Watching first Spring Training game of the season - Yankees v. Blue Jays. Gerrit Cole looked good, but I see no sign of his former beard on his face yet. #playball
More Catching Up
Not been paying as much attention as I’d like to spring training. Haven’t even seen a game yet. They start at 11AM here before I even know what I’m having for breakfast. Just read that Jazz Chisolm is at 2B and Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez is having a tough time out in LF. So far, spring training has been just a little rough. No more info on Giancarlo either. I’m taking a “wait and see” attitude. Spring training is exactly for this - finding out where the rough spots are and making decisions. But one thing it clear - the team on paper that the Yankees thought they had may be shredding just a little bit. Oswaldo Cabrera at 3B hitting .111 at the moment. Judge will finally get in a game March 1.
Yanks tie Phils today 7-7. Rodón with a pretty bad outing. 2.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 57 pitches (34 for strikes), ERA 10.13. For the Phillies, Zach Wheeler threw two innings, threw 30 pitches (18 for strikes), allowed one hit, struck out 4, and had an ERA of 0.00. Notice the difference?
Injury Update
So the G-Man is back in NYC with his tennis elbows due for some deep research inspection. Nobody who knows why he went back to NYC is talking: not Boone, not Judge, not G. Meanwhile, Scott Effross, out all season last season and attempting to come back this season, injures himself on his first in-game pitch. Swell. In other news, Ben Rice is pumped up! Possible Stanton replacement at DH? Oh yeah, almost forgot - Yankees lose to Twins 5-4. Spring training W-L record stands at 1-3.
Too funny not to share:
Alex Rodriguez hit 696 home runs during his baseball career, but one person will always remember him more for what he did on a basketball court. A-Rod attended an Army-Bucknell men’s college basketball game yesterday—he was at Bucknell for a speaking engagement—and won a student $10,000 by making a half-court shot that hit the backboard and went through the hoop. That’s a great story, but we all know Derek Jeter would have swished it.
—Dave Lozo, Holly Van Leuven, from Morning Brew
Hapless Hal
The catalyst for the New York Yankees changing their controversial, 49-year-old hair policy was likely when closer Devin Williams spoke with owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman last week.
-from The Athletic, story by Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty
You want to know what’s really the story here? It took 10 years - TEN F’ING YEARS!! - for Hal Steinbrenner to realize the policy was “outdated.” That’s what wrong here. We have a clueless owner who takes 10 years to make a decision about a policy like this. That’s why Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone are still here, and that’s why they’ll continue to be here until doomsday. Hapless Hal simply is uninterested, out of touch, and really doesn’t care all that much about the NY Yankees. What a joke.
Amending the facial hair policy had been a topic of internal conversation for around 10 years, Steinbrenner said, but it wasn’t until the last few weeks that the owner realized the policy was “outdated.” Steinbrenner said he spoke with team leaders Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, among others, to gather their thoughts on possibly changing the rule. He also spoke with former Yankees and individuals outside of baseball to get their take on whether the most recognizable rule in American sports should change.
Sad. Just sad.
Another Yankee bites the dust. TBH Hampton probably was going to spend another year in Scranton, but this surgery really puts him behind the 8-ball in terms of his future. He’s not getting any younger, and he will miss a lot of development time.
So Yankee players and personnel can now grow well-trimmed beards. Finally! I wonder which free agent(s) didn’t choose to sign with the Yankees because of the grooming policy.
Another Two-Year Boone-doggle
So Giancarlo Stanton has “tennis elbow,” is in a lot of pain, can’t swing a bat, and might not be ready for Opening Day. Surprise, surprise. #playball
American League East Standings Prediction
Would it be a Yankees spring training camp if there weren’t some drama? Marcus Strohman is a starter, DJ is in the best shape of his life, Boone is awaiting his contract extension. Baseball drama at its finest.
So Michael Kay is pretty ticked off that Shohei Ohtani was declared the best player in baseball, and Judge was ranked second. He asked rhetorically on his show “Which player would you want on your team?” I’d want Ohtani. Sorry, Mike.
2025 NYY Preview - The Bench
2025 Yankees Overview - The Bullpen
I know I said I was going to discuss the Yankee bullpen in my next post, but this article does so much better than I ever could, so I am just going to refer you to it. I will just make a few observations here.
Adding Devin Williams is probably the best move of the off-season IMO. Clay Holmes was, statistically, a decent reliever, but his 13 blown saves last season proved to be too much to take. Luke Weaver was effective in the closer role, but apparently the Yankee brain trust seems to believe he slots in better as a set-up guy who can throw multiple late innings. Devin Williams appears to have a genuine closer mentality with great swing-and-miss stuff, so his addition is a positive move all around.
When Nolan Arenado left the Rockies I thought that was a perfect time for the Yankees to sign him. Now, maybe not so much. Big contract, wrong side of 34.
2025 Yankee Overview - Pitching
Weak Sauce
I really get frustrated when GM Brian Cashman signs rehabilitation projects as depth. Carlos Carrasco is insurance for if and when he can trade Marcus Stroman, which I am not sure is possible. He’s scheduled to be paid $18M this season, and Cashman and Hal desperately want to dump as much of that salary as they can. They needed any kind of lefty in the bullpen, and Tim Hill is any kind of lefty. If he can repeat his Yankee 2024 season and not his White Sox 2024 season, he’ll be cheap enough.
2025 Yankee Overview - The Offense
In about 10 days or so, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to their spring training camps, followed a week later by position players. The first spring training game is scheduled for Thursday February. 20th, when the Cubs meet the Dodgers. Feb. 22 brings a full slate of games, so I think it’s time to get rolling with the writing.
The largest looming question for me is - what do I think of the 2025 Yankee team? Honestly , not much. I think the best I can say is that regardless of what I think of the makeup of the team, there isn’t yet another contender in the AL that is clearly and substantially better than them. Before I make a definitive pick, however, I will have to take a closer look at what the Astros have done over the off-season. They are the only legitimate competition this season, it seems. But despite my misgivings, on paper the Yankees look positioned to repeat as AL pennant winners, largely I think by default.
Play Ball!
Welcome to Baseball is Life! I’ve begun this blog to follow the 2025 MLB season as spring training approaches. I am going to write about the season as well as podcast about the season. I need something to keep myself busy and motivated, and since I watch a lot of NY Yankee baseball over the summer, this seems like a way to engage with the sport in a manner I’ve never done. Here’s to my rookie season!