The Yankee Years- Pinstripes and Prospects

[royals19]

"There are few things that are more American than the New York Yankees..."

Ok... Ok... Maybe that's not totally true... But hold on, think about it though. If you lived in America's most famous city, you'd come home from school drop your backpack, grab your mit and your bat and then you'd head to the sandlot with your pals and pretend you were the next Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. You'd hit dingers and make spectacular plays till the streetlights came on. Momma would come looking for and then you'd have supper, go to bed and do the same thing everyday you could.

Yes... That my friends was the American dream...

...Until this guy decided to get old and call it quits.

***

What's that? We still have A-Rod? Well... erm... you're not wrong... But let's be honest here, is he really a legend for all the same reasons that guys like Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mariano Rivera and Whitey Ford are?

Hell no, boys and girls.

The Yankees don't have legends anymore. They don't have homegrown stars. They don't win championships. Folks, it's clear that something has gone wrong here! I know It's often been said that the Yankees don't rebuild. Look where that has gotten us since 2009 when they last took it all:

Quote:

2010: Lost the ALCS 2011: Lost ALDS 2012: Lost ALCS 2013: Didn't make it. 2014: Didn't cut the mustard. 2015: Lost the AL Wild Card Game... To the Houston Astros (!)

Something has gone wrong here. For any other team in the league, this mediocre record might be OK. But for the New York Yankees, that simply isn't good enough. Things have got to change. We've get to go back to the basics here: scouting, drafting, developing, bankrolling...

For those of you looking for a 162 game recap, this isn't where you'll find it. No... This is the story of how America's most historic sports franchise (Not the Dallas Cowboys, sorry Texas) saved itself from the depths of mediocrity to which it had fallen. This is the mostly untrue, but slightly true story of how the Yankees went from raging dumpster fire to the latest rendition of "The Evil Empire."

A-Rod will be blamed for everything that goes wrong, coaches will be fired for no good reason and loads money will be spent because we can.

Let us go now to Tampa...

[royals19]

Contrary to what you'd think, our story does not begin under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. Instead, it begins in a dark and crowded backroom at the Yankee's Spring Training complex in Tampa, Florida.

If you happened to be lucky enough to sit in this room, you'd notice the stench of expensive Cuban cigars mixed with the odor of scotch and big money. If you sat there for a little longer though, you'd smell something more ominous in the already toxic air... You'd smell the wretched stench of business.

On this rainy evening in March, the Yankees "Powers That Be" gathered to discuss the direction of the franchise...

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

(Brian Cashman- General Manager of the New York Yankees) ...So I'm sitting here and asking myself: why can't we have this? The Mets had a payroll of 100 million last year and they damn near won the World Series. They're set for years with that staff and with guys like Conforto. Meanwhile, we had a payroll of 220 Million and we couldn't even make it out of the Wild Card Game.

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

...But that's not even the half of it. The Royals had a payroll of 113 million and they won the damn thing. Their payroll was 100 million less than ours! Spending big money gets us big players but it does not get us big wins. For all the hundreds of millions of dollars we have spent, we have a mediocre record to show for it. Going to the playoffs isn't good enough. We need to be winning title, after title, after title, after title. It isn't going to be easy. In the final analysis though, it is going to be worth it.

As Brian Cashman put the clicker down and the projector turned off, Hal and Hank Steinbrenner took long drags from their respective cigars. Cashman waited nervously at the head of the room before Hal finally spoke.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hal Steinbrenner

(Part Owner of the Yankees) So what are you telling me? That we've failed? That the course of action you have recommended and vigorously pursued these past years has been all for naught? Are you telling me that now, after you've committed nearly half a billion dollars in contracts 2 years ago that you've messed up? For your sake Brian, I really hope that's not what you're getting at...

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

That is exactly what I'm getting at. We have to rebuild. Hal, you know as well as I do that we're running out of time. C.C is outta gas, Tex is probably only sticking around for 2 years tops, McCann's knees are gone and that we sure as hell can't count on A-Rod. We're living in the Mid-2000s. This team is a ticking time bomb. Once they retire, we'll have no one to replace them with because we have a mediocre farm system. Why don't we flip them now, while they still have value and build this thing right?

Quote: Originally Posted by Hank Steinbrenner

(Part Owner of the Yankees) Brian, are you out of your mind? Are you out of your ****ing mind!? You really think that we can just up and rebuild? We're not going to stand for that...

Quote: Originally Posted by Hal Steinbrenner

...Brian, I see your point...

Hank suddenly turned to his brother with a look of utter betrayal.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hal Steinbrenner

Here's what we're going to do. We're going to go for it this year but if we're out of it by the deadline, you start looking into selling everything off and we'll build this thing from the ground up. You've been wrong once. If you make it twice, I fully expect your resignation to be on my desk.

Hal and Hank stood up and headed towards the door leaving Cashman and his lieutenants.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hank Steinbrenner

One last thing Brian, A-Rod... Handle him.

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

One step ahead of you Hank...

[JHedges2]

Keep it coming...

[saintrules]

Immediately grabbed by this man, looking forward to more!

[royals19]

Quote: Originally Posted by JHedges2

Keep it coming...

Quote: Originally Posted by saintrules

Immediately grabbed by this man, looking forward to more!

Thanks for the kind words gents, I appreciate it.

Now I usually don't get into Spring Training in the first year of a franchise for practical purposes but this year is different. We're not down here to watch Joe Random compete with some no name bum prospect for a bench spot. No, we're down here to watch the man, the myth, the legend: Alex Rodriguez.

If the meeting we saw in the previous update was any indication, it's pretty clear that upper-management has tired of A-Rod and that they intend to do something about him. The obvious solution here would be to release the man and send him on his merry way into the sunset with a dump-truck full of cash.

Fortunately for the sake of storylines, that's not the "Yankee Way."

***

This is why our story now finds Brian Cashman huddled under an umbrella during a typical Florida monsoon. As he sat watching the Yankees get their heads bashed in by the Detroit Tigers (Yes... it's going to be one of those years), he couldn't help but shake his head.

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

This is what we're paying 200 million for...

He adjusted his scoresheet and looked down at his iPad then shook his head again.

Quote: Originally Posted by Announcer

Now batting... Number 13, Alex Rodriguez.

Cashman shook his head and smirked; wondering if A-Rod had gotten his letter asking him to retire and to spare the club the difficult task of cutting him loose...

Quote: Originally Posted by Brian Cashman

What's this clown even hitting?

He took a long sip of coffee and pulled up A-Rod's stats. His coffee promptly spewed out of his mouth all over his lap and his scorebook. As Cashman was cussing himself out, A-Rod sent a missile over the scoreboard in right. Cashman looked down at his iPad and read off A-Rod's line through 20 or so Spring Games: .437 AVG, 15 Home Runs, 27 RBIs...



Ladies and gentlemen, if you thought that A-Rod was simply going to wither away and let Cashman and the Steinbrenner boys show him the way out, you were sadly mistaken. It's clear that A-Rod has come to play this year and that he's not going to be strong armed...

***

As A-Rod touched home and jogged back to the dugout amid a roar of 20 or so cheers, he made certain to give Cashman the bird.

It was on.

[royals19]

Now before we can get up to New York for Opening Day, it's probably a good idea to take a look at what we're going to be working with here. As you'll see below, this year's squad is probably a 140 game winner... If this were the mid 2000s. The fact of the matter is that this is an expensive, aging team filled with a mix veterans who are long past their heyday, premadonnas, guys who have no business being on a big league roster and a couple of intriguing young talents. So, without further adieu, lets take a look at this sad excuse for a roster that we're going to be rolling with in '16.

Catchers- Brian McCann, Austin Romine

B-Mac figures to handle the majority of the reps behind the dish. He's actually one of the few remaining vets on this squad who can actually play above-average. He's still a good defensive option and still hits well. Austin Romine, who it seems like has been around forever, will handle the backup catching duties. Also, as a brief aside, our top prospect, Gary Sanchez, figures to factor in here at some point. When he's finally big league ready, the catching situation will get reeeaaaal interesting.

First Base- Mark Texeria

Tex, after being hurt so many times in the past few years, is no longer the elite bat he once was and is nothing more than an expensive, average player. With his contract getting ready to end, this is likely his last ride in New York. Hopefully he can make the most of it.

Second Base- Starlin Castro

Castro came over from the Cubs in the offseason and it's the hope that he will provide some stability at a position that has been a revolving door since the departure of Cano. He's still relatively young and so he still has some upside that he could deliver on. Count on him being an interesting piece moving forward.

Shortstop- Didi Gregorious

Brought in to replace Derek Jeter, Gregoruious has an incredibly glove and an impressive arm. As of now, he's an offensive liability but if we can get his bat going, he's definitely got a spot in our future. If not, he's likely destined for somewhere else come deadline time.

Third Base- Alex Rodriguez

Yeah, it pains me to say that A-Rod is the starting third baseman... But after he went ham last year and in the spring, can you really blame Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi? As much as I'd love to, we can't just flip him the bird and sit him. He's going to get every chance to play until it's clear he can't play anymore. As a result, he figures to be a major point of contention in this year's rendition of the 'Yankee Years'

Left Field- Brett Gardner

Gardner is one of the veterans on this team that is actually still productive. He's got a great bat and good speed so along with Ellsbury, he'll be anchoring the top of the lineup. The only problem here is that he's 33 and it's surely a matter of time before his bat and speed go down the tube. Look for him to be a piece moved at the deadline.

Center Field- Jacoby Ellsbury

Despite a poor tenure in New York so far, Ellsbury is actually a still productive player. He still does a little bit of everything but its pretty clear that injuries have limited him and his dynamic style of play. His albatross contract pretty much guarantees the fact that he's gonna be in New York for the long haul.

Right Field- Carlos Beltran

Beltran is certainly not the player he was in the early 2000s. With that being said, he's still a solid above average veteran option. It is clear however that he's due for some major regression in the last year of his contract in New York. if he gets off to a hot start and the Yankees are out of it, looked for him to be moved.

Designated Hitter- Greg Bird

Bird is one of the few young players on the Yankees. He's got some pretty significant upside with the bat and he's starting at DH so he can focus solely on developing that part of his game. This positioning is merely a stepping stone before he takes one full time at first in 2017.

Bench- Romine, Dustin Ackley, Aaron Hicks, Chase Headley

The bench has some interesting pieces on it. Ackley should probably not be on a big league roster but Romine, Hicks and Headley all some sort of upside. We all know that Headley should be starting at third but lets just brush that under the rug for now. Hicks is probably the most intriguing talent because of his speed and defense combo. Depending on his performance, he may spell Ellsbury against lefties.

Rotation- Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino, Nate Eovaldi, C.C. Sabathia

Our rotation figures to be one of the strong points on this team. Tanaka is an established ace with Severino a budding one. The others are all solid starting options. The only weak point may be C.C. as he isn't the same pitcher he was a couple years ago because of injuries and ineffectiveness but all you can really ask from him at this point is for him to go 6 solid innings.

Bullpen- Andrew Miller, Dellin Betandes, Vinnie Pestano, Ivan Nova, Chasen Shereve, Kirby Yates, Anthony Swarzak

The back end of the bullpen is loaded with Miller closing and Betances and Pestano setting up. Aroldis Chapman should be closing but he was an idiot and got himself suspended for the first month or so. The middle relief corps of Shereve, Yates and Swarzak makes me nervous because all of them lack and real swing and miss stuff. Nova will probably be getting a lot of innings as a result as he has proven himself in a long relief role this spring.

OUTLOOK: We're probably not going to be good... But we're not going to be bad either. The pitching is good enough that it should keep too many games from getting out of hand. The ticket will be scoring runs though. I'm not sure if we have enough of a punch in our lineup to win games. Ultimately, it's gonna be an interesting year as things could really go either way.

[royals19]

I know, I know... you keep coming back here looking for the Opening Day update. I'm telling you, it's coming. We've already previewed the "pinstripes" part of this dynasty. Now its time to layout what things look like on the prospect end. Prospects are going to be a major feature in this franchise simply because of where this team is at. I'd love to just roll up at the top 5 free agent's homes every offseason with a dump truck of cash and then drop it off.

