From Bryan Hoch:
With apparent disgust, Alex Verdugo spiked his hat to the clubhouse floor, then sat motionless in full uniform at his locker. Head bowed, elbows on knees, the outfielder searched for explanations after misplaying a game-winning hit.
“I take a lot of pride out there defensively. This one’s on me,” Verdugo muttered.
Though he scores points for accountability, Sunday’s ninth-inning collapse shouldn’t be pinned on Verdugo alone. Anthony Volpe also committed a costly misplay as two of the club’s most reliable defenders let it down, setting up Clay Holmes’ blown save in the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Here’s Volpe:
“I’m still processing it,” Volpe said. “To me, that’s a routine ground ball. The game’s got to be over. … I didn’t move my feet. Good infielders move their feet to get a good hop.”
I’ve come around on the game. It’s definitely the worst loss of the year because of all of the circumstances (it would have put them in first place at the All-Star break, it would have kept them 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, and it would have tied the season series with the Orioles, meaning that they would only have to win their final series with the Orioles to win the tiebreaker, and now will have to sweep the Orioles in their final series against each other in late September to get the tiebreaker), but, at the same time, it was obviously a fluky loss. They had the win locked up TWICE but then two of their best defenders just had horrible fuck-ups. This isn’t Gleyber making a bad play, or Juan Soto making a bad play, or Judge not being able to get to a ball. This is two of their better defenders just both shitting the bed in dramatic fashion. Yes, Clay Holmes also walked the bases loaded, which was bad (he clearly couldn’t locate his best pitch, and that is sort of where I get mad at Boone sometimes, but not today, as there was no one else to bring in, where when Holmes doesn’t have the location on his sinker, he’s simply not trustworthy – I’d still take my chances with him over, say, Caleb Ferguson, but there are times when I would just pull him and go to one of the other good relievers when it is clear he can’t locate his pitch. It’s clear as day when it happens, so just yank him), but come on, he SHOULD have gotten out of it. I can’t get too pissed at that. This isn’t him giving up a home run with two outs. This was him getting the contact he WANTED, and it just going horribly wrong.
Whatever, shit happens.
It shouldn’t distract that they game into Baltimore and clearly outplayed Baltimore for almost three straight games. The Orioles were the ones whose closer gave up a three-run home run after walking the #8 hitter and giving up a hit to the #9 hitter. The Orioles were the ones whose #3 hitter hit a routine groundball with the bases loaded and two outs, down two.
The Yankees now have two legit good starters, which they didn’t have throughout most of June and early July. And the Yankees have Giancarlo Stanton coming back soon, and Clarke Schmidt, and Scott Effross, and will be adding at the trade deadline, presumably at least one impact hitter at third or second.
This was an awful loss, and they’ve played poorly in June, but so has Baltimore, so the division is VERY winnable (again, they’re ONE GAME OUT OF FIRST), and the schedule lightens up after the break.
Be pissed about this game, but don’t lump this season into this game.
The featured image is Verdugo’s pathetic belly flop of a catch attempt (a 99% catch probability, and a play that saw him run 50 feet THE WRONG WAY when the ball was 46 feet THE OTHER DIRECTION).
We have until Friday to mull this over, it had to happen at the ASB.
In times like this, you really appreciate those 1.75L bottles of booze and long straws. (I kid, I kid).
The Yankees basically took the same guy twice with their first two picks, big college righty with a good fastball and inconsistent performance. They’ve had success developing this kinda guy into solid prospects. Even if they aren’t particularly exciting, it’s hard to complain about going to their wheelhouse in player development.
And the Yankees have Giancarlo Stanton coming back soon
Over the last month (22g) Grisham has an .867 OPS and has been playing excellent defense, if not GG defense. I don’t like Judge as a fulltime DH, but I like Grisham in CF.
And tho Grisham should probably start over Verdugo, at least in the short term, he won’t.
Having Stanton back at least makes it POSSIBLE to get Grisham into the lineup over Verdugo. Otherwise, there isn’t a configuration of the lineup that has Grisham in it and no Verdugo.
It does appear that every move Cashman makes blows up in his face. Bader – a cF – is playing way better than Verdugo. Torrens at C is playing better than either Yankee C.
And every move he doesn’t make (like not trading Gleyber when he could fetch major players) also blows up in his face.
It’s weird but it’s like he’s cursed.
Ok signing Cole worked out; and trading for Soto (so far). But the minute he makes a move below the superstar level it does not work. And this has been going on for over a decade.
I think it is on both ends of the spectrum. The top guys work out, and the bottom guys work out (Tonkin, Weaver, Holmes, Wandy, Tauchman, Trