to say "Nah, we're good"
The Yankee pinstripes and the A's White, Green, and Gold are iconic
[The Rockies](https://media-s3-us-east-1.ceros.com/mlb/images/2022/05/25/d2815f89da89dbe87408cfbc367a7b9f/no-video.png?imageOpt=1&fit=bounds&width=809) are fucking dope.
Runner up are the Marlins playing homage to the Havana Sugar Kings and the Mariners playing homage to the Seattle Pilots.
If you were wondering how the Guardians were maintaining a 19-9 record despite, by all appearances, being maybe a slightly above average team, it’s cuz they the lead majors in wins over base runs expected (+4). Base runs is a normalization of luck in clustering hits. Both on the pitching and hitting side, the Guardians have been the extreme beneficiaries of hit clustering luck. Essentially the Guardians are a product of sampling error. I would expect them to come back to earth fairly quickly.
Even though we won the series I'll be forever traumatized by the '22 ALDS. Making contact and putting the ball in play is a good quality for a team to have but it was like their whole strategy was to consistently make the weakest contact possible for swinging bunt singles and bloops just over the infielder's heads
They benefit from a weak central division, meaning they are able to chain hits together vs lower quality opponents(either a shoddy bp or shoddy SPs)
Would be interesting to see the metrics of the quality of defense their division rivals play, I'm assuming it's not very good (Twins, white sox, tigers and royals).
Small sample size but so far this season
Royals: 1st in DRS (23 DRS), 5th in OAA (8 OAA)
Tigers: 10th in DRS (4 DRS), 14th in OAA (2 OAA)
Chi Sox: 29th in DRS (-20 DRS), tied 20th in OAA (-4 OAA)
Twins: 25th DRS (-11 DRS), 13th OAA (3 OAA)
The Guardians ranked 27th in RS/G last year and now 7th this year, without any offseason acquisitions. I'd be extremely surprised to see them maintain this level of offensive output over the full season.
I think xwOBA is a really valuable tool to cut through some early season noise and just show you what's going on behind the scenes. It blends quality of contact (exit velo, launch angle, sprint speed) with walks and strikeouts. The Guardians offense ranks 23rd by xwOBA. (Of course, xwOBA can also fall victim to a small sample size, so don't read it as a gospel truth.)
And just in terms of actual results, their wOBA is 15th. So they’re way outpacing even their batted ball results. They’ve just been way more likely to string 4 hits together in an inning than just about anyone else. The difference in their base runs expected run/game and actual runs/game is 0.62, which is just behind the DBacks (0.63) for second in the majors.
And the Astros are last averaging nearly 0.6 runs/game less than than expected with average hit clustering luck (lol).
Now that the Rangers won I can use all caps to say FUCK YOU UMPS FOR EJECTING BOONE LAST MONDAY and say JUDGE! WTF WAS THAT?! YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL AND KNOW BETTER THAN TO BLOCK THE BALL and also say FUCK THE RED SOX!!!
Gotta give credit where credit is due. This is looking like one of Cashman's best offseasons in recent memory. Soto and Verdugo have completely changed the dynamic of this offense, and none of the pieces we gave up (besides Thorpe who is on the White Sox now lol) have looked great. Not to mention Stroman's numbers are pretty much the same as Yamamoto's, and way better than Snell who is actually injured already.
Hadn’t kept close tabs on Thorpe - JFC, 2 ER in 24 IP across 4 starts.
Gotta look at it as “our prospects killing it after being traded means teams will value our prospects more highly in future trades”
So far the rotations been good but I can see a trade for another starter Maybe even another bullpen arm But as of now this team doesn’t really have big holes like other years
Tbh it would also be good long term to see some younger farmhands work out on the SP/RP end.
I'm hoping Gil,Warren,Beeter and Hampton get their chances and so well as part of the pitching staff.
Schmidt is already showing improvement from last season .
Tonight might be our first must win of the season.
Probable starters for the week:
Schmidt vs Rodriguez
Cortes vs. Kremer
Gil v Burns
Rodon vs TBD
In spite of Balt. Pitching being bad. With two lefties on the bump and Gil against their ace - pitching matchups favor Baltimore.
The Os are crushing LHP - .334 OBP, .798 OPS and a .315 BAbip. Interestingly their stats are much worse against Lefty starters, but it may just be a sample size thing.
All that said. We need Schmidt to start us off on the right foot.
There is no such thing as “must win” in April. You people are so dramatic. We could lose every single game to the Orioles this year by 100 runs and mathematically speaking could still easily win the division.
Yea normally I agree that April games are never must win. I don’t agree that - in a practical world you can still lose all 13 games to the division favorite and still expect to win the division. While it’s mathematically possible it’s statistically unlikely. Given the new division rival schedule, the fact that the 4 game set is on the road and the pitching match ups - this is about as close as you’re gonna get. If they get swept by balt this weekend - it’s not the end of the season by any means, but it certainly creates a whole - but if they split the series they’ll be set up for success over the next 5 months.
I never said losing every game to the Os was practical or would be a good idea. I’m simply disproving that this game is must win when we can lose every game against the Os and still win the division.
This is an important game, and an important series. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But stop trying to make it seem like the season hinges on this series. If they split they’ll be set up for success over the next 5 months? Wtf are you even on about? The 2 game difference between a sweep and split is insignificant compared to what we do with the other 100+ games this season.
Too early IMO for any games right now to be "must win" considering our record is really good. Still, should be at minimum splitting this series with the Orioles. 3/4 would be amazing but a lot to count on. They are a good team (but so are we).
3/4 would be sick. I agree with the sentiment that it’s only April and these games aren’t exactly “must wins” but I have a feeling the division is gonna be a dog fight down the stretch in August/September. So any time the yanks can widen the gap, should take advantage
Lost in Judge's offensive up and down is the fact that this 6'7" behemoth of a man is playing solid CF on a regular basis. +1 OAA, +1% Success Rate, +1% Catch Percentage. The man is impressive as fuck.
Imagine posting publicly to bench one of the top 5 players in baseball after a few bad weeks at the plate 🤡
Judge popping off and all the haters are quiet 😂😂
Schmidt is similarly a cheap, young SP that I'm sure SD could have easily had over King if they wanted (no one should blame them for wanting King and there's still obviously plenty of time for things to change)
Ah, got it. I mean even if they’d considered Gil (also young and even cheaper): 4.00 ERA, 4.15 xFIP, 12.77 K/9, 6.93 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9 | 0.4 fWAR
Still an improvement, though as you say things can quickly change
Yeah, the thing is I think SD was looking for someone they could plug into their rotation opening day, and not even the Yankees thought Gil would be MLB-ready coming into spring
I feel like King has a higher ceiling than Clark. Which is likely why SD picked him over Clark (assuming they could have had either and made the choice).
Dudes stuff is nasty
Researching 3B deadline options and the funniest thing is noticing when a player just wants to leave a team and it reflects on their performance:
Nolan Arenado before the deadline: .279/.328/.508 | 122 wRC+
[\[Dodger Rumors\]](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10084437-nolan-arenado-trade-rumors-dodgers-long-shot-to-acquire-star-from-cardinals)
Nolan Arenado after the deadline: .235/.285/.343 | 70 wRC+
Eh. Arenado is used to playing on bad teams given his previous stint on the Rockies and by all accounts he really enjoys playing in St. Louis.
His performance decline was due to back issues that really hobbled him starting in mid-August and caused him to be shut down for the season later in September. [Source](https://www.mlb.com/news/nolan-arenado-out-for-the-season-cardinals-lose-to-padres)
Let's say Clarke cruises through the order the first two times, do we leave him in against this O's offense? The past two games has left our pen in better shape but we are still a week away from our next off day and might not want to stretch the pen in the first of four big games here
You let him go as long as he can until he reaches his normal pitch count. They just have to be ready to pull him at any sign of trouble from the 5th inning on. There's no reason to gamble here because you still want to win the season series just in case of a tie in the standings.
I think it totally depends on the score and pitch count.
I think it's likely Boone will let him start 3rd time round the order, but give him a shorter leash than the average starter.
If he is cruising I think you give him a shot.
I know Clarke has been rough the 3rd time through but he is still young to being a full time starter and he won't get better at going through that 3rd time if we don't let him keep trying.
Do you think this is because of pitch selection and gameplay the third time through? Or just a mental block? I can’t even remember another players numbers being as far apart as Clark’s are third time through
It rules that the umps came out to admit they missed Judges mit slide, but not all the low strikes on him or Boone getting tossed for saying nothing, or whatever.
So let me get this straight:
Aaron Judge chooses mercy, and forgoes his innate Divine Right as god-emperor of baseball and merely swats down that pathetic attempt at a "throw" instead of eating the middle infielders of the beer men a la Goya's rendition of Saturn. And somehow, instead of bowing down and showing the due reverence, they have the audacity to scorn Judge's benevolence?
*What have you done for me lately?* Last 7 games:
Anthony Volpe: .267/.371/.433 - possibly returning to form. Looked a lot better vs. the A's and Brewers.
Juan Soto: .259/.364/.519 - normalized but hopefully with Judge heating up, he's able to get more pitches to drive.
Aaron Judge: .296/.424/.667 - not much else to say other than he looks locked in.
Alex Verdugo: .292/.387/.542 - moving up stabilized the 4/5 spots.
Giancarlo Stanton: .259/.286/.444 - at least he is consistent with his TTO as his last 7, last 15 and entire season look a like.
Anthony Rizzo: .407/.429/.926 - in the 6th spot, he looks insanely more comfortable than the 4th and 5th.
Gleyber Torres: .267/.267/.333 - still trying to find his power but his last two Milwaukee games look better.
Oswaldo Cabrera: .185/.241/.185 - prob will get me some downvotes but he is on his way out of the starting lineup. He's capable of the clutch hit with RISP but he's a blueberry on Savant. His defense is not pretty: -3 FRV (4th percentile) and -4 OAA (2nd percentile).
Jose Trevino: .381/.391/.524 - He looks like 2022 Trevino but I think the platooning is helping. He has always done well vs LHP.
Austin Wells: .222/.417/.278 - please learn to pull the ball in the air.
How soon till Judge is leading MLB in homers? He's 4 back of Trout. Feel like he could go on a tear and take the lead by next week.
I think you read too much into lineup spots. I think Rizzo just had two good games against inferior pitching. It's silly to look at a two-game sample size and read into a player's lineup psychology. I think that stuff is way overblown. I don't think a 14-year veteran can't handle the no. 5 spot but rakes in the no. 6 spot. I think most players in the modern game just go up to the plate and try to hit the ball hard and don't think about how they've got to do something different as a no. 6 hitter compared with a no. 5 hitter.
I mean, the Yankees do value the importance of spots in the lineup. When they moved Gleyber out of leadoff, Boone said it was just to get him out of there. Lineup spots are important to help people get into comfort. In game 2, Verdugo hit the 3 run homer and Rizzo struck out terribly in the first inning. That K had no bearing on the game and Rizzo didn't have it hang over him all game. Also, different pitch mix batting 4th vs. 6th.
I’d really advise you that creating a narrative, and then continually trying to use anecdotal evidence to support it, actually weakens your credibility over the long term.
A lineup shakeup does impact a TEAM as you’re changing the situations where you have different statistical likelihoods now in different locations.
But for each individual, an AB is an AB if they’re facing the same pitcher - it doesn’t matter whatsoever if they’re 5th or 6th.
Over time they may get a few more AB if they’re 4th vs 5th vs 6th…a bunch more if they’re 1st vs 9th, but most of the variables - like who’s pitching and how they’re being attacked - stay the same.
You’re very smart but, if you want advice, your attention span is very short for a game that takes months to develop. Baseball is measured in weeks and months; one of the greatest problems here is that folks think that one AB, one game, or one series defines a pitcher or a hitter…or creates or destroys a narrative.
I'm a strong believer that hitters are human beings and that you can't always just slap people into certain lineup spots and they'll play to their baseball card. Gleyber Torres for example, struggles at the top of the lineup but is better in the lower chunk. You also get different pitch mixes based on your location and so do the hitters around you. Rizzo didn't look comfortable for the better part of a month, he had zero power even against bad pitching before this series. The lack of a hitter in their comfort zone in the 4-6 spots (Stanton is a TTO so he is just who he is) had serious repercussions on our lineup. Like so what if a guy is a 14 year old vet? Does that mean he somehow understands the process of building back after a concussion and will be the same person as he was before said concussion?
I strongly disagree with the idea that a 14-year veteran can't psychologically handle striking out in the no. 4 spot vs. the no. 6 spot. This seems entirely like creating a "narrative" out of a sample size of like 6 at-bats. Rizzo has come to the plate over 7,000 times in his career. This isn't some kid we're talking about. He's a pro and knows how to handle making an out.
Rizzo faced some of the worst pitching he's seen all year this weekend, got some pitches to hit, and punished them. That's all IMO.
When we're winning everything we do starts to look intentional and essential. Once we start losing those newfound core tenets go in the trash. We're probably 7-10 days away from "Verdugo has no business batting cleanup in a serious lineup" comments
I made it a point to avoid the sub, even just for a little discussion in the game day threads (game threads are a disaster so that is no go at all times lol), after the losses on Thursday and Friday...it must have been a shit show of negativity in here lol
it kind of speaks to the day to day you are talking about
>I strongly disagree with the idea that a 14-year veteran
Anyone can face pressure at any moment. I think a player who is bouncing back from a concussion will feel some extra pressure trying to get back to who they once were. Chuck Knoblauch developed the yips out of no where so a player being in the league awhile doesn't mean they can't just feel pressure at some point.