But I ain't Scrooge McDuck.

Instead, here we are taking a look at our future. Here's what we got on tap guys:

1. Jorge Mateo- SS- Class A

In a system filled with Toolsy players, Mateo is probably the toolsiest out of all of them. At present, he's a good defender with Billy Hamilton type speed. If he can get his bat above average, he's going to be a dynamic player.

2. Gary Sanchez- C- AAA

It feels like Sanchez has been around forever on prospect radars but he's steadily climbing his way up the ladder. He is all around a solid player but his power stands out particularly well. If everything goes according to plan, he's going to force himself into the big league catching conversation.

3. Aaron Judge- RF- AAA

Judge is a physical specimen comparable to Giancarlo Stanton. As you would expect, his power is probably his most prominent tool. He does everything else average across the board and has a tendency to strike out quite a bit. He's close to being a finished product and could make a cameo sometime this year.

4. James Kaprielian- RHP- Class A

Kaprielian is a 6'4, 200 lbs right hander who fills the strike zone up. He definitely does not have ace potential but he is pretty much a lock to become a very good # 3 starter. Once the season gets going, look for him to get moved pretty aggressively.

5. Ian Clarkin- LHP- Class A

Clarkin drew comparisons to Cole Hamels when he was drafted but has so far failed to live up to those lofty expectations. He has decent stuff but the command seems to be missing at this point. If he can figure it out, watch out.

6. Jacob Lindgren- RHP- AAA

If there is one prospect that will for sure have an impact this year, it will likely be Lindgren. He's a pretty refined product who profiles as a solid setup option. He's by no means going to dramatically change things for the Yankees but could be a very valuable piece in the immediate future.

7. Rob Refsynder- 2B- AAA

As one of the top second base prospects in the game, Refsynder has established himself as a pure hitter. He likely won't have much power at the big league level but will hit for average and play solid defense. Look for him to debut sometime this year as well.

8. Bryan Mitchell- RHP- AA

Mitchell is a talented right hander with back of the rotation potential. He won't ever be anything special, but he can still have an impact. Look for him to debut this year as well.

9. Ronald Torreyes- SS- Class A
10. Dustin Fowler- CF- Class A

Yeah, as you can probably tell, I ran out of things to say at about number 8 and just gave up after that. Honestly, there isn't really to say about the last three guys. That just shows you how poor this system really is.

While we do have some intriguing talents, most of the guys outside of the top 7 I hope never see the light of the major leagues. We simply don't have quantity or quality in this system. Fixing that is priority number one this year.

[royals19]

Damn guys... Damn... I've really dropped the ball here. It's been 20 days since our last post and I'm shuddering thinking about all the storylines I've forgotten about.

Looking at the last few posts, I think it's time to get to the post that you've all been waiting for: Opening Day



Our first game of the year would have us squaring off against Dallas Keuchal, the reigning AL Cy Young, and the Houston Astros. Looking at the matchup, I figured this would be a good early test for our club to see whether or not we could stand with the big dogs.

And, to be frank, it's pretty clear that we couldn't stand with the big dogs. I mean, looking at the box score you've got: Mark Texeria: 0-4, Carlos Beltran: 0-4, Brian McCann: 0-3, Jacoby Ellsbury: 0-3... In other words the heart of our lineup was simply awful.

I suppose something like this is to be expected. We don't have everyone's swing down, the timing is still a little bit off and this is a whole new team that I've only had a handful of spring games to get adjusted to. On the flip side though, it still isn't a good sign that our 3-4-5 hitters are starting the season off ice-cold...

As chance would have it though, we wouldn't lose the game. In fact, we actually ended up walking it off. And lookie lookie who stepped up:



That's right guys, I can't make this stuff up. Alex f'n Rodriguez won us the ballgame with a walk-off two run shot deep into center field. To be honest, I figured that A-Rod would probably fade into relative obscurity as his time with the Yankees inevitably wound down.

How mistaken I was.



As the chronicler for this franchise, it pains me to say: A-Rod is here to stay... for now.

However, if we take a look behind the scenes, it's clear that A-Rod's heroics have other consequences...