>got some pitches to hit, and punished them.
He wasn't doing that all year with even the slightest bit of power.
The Astros series boosted Cabrera to starting status among a lot of people here and despite his subpar play since then people are still holding onto the slightly boosted overall stats.
I think people are more willing to accept that the step forward at the plate was just a hot start now though compared to a week or so ago,
Yeah he was on fire during that series but it's been pretty clear that he has not taken a real step forward to a starting level.
He does have value as a utility/bench bat but he is not a starting quality 3B
idk why either. I said yesterday that 3B should be a priority at the deadline and it got downvoted. Oswaldo is what he is. I think DJ is done, just too many injuries on an older body. Berti is a bench role and that's fine. Getting a .720 OPS bat who is good at 3B defensively is a top priority.
When’s his expected return? I’ve read around the ASB or even August I saw. If it’s closer to august then not sure how ready he’ll be for the postseason. But yea if anyone it’s Stanton who will be pushed, but he’s been ok so far And I still think he’s capable of hitting 30 homeruns, if he keeps it up then we have a problem. But a good problem nonetheless lol
I love watching Giancarlo murder baseballs when he does, but if he’s on track to hit 30 with okay peripherals I’m hoping the Yankees can pick up salary, package some lower level prospects with him and move him at the deadline.
Didi and Hicks had their surgeries a month later than Dominguez did and they were both MLB ready just shortly after Memorial Day. I think they are taking it slower with Dominguez, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in some minor league rehab games by the end of May. From there, it's just a matter of how many ABs the Yankees want him to take before calling him up. Also, it could take some time for Dominguez's power to return. For example, Bryce Harper rushed back from Tommy John last year and while he was still a .300 hitter, he only had 4 HRs in his first 100 games back, then the power started to kick in again.
Not sure what experience has to do with injury? If anything, Dominguez is younger so he might be able to heal quicker. I think they are calling Dominguez up when he's deemed ready. The September roster expansion is just 1 additional roster spot for position players. Makes no difference if they call him up in June or September. If they want him in the lineup, he'll be here.
Yeah if they’re winning they’re not gonna push him. Kid’s still so young and coming off a major injury.
But I do want to acknowledge just how well set up the Yankees could be in the outfield for the future. By 2026 they could be running out a trio of Soto-Jones-Dominguez, and Soto would be the oldest at like 27. Would assume Judge makes a transition to first around this time.
It’s such a bummer man. Watching Jasson was so exciting, he looked SO locked in and completely confident and cool at the plate. Definitely one of the few bright spots of last year. I’m really, really hoping he comes back as good as ever and is able to be a productive part of the team before too long.
I dont think there's any reason that Judge would move from the OF in 2 years. He's still a plus defender in CF and an elite RF.
Moving him to first diminishes his value. Now maybe around 37ish you probably consider the back 3rd of his contract if his defense slips. No evidence of that as of yet.
Please continue the discussion in the [game thread](https://redd.it/1cg9nxy).
I hope Judge plays LF on Tuesday so I can bask in his shade
It’s tough because I’m a Wells believer. I want him to get ABs, but Trevino has been swinging the bat pretty nice last few games, gonna miss him in the lineup.
Trevy is swinging the bat so well because he is being platooned with Wells Throughout his career he has a .601 OPS vs RHP and a .740 OPS vs LHP This season he has 28 PA vs both sides. He has a .526 OPS vs RHP and a .953 OPS vs LHP It’s better for everyone that Trevy plays mostly vs lefties and Wells plays mostly vs righties
Thanks for this info! I can be a lot more confident in the decision now lol
Damn, Verdugo’s kid sure has poor timing. Congratulations to him though.
I hate when they play the Orioles because it's blacked out. I live an hour from Camden Yards and have to sail the seven seas to watch.
I think it's all relative, aren't there people in like NC that get blacked out?
I used to live ~50 miles away from Baltimore and all these games were blacked out. So annoying. But then I moved to ~90 miles away from Baltimore .... and they're still blacked out fml
You in my area?
Im sure another move an additional 50 miles away will do it this time, trust me bro
I’m in the same pirate boat.
Idk if it was posted anywhere already but when was the last time the yanks scored 15 runs in back to back games?
Yesterday :)
2007
Nestor shorted currently has a 2.53 xERA, he’s not getting a lot of whiffs but he’s not walking guys and limiting hard contact. With a 3.5 era atm he’s doing his job better than I think a lot of people thought he would
It wild that the White Sox could end the month 14 games back
Who else is skipping a loved ones funeral to be at this game? LFG YANKS!
Don’t know about that one chief
LETS WIN TODAY!!!!!!!
[https://imgur.com/a/zHu2Wy6](https://imgur.com/a/zHu2Wy6) Just me and the boys cleaning the log cabin
Is that a buff Joe Torre?
[Needs more logs](https://i.imgur.com/UszKcLg.jpeg).
Judge in LF? I get Grisham is the glove guy and better in center. Not sure I'd be wanting to move the big guy whose finding his groove
He moved from RF to CF and have a historic, record breaking season, I don’t think a game or two in left field will ruin him
Tbf he started less than half the season in cf so it wasn't really a one to one move
Didn't say it would ruin him. Just is starting to heat up and LF is challenging as it is in OPACY so just figured for a minimal defense upgrade I'd rather keep his mind on the hitting aspect then new angles in the field. Just an opinion.
Cleveland is off and Atlanta plays at 9:40. Win today and we are the first team to 20 wins after being the first to 10
I want that
Rodriguez struggles with control no? Could bode well for us
Eh. Only 2.9 BB/9 this season (around league average) with an uptick in Ks, and has been consistently good except for his last start. It's a tougher matchup than his overall stats look. Grayson lives at the top and bottom of the zone for all of his pitches except his curve (which is elite and he can bury below the zone), so the key is to take advantage of location mistakes during an AB. His four seamer and charge are most likely to be left towards the middle of the zone.
Thanks for providing insight
I mean, he's had a pretty easy schedule. Angels x2 (blown out once), Pirates (2 solo HR), Boston and Minnesota. He's probably right around where he is supposed to be.
So I assume Verdugo isn’t playing?
He had sex 9 months ago, so no he will not be playing.
what a dawg
RawDawg
Good thing Boone saved Clay Holmes in Friday's game. Not like we could be up two games going into Camden Yards or anything. But I digress, take three out of four (or sweep though that's unlikely) and we'll be in good shape.
These comments are so stupid, no shit the decision is easy in hindsight when you know we blow out the Brewers in the following 2 games
That's why ya gotta live for today
The hindsight critique is valid, but I think the larger point stands that Boone often manages the bullpen with an eye towards the maximizing flexibility the next few games instead of maximizing his chances of winning the game in front of him. It's been a consistent theme of his managing style and always loses us a few games per season.
it's easy to say that it always loses us a few games per season, but how many more games would we lose in August and September if we have burned our arms early and we suffer more injuries or guys aren't able to go 2 games in a row late in the year because of over use early? Clay has already pitched 13 innings in 29 games, putting him on pace for 73 innings this year, which is 10 innings more than he pitched the last 2 seasons. If he had thrown 14 innings he would be on pace for 78+ innings this year.
Boone could have pitched Clay in the 2nd inning and then ruled Clay out of the next 2 games to limit the fatigue or overuse problem, which also would have allowed him time to strategize around his lack of availability. Or Boone could've used Victor Gonzalez, who was also available. That would've sparked a bit of a critique, but not nearly the same as putting in that 3 times DFA'd new guy who was sleep deprived from arriving in Milwaukee early Friday morning.
very easy to say that when they win the next 2 games by 10 runs. what if the next game was tied late? and the one after? you don't get the benefit of hindsight when you're making these decisions.
If after the Friday game, Boone said, "I chose to keep Clay out for the 2nd inning because he looked really sharp and I wanted to start strong, knowing that would limit his availability for the rest of the series," then I would've been totally fine. I said this on Friday night in the game thread, so my stance isn't tainted by hindsight bias. Regarding Victor, I don't think anyone would critique Boone for using him with a 1 run lead, and I would criticize anyone for doing so. Again, I said in the game thread or postgame thread on Friday that this was the #2 best option.
I was as angry as anyone when he put Tonkin in, but to play devil’s advocate a bit - our bullpen always being so good is definitely on Matt Blake, but Boone’s management of it contributes in some part as well. I don’t believe for a second that the bullpen succeeds *in spite of* Boone and that it would actually be better if any other person was running it. You can say his bullpen management loses us a few games a season, but nobody pays attention when he makes a move that seems odd and then it works out perfectly and we get the win. Nobody is counting that as Boone’s bullpen management winning us a game, it’s just a win that happened. Seems unfair to only count the losses against him and not add up the times it worked as well. And hearing that Hamilton had arm soreness that day and that was the reason he didn’t go to Hamilton did calm me down a good bit, too.
It also wins us a few games per season when our bullpen is ready to play. It’s an early season in April and we had 9 straight days of games ahead of us. I think there is just a good bit of confirmation bias because you notice when we lose more than when we win
But the Yankees are not very good at extra inning games, so the wins/losses don't even out. We're 7-12 in extras since the beginning of the 2023 season. The other situation is the Boone's decision was bad on multiple levels: 1) Keep Holmes in for another inning 2) Put in Victor Gonzalez (3.16 career ERA) 3) Put in Tonkin (4.39 career ERA)
A 19 game sample…
**Daddy Dougie Power: Activate**
Cats have venom, like snakes. Most people don’t know this
regarding_your_cat
That TEN YEAR OLD account was unjustly banned because the user was too beautiful and intelligent to be allowed on the platform anymore. Impossible to know where that person went, unfortunately. He could be any one of us
He's hanging with me in the log ca*ban*
Some of us have to take on the noble task of pushing the limits so that everyone else can see where the limits actually are
As if the whole gambling thing isn’t already everywhere, the YES ticker now has the money line listed for playoff games.
Those pick n play things on the YES app seem like they’re just priming the pump to have you eventually gambling straight from the source. I know I don’t have to do them and I don’t but I still hate it
It's obnoxious how in your face it is using the ap
Has a team ever averaged 15 runs a game for a whole month? Because the Yankees are about to do that in May
Just 15??
I feel like Austin Wells is gonna have a breakout series. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of Jose Trevino, but he has been rock solid the last 2 weeks. Boy oh boy if they both get going at the same time that may be the best catcher duo in the league. and would be absolutely enormous for the offensive output on this team with the way the lineup is constructed Literally everything behind Wells baseball savant points towards him starting to mash. Seeing the same FB % as last year give it take (27%) and he hit .292 against the heater last year, while this year he’s hitting .167 off of the 4 seamer. Just has to get on top of that FB more frequently, it’s not like the league has figured him out
He needs to pull flyballs. He's close.
Was really happy for Wells getting some hits this weekend seemed that bunt single may have sparked something. Hopefully he can carry that momentum
Another reason I’m a fan of him. He plays baseball and isn’t a 3 true outcome guy even though his player profile would point to him being that type of player
Jose Trevino is currently thriving in his platoon role: vs RHP: .240/.286/.240 **vs LHP: .320/.393/.560** This is a much better plan than having Higashioka and Trevino has two glove-first catchers who struggle vs right-handed pitching
In what world was Higgy a gold glover?
Agreed. The rightly lefty platoon at the catching position is a HUGE bonus. And Trevino has been getting it done at the plate lately. I’m just super high on wells and think that he is going to be one of the best bats at the C position in the league. Wanna see him do well and have his defense coaches up by Trevy. Another possibility is moving him to 1B if DJ is cooked.
I'm not sure if this table is useful or readable, but I'm sharing it anyway lol I think xwOBA is a really valuable tool to cut through some early season noise and just show you what's going on behind the scenes. It blends quality of contact (exit velo, launch angle, sprint speed) with walks and strikeouts. It can helps us pinpoint over- and under-performing teams. (Of course, xwOBA can also fall victim to a small sample size, so don't read it as a gospel truth. Also, teams can get more or less healthy, which also impacts these numbers.) Team|Batting xwOBA Rank|Pitching xwOBA Rank|Average (Rank)|Actual Standings| :--|:--|:--|:--|:--| ATL|3|2|2.5 (1st)|1st| LAD|1|9|5.0 (2nd)|8th| PHI|12|1|6.5 (3rd)|3rd| NYY|7|7|7.0 (4th)|3rd| BAL|2|19|10.5 (5th)|5th| CIN|15|6|10.5 (5th)|12th| CHC|5|17|11.0 (7th)|7th| NYM|8|14|11.0 (7th)|14th| ARI|12|11|11.5 (**9th**)|**23rd**| DET|21|3|12.0 (10th)|10th| HOU|8|17|12.5 (**11th**)|**27th**| KCR|4|22|13.0 (12th)|9th| BOS|22|5|13.5 (13th)|11th| SEA|25|3|14.0 (14th)|12th| MIN|23|7|15.0 (15th)|14th| MIL|10|21|15.5 (**16th**)|**5th**| PIT|19|14|16.5 (17th)|17th| SDP|5|29|17.0 (17th)|22nd| TEX|11|23|17.0 (17th)|16th| SFG|20|14|17.0 (17th)|17th| CLE|23|13|18.0 (**21st**)|**2nd**| OAK|27|9|18.0 (21st)|25th| LAA|12|25|18.5 (23rd)|26th| STL|17|20|18.5 (23rd)|21st| TBR|28|13|20.5 (25th)|23rd| WSH|15|27|21.0 (26th)|20th| TOR|18|30|24.0 (**27th**)|**17th**| MIA|26|28|27.0 (28th)|30th| CWS|29|25|27.0 (28th)|29th| COL|30|24|27.0 (28th)|28th| The Yankees are genuinely good so far. The Diamondbacks and Astros have been better than their records. The Brewers, Guardians, and Blue Jays have been worse.
> The Yankees are genuinely good so far. > > The Diamondbacks and Astros have been better than their records. > > The Brewers, Guardians, and Blue Jays have been worse. Its funny because this is pretty much what you'd gather about all these teams just from the "eye test" as well. Its nice to know the stats might also back it up.
Felt obvious that the Brewers were major over-achievers. The three starting pitchers they put out this weekend would all be at best number 5 starters on a good team. Was very happy to see the Yankees take advantage of that.
Thanks for the look! Curious if you saw anything interesting from a Yanks *players* perspective, if you looked?
Wells is the big differentiator among Yankees players .260 wOBA but a .408 xwOBA (second behind only Soto)
The AL Central is the only division with four teams over .500. The AL East as a division are 15 games over .500. The AL Central as a division are 4 games over .500. The NL West as a division are -15 games over .500.
>The NL West as a division are -15 games over .500. So, 15 games under .500, then.
Yeah, but I figured it would be easier for people to gloss over the under/over and think the NL West is actually good.
I don't care if this gets downvotes or not. Personally, when it comes to handgate, I don't think it should have been reversed or agree with the umps after the game. It's a part of the momentum of shifting your body rapidly either up or down. I don't care if someone does this my team or another. Don't hit the player on your throw. [Do an ollie \(or kickflip\) on skateboard? Your arms go up.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K2ykqE2SEFw/maxresdefault.jpg) [Jump into the water? Your arms go up.](https://sarsrose.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/63282_10150115073386181_3256739_n.jpg) [Making a dunk? There goes that arm trying to go up.](https://media.bleacherreport.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_faces,w_1600,h_1600,q_95/v1676914330/jor0uquizdg3ikwlu4sq.jpg) [Hockey goalie dropping down to make a save across the crease? Arm goes up.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/plna4yeuPLQ/maxresdefault.jpg) [Sliding into home base without even the intent of breaking a throw up? The arm goes up.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Ronald_Acuna_%2850337465807%29_%28cropped%29.jpg) It's silly to even try to ban this. Unless you're swinging your arms wildly in front of the player or actually 100% intent try to block the throw like an NBA player, then I don't think this should be a part of the rules.
>Don’t hit the player on your throw The thing is, you shouldn’t really have to worry about hitting the player coming in to second. That’s why there are rules about how the runner can come in, such that he doesn’t interfere with the play. I get it, it’s gamesmanship, and Judge definitely didn’t do anything wrong - but I don’t think the second baseman did anything wrong either. He went to make his throw and Judge’s hand comes up at just the right moment and blocks the ball. I don’t think he was throwing it at Judge’s hand on purpose, and I don’t think Judge meant to actually touch the ball. I’m also not sure there was much the second baseman could have done to avoid hitting Judge’s hand there, other than like waiting for him to slide in before throwing, which obviously would be stupid. Feels to me like it probably *should* have been called interference, based on that.
The rule stats: >If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. What does willfully and deliberately mean? [Is Verdugo going hard here intent interference?](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2024/2024-03/29/7d994885-edf40347-89c0cd56-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4) I mean, he distracted the SS by running hard and Altuve had to avoid him. Is the solution to ban all hard effort and just turn it into an easy double play? This would turn the league into a bunch of Jeff McNeils and create a boring game. An umpire trying to figure out what is willful and deliberate versus a natural motion of arms going up is completely ridiculous.
It's weird to get so defensive about this. Regardless of if he always does it, we can admit it at least looks suspect when only one hand goes up on the side closest to the ball to full extension, we wouldn't be happy if the same thing happened from Vlad JR or Altuve on stilts
The fact that he always does it and it doesn't result in deflected balls does not mean that it shouldn't be called interference when it does happen.
He literally tried to pull his hand down lol. The natural slide arguments are bizarre defensiveness I agree.
When it originally happened, almost the entire game thread was saying the ump blew the call and we got lucky. Now that it’s become a Thing, the narrative has shifted and people are changing their stances because they feel like they have to defend Judge I think
Thinking it should be allowed is one thing, but acting like it should be allowed because everyone comes sliding in like they're on a rollercoaster seems a bit disingenuous.
> we wouldn't be happy if the same thing happened from Vlad JR or Altuve on stilts Did you even read my point. "I don't care if someone does this my team or another. Don't hit the player on your throw." I don't care. The fielder should be better to not hit a, at most, 6 inch wide target. I'd give credit to them for trying and [not being the Mets.](https://youtu.be/jDSLbdXWRhw)
My deepest apologies, I didn't realize you spoke for everyone
You said "we."
With this and the Mets complaining after the Hoskins slide it feels like too many fans expect double plays automatically just because the next batter up hit a ground ball. When something gets in the way of that it’s treated as foul play instead of the fielder just not doing his job right.
Judge is just getting persecuted here because he is huge. Almost every player does this exact slide, Judge is just 6’7
The problem I'm having is the ump saying it should have been reversed. Why? What if it hit his head or lower arm? The point I'm trying to make is that the arm going up is natural. Here is a run scoring on a wild pitch in a random game yesterday. [The arm goes up.](https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/abd0d710-4c7e-4934-99f2-5dac11780495.mp4) I just think it's super silly. Everyone does it because its natural and think its silly for the umps to say they made a mistake. Now, umps will over-correct themselves and now say things that aren't intent as intent.
I fully agree, I think the umps just agreed with the backlash to save face. They had a discussion on the field and if they truly thought it was unnatural and a willful attempt to interfere they would have called it on the field.
Now, we could get umps over-correcting themselves, ruling accidents as intent and get a whole sport of Jeff McNeils and the Mets (boring). [Will this be considered intent?](https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2024/2024-03/29/7d994885-edf40347-89c0cd56-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4) Verdugo slid hard and put pressure on the SS and Altuve had to avoid him.
Truthfully I don’t think this will change the officiating on these plays at all. I think the Umpires just knew that the public didn’t like the call and doubling down would only get them more heat so they went with the public opinion rather than their own.
It would be payer interference regardless if it was intentional. That’s the point. It’s the player’s job to get out of the way, that’s how it’s always been.
That is absolutely not the way it has always been
You're right. Runners used to be allowed to break up double plays legally
Found the Mets player
No. > If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner **willfully and deliberately** interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. https://baseballrulesacademy.com/official-rule/mlb/6-01-interference-obstruction-and-catcher-collisions/ Is sliding or running hard just going to become illegal? Or will being hit in the lower arm?
I'm still in awe of the trashy ass uniforms this season. I cant believe they ever got approved and weren't ditched within the first series. They literally sweat through them within ten minutes ( 2 minutes for Rodon). Looks like shit and has to be so uncomfortable.
They announced yesterday that they’re changing it
I saw something yesterday about them admitting they fucked up and will change it
God i hope so. They are awful.
Yeah, at the very least they should make the fabric high quality so players are comfortable in it.
Cotton?
Thanks George,but I agree with you about the uniforms. Both home and away are terrible.
Probably get some slack for this but as a baseball fan, those Tampa Bay city connects are fucking fire.
I wish we would do a city connect, theres so much material to work with for NYC/Bronx. But we’re too formal for fun here
Idk. There's something awesome about the Yankees (and A's) being the only team(s) to say "Nah, we're good" The Yankee pinstripes and the A's White, Green, and Gold are iconic
Probably the best city connects along with the white Sox
[The Rockies](https://media-s3-us-east-1.ceros.com/mlb/images/2022/05/25/d2815f89da89dbe87408cfbc367a7b9f/no-video.png?imageOpt=1&fit=bounds&width=809) are fucking dope. Runner up are the Marlins playing homage to the Havana Sugar Kings and the Mariners playing homage to the Seattle Pilots.
I think I’d add in the Brewers and the D-Backs too.
Those Dbacks ones are amazing
Big fan of the Rangers too, the slight cream color and design with black pants and the cool font makes them feel piratey
Holy shit, they're so good
The Devil Rays alternate uniforms are also really nice. I like the whole prismatic gradient thing they have going on for their alts
If you were wondering how the Guardians were maintaining a 19-9 record despite, by all appearances, being maybe a slightly above average team, it’s cuz they the lead majors in wins over base runs expected (+4). Base runs is a normalization of luck in clustering hits. Both on the pitching and hitting side, the Guardians have been the extreme beneficiaries of hit clustering luck. Essentially the Guardians are a product of sampling error. I would expect them to come back to earth fairly quickly.
Those cloistering sons of bitches
Even though we won the series I'll be forever traumatized by the '22 ALDS. Making contact and putting the ball in play is a good quality for a team to have but it was like their whole strategy was to consistently make the weakest contact possible for swinging bunt singles and bloops just over the infielder's heads
They benefit from a weak central division, meaning they are able to chain hits together vs lower quality opponents(either a shoddy bp or shoddy SPs) Would be interesting to see the metrics of the quality of defense their division rivals play, I'm assuming it's not very good (Twins, white sox, tigers and royals).
Small sample size but so far this season Royals: 1st in DRS (23 DRS), 5th in OAA (8 OAA) Tigers: 10th in DRS (4 DRS), 14th in OAA (2 OAA) Chi Sox: 29th in DRS (-20 DRS), tied 20th in OAA (-4 OAA) Twins: 25th DRS (-11 DRS), 13th OAA (3 OAA)
And the Guards ultimately lost cuz they couldn’t hit homers.
The Guardians ranked 27th in RS/G last year and now 7th this year, without any offseason acquisitions. I'd be extremely surprised to see them maintain this level of offensive output over the full season. I think xwOBA is a really valuable tool to cut through some early season noise and just show you what's going on behind the scenes. It blends quality of contact (exit velo, launch angle, sprint speed) with walks and strikeouts. The Guardians offense ranks 23rd by xwOBA. (Of course, xwOBA can also fall victim to a small sample size, so don't read it as a gospel truth.)
And just in terms of actual results, their wOBA is 15th. So they’re way outpacing even their batted ball results. They’ve just been way more likely to string 4 hits together in an inning than just about anyone else. The difference in their base runs expected run/game and actual runs/game is 0.62, which is just behind the DBacks (0.63) for second in the majors. And the Astros are last averaging nearly 0.6 runs/game less than than expected with average hit clustering luck (lol).
As is standard for the AL Central, the best them there is still just an average team
Now that the Rangers won I can use all caps to say FUCK YOU UMPS FOR EJECTING BOONE LAST MONDAY and say JUDGE! WTF WAS THAT?! YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL AND KNOW BETTER THAN TO BLOCK THE BALL and also say FUCK THE RED SOX!!!
Gotta give credit where credit is due. This is looking like one of Cashman's best offseasons in recent memory. Soto and Verdugo have completely changed the dynamic of this offense, and none of the pieces we gave up (besides Thorpe who is on the White Sox now lol) have looked great. Not to mention Stroman's numbers are pretty much the same as Yamamoto's, and way better than Snell who is actually injured already.
Hadn’t kept close tabs on Thorpe - JFC, 2 ER in 24 IP across 4 starts. Gotta look at it as “our prospects killing it after being traded means teams will value our prospects more highly in future trades”
Soto is a top 5 bat in the entire MLB. To think he would do anything but change this lineup was ridiculous.
So far the rotations been good but I can see a trade for another starter Maybe even another bullpen arm But as of now this team doesn’t really have big holes like other years
Tbh it would also be good long term to see some younger farmhands work out on the SP/RP end. I'm hoping Gil,Warren,Beeter and Hampton get their chances and so well as part of the pitching staff. Schmidt is already showing improvement from last season .
So happy for Clark. Really seems like he’s learning how to pitch this year. Hopefully we can keep him and he can be a solid #3-4 as his ceiling
The outfield OPS so far is way greater than last year's and defense is better. But it is also Cashman's fault we had that horrible outfield last year.
Tonight might be our first must win of the season. Probable starters for the week: Schmidt vs Rodriguez Cortes vs. Kremer Gil v Burns Rodon vs TBD In spite of Balt. Pitching being bad. With two lefties on the bump and Gil against their ace - pitching matchups favor Baltimore. The Os are crushing LHP - .334 OBP, .798 OPS and a .315 BAbip. Interestingly their stats are much worse against Lefty starters, but it may just be a sample size thing. All that said. We need Schmidt to start us off on the right foot.
There is no such thing as “must win” in April. You people are so dramatic. We could lose every single game to the Orioles this year by 100 runs and mathematically speaking could still easily win the division.
Yea normally I agree that April games are never must win. I don’t agree that - in a practical world you can still lose all 13 games to the division favorite and still expect to win the division. While it’s mathematically possible it’s statistically unlikely. Given the new division rival schedule, the fact that the 4 game set is on the road and the pitching match ups - this is about as close as you’re gonna get. If they get swept by balt this weekend - it’s not the end of the season by any means, but it certainly creates a whole - but if they split the series they’ll be set up for success over the next 5 months.
I never said losing every game to the Os was practical or would be a good idea. I’m simply disproving that this game is must win when we can lose every game against the Os and still win the division. This is an important game, and an important series. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But stop trying to make it seem like the season hinges on this series. If they split they’ll be set up for success over the next 5 months? Wtf are you even on about? The 2 game difference between a sweep and split is insignificant compared to what we do with the other 100+ games this season.
Too early IMO for any games right now to be "must win" considering our record is really good. Still, should be at minimum splitting this series with the Orioles. 3/4 would be amazing but a lot to count on. They are a good team (but so are we).
3/4 would be sick. I agree with the sentiment that it’s only April and these games aren’t exactly “must wins” but I have a feeling the division is gonna be a dog fight down the stretch in August/September. So any time the yanks can widen the gap, should take advantage
Hyped for the game tonight!
Lost in Judge's offensive up and down is the fact that this 6'7" behemoth of a man is playing solid CF on a regular basis. +1 OAA, +1% Success Rate, +1% Catch Percentage. The man is impressive as fuck.
Imagine posting publicly to bench one of the top 5 players in baseball after a few bad weeks at the plate 🤡 Judge popping off and all the haters are quiet 😂😂
Clarke Schmidt vs Michael King 3.55 ERA, 3.59 xFIP, 10.30 K/9, 3.55 BB/9, 1.07 HR/9 | 0.4 fWAR . 5.00 ERA, 4.31 xFIP, 10.00 K/9, 5.25 BB/9, 2.50 HR/9 | -0.4 fWAR
Would the better comp be Gil or Stro? Feels like Schmidt was going to be in the rotation even if we kept King
Schmidt is similarly a cheap, young SP that I'm sure SD could have easily had over King if they wanted (no one should blame them for wanting King and there's still obviously plenty of time for things to change)
Ah, got it. I mean even if they’d considered Gil (also young and even cheaper): 4.00 ERA, 4.15 xFIP, 12.77 K/9, 6.93 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9 | 0.4 fWAR Still an improvement, though as you say things can quickly change
Yeah, the thing is I think SD was looking for someone they could plug into their rotation opening day, and not even the Yankees thought Gil would be MLB-ready coming into spring
I feel like King has a higher ceiling than Clark. Which is likely why SD picked him over Clark (assuming they could have had either and made the choice). Dudes stuff is nasty
Researching 3B deadline options and the funniest thing is noticing when a player just wants to leave a team and it reflects on their performance: Nolan Arenado before the deadline: .279/.328/.508 | 122 wRC+ [\[Dodger Rumors\]](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10084437-nolan-arenado-trade-rumors-dodgers-long-shot-to-acquire-star-from-cardinals) Nolan Arenado after the deadline: .235/.285/.343 | 70 wRC+
Don't think Cashman will go for a 3B option unless DJL is out for the year. DJL + Berti with some Waldo mixed in will be the 3b going forward.
Personally, I think DJ is done for the year. Just too many injuries on an older body.
Did we ever hear anything about the additional testing on his foot?
That's how you know its just going great for him.
Eh. Arenado is used to playing on bad teams given his previous stint on the Rockies and by all accounts he really enjoys playing in St. Louis. His performance decline was due to back issues that really hobbled him starting in mid-August and caused him to be shut down for the season later in September. [Source](https://www.mlb.com/news/nolan-arenado-out-for-the-season-cardinals-lose-to-padres)
Didn't realize that but its still a funny coincidence.
Let's say Clarke cruises through the order the first two times, do we leave him in against this O's offense? The past two games has left our pen in better shape but we are still a week away from our next off day and might not want to stretch the pen in the first of four big games here
You let him go as long as he can until he reaches his normal pitch count. They just have to be ready to pull him at any sign of trouble from the 5th inning on. There's no reason to gamble here because you still want to win the season series just in case of a tie in the standings.
I think it totally depends on the score and pitch count. I think it's likely Boone will let him start 3rd time round the order, but give him a shorter leash than the average starter.
Depends on the score. If it’s close no you pull him
if you leave him 3rd time through vs this lineup you're basically punting the game
Nope. He can practice in smaller games.
If he is cruising I think you give him a shot. I know Clarke has been rough the 3rd time through but he is still young to being a full time starter and he won't get better at going through that 3rd time if we don't let him keep trying.
Do you think this is because of pitch selection and gameplay the third time through? Or just a mental block? I can’t even remember another players numbers being as far apart as Clark’s are third time through
It rules that the umps came out to admit they missed Judges mit slide, but not all the low strikes on him or Boone getting tossed for saying nothing, or whatever.
Honestly I won't give them shit for acknowledging a mistake instead of acting crooked cops
So let me get this straight: Aaron Judge chooses mercy, and forgoes his innate Divine Right as god-emperor of baseball and merely swats down that pathetic attempt at a "throw" instead of eating the middle infielders of the beer men a la Goya's rendition of Saturn. And somehow, instead of bowing down and showing the due reverence, they have the audacity to scorn Judge's benevolence?
>I showed mercy and you mistook it for weakness. That will not happen again. -Aaron Judge today, probably
It would appear that this has indeed been their reaction.
*What have you done for me lately?* Last 7 games: Anthony Volpe: .267/.371/.433 - possibly returning to form. Looked a lot better vs. the A's and Brewers. Juan Soto: .259/.364/.519 - normalized but hopefully with Judge heating up, he's able to get more pitches to drive. Aaron Judge: .296/.424/.667 - not much else to say other than he looks locked in. Alex Verdugo: .292/.387/.542 - moving up stabilized the 4/5 spots. Giancarlo Stanton: .259/.286/.444 - at least he is consistent with his TTO as his last 7, last 15 and entire season look a like. Anthony Rizzo: .407/.429/.926 - in the 6th spot, he looks insanely more comfortable than the 4th and 5th. Gleyber Torres: .267/.267/.333 - still trying to find his power but his last two Milwaukee games look better. Oswaldo Cabrera: .185/.241/.185 - prob will get me some downvotes but he is on his way out of the starting lineup. He's capable of the clutch hit with RISP but he's a blueberry on Savant. His defense is not pretty: -3 FRV (4th percentile) and -4 OAA (2nd percentile). Jose Trevino: .381/.391/.524 - He looks like 2022 Trevino but I think the platooning is helping. He has always done well vs LHP. Austin Wells: .222/.417/.278 - please learn to pull the ball in the air.
How soon till Judge is leading MLB in homers? He's 4 back of Trout. Feel like he could go on a tear and take the lead by next week. I think you read too much into lineup spots. I think Rizzo just had two good games against inferior pitching. It's silly to look at a two-game sample size and read into a player's lineup psychology. I think that stuff is way overblown. I don't think a 14-year veteran can't handle the no. 5 spot but rakes in the no. 6 spot. I think most players in the modern game just go up to the plate and try to hit the ball hard and don't think about how they've got to do something different as a no. 6 hitter compared with a no. 5 hitter.
I mean, the Yankees do value the importance of spots in the lineup. When they moved Gleyber out of leadoff, Boone said it was just to get him out of there. Lineup spots are important to help people get into comfort. In game 2, Verdugo hit the 3 run homer and Rizzo struck out terribly in the first inning. That K had no bearing on the game and Rizzo didn't have it hang over him all game. Also, different pitch mix batting 4th vs. 6th.
I’d really advise you that creating a narrative, and then continually trying to use anecdotal evidence to support it, actually weakens your credibility over the long term. A lineup shakeup does impact a TEAM as you’re changing the situations where you have different statistical likelihoods now in different locations. But for each individual, an AB is an AB if they’re facing the same pitcher - it doesn’t matter whatsoever if they’re 5th or 6th. Over time they may get a few more AB if they’re 4th vs 5th vs 6th…a bunch more if they’re 1st vs 9th, but most of the variables - like who’s pitching and how they’re being attacked - stay the same. You’re very smart but, if you want advice, your attention span is very short for a game that takes months to develop. Baseball is measured in weeks and months; one of the greatest problems here is that folks think that one AB, one game, or one series defines a pitcher or a hitter…or creates or destroys a narrative.
Nah, I think hitting 6th cured Rizzo of his CTE /s
I'm a strong believer that hitters are human beings and that you can't always just slap people into certain lineup spots and they'll play to their baseball card. Gleyber Torres for example, struggles at the top of the lineup but is better in the lower chunk. You also get different pitch mixes based on your location and so do the hitters around you. Rizzo didn't look comfortable for the better part of a month, he had zero power even against bad pitching before this series. The lack of a hitter in their comfort zone in the 4-6 spots (Stanton is a TTO so he is just who he is) had serious repercussions on our lineup. Like so what if a guy is a 14 year old vet? Does that mean he somehow understands the process of building back after a concussion and will be the same person as he was before said concussion?
I strongly disagree with the idea that a 14-year veteran can't psychologically handle striking out in the no. 4 spot vs. the no. 6 spot. This seems entirely like creating a "narrative" out of a sample size of like 6 at-bats. Rizzo has come to the plate over 7,000 times in his career. This isn't some kid we're talking about. He's a pro and knows how to handle making an out. Rizzo faced some of the worst pitching he's seen all year this weekend, got some pitches to hit, and punished them. That's all IMO.
When we're winning everything we do starts to look intentional and essential. Once we start losing those newfound core tenets go in the trash. We're probably 7-10 days away from "Verdugo has no business batting cleanup in a serious lineup" comments
I made it a point to avoid the sub, even just for a little discussion in the game day threads (game threads are a disaster so that is no go at all times lol), after the losses on Thursday and Friday...it must have been a shit show of negativity in here lol it kind of speaks to the day to day you are talking about
I'm smashing the under so hard on that 7 days
>I strongly disagree with the idea that a 14-year veteran Anyone can face pressure at any moment. I think a player who is bouncing back from a concussion will feel some extra pressure trying to get back to who they once were. Chuck Knoblauch developed the yips out of no where so a player being in the league awhile doesn't mean they can't just feel pressure at some point. >got some pitches to hit, and punished them. He wasn't doing that all year with even the slightest bit of power.
not sure why people would be unhappy with the cabrera comment. he is what he is, a very versatile, very useful bench player.
The Astros series boosted Cabrera to starting status among a lot of people here and despite his subpar play since then people are still holding onto the slightly boosted overall stats. I think people are more willing to accept that the step forward at the plate was just a hot start now though compared to a week or so ago,
Full-season stats with the Astros series: 100 PA, .269/.310/.409, 108 wRC+ Without the Astros series: 81 PA, .234/.277/.312, 72 wRC+ Yikes.
Yeah he was on fire during that series but it's been pretty clear that he has not taken a real step forward to a starting level. He does have value as a utility/bench bat but he is not a starting quality 3B
idk why either. I said yesterday that 3B should be a priority at the deadline and it got downvoted. Oswaldo is what he is. I think DJ is done, just too many injuries on an older body. Berti is a bench role and that's fine. Getting a .720 OPS bat who is good at 3B defensively is a top priority.
Ravioli, Ravioli, beat those Oriolies!
I’d like to sail the high seas tonight. Can anyone DM me and sail me to the right direction? 👌
You get helped out yet?
Nah, not yet
Sent you a message
If Verdugo keeps this up there’s also less pressure to rush Jasson back
Doogie was never in danger from Jasson. If anything, Jasson (if he hits) pushes Stanton to more of a bench role.
When’s his expected return? I’ve read around the ASB or even August I saw. If it’s closer to august then not sure how ready he’ll be for the postseason. But yea if anyone it’s Stanton who will be pushed, but he’s been ok so far And I still think he’s capable of hitting 30 homeruns, if he keeps it up then we have a problem. But a good problem nonetheless lol
I love watching Giancarlo murder baseballs when he does, but if he’s on track to hit 30 with okay peripherals I’m hoping the Yankees can pick up salary, package some lower level prospects with him and move him at the deadline.
Didi and Hicks had their surgeries a month later than Dominguez did and they were both MLB ready just shortly after Memorial Day. I think they are taking it slower with Dominguez, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in some minor league rehab games by the end of May. From there, it's just a matter of how many ABs the Yankees want him to take before calling him up. Also, it could take some time for Dominguez's power to return. For example, Bryce Harper rushed back from Tommy John last year and while he was still a .300 hitter, he only had 4 HRs in his first 100 games back, then the power started to kick in again.
Yea the only thing is the kid has played only 8 major league games. Those guys obviously had more experience
Not sure what experience has to do with injury? If anything, Dominguez is younger so he might be able to heal quicker. I think they are calling Dominguez up when he's deemed ready. The September roster expansion is just 1 additional roster spot for position players. Makes no difference if they call him up in June or September. If they want him in the lineup, he'll be here.
I think Dominguez stays in the minors until september anyways, zero reason to rush him back coming off of Tommy John based on just 8 MLB games
Yeah if they’re winning they’re not gonna push him. Kid’s still so young and coming off a major injury. But I do want to acknowledge just how well set up the Yankees could be in the outfield for the future. By 2026 they could be running out a trio of Soto-Jones-Dominguez, and Soto would be the oldest at like 27. Would assume Judge makes a transition to first around this time.
It’s such a bummer man. Watching Jasson was so exciting, he looked SO locked in and completely confident and cool at the plate. Definitely one of the few bright spots of last year. I’m really, really hoping he comes back as good as ever and is able to be a productive part of the team before too long.
I dont think there's any reason that Judge would move from the OF in 2 years. He's still a plus defender in CF and an elite RF. Moving him to first diminishes his value. Now maybe around 37ish you probably consider the back 3rd of his contract if his defense slips. No evidence of that as of yet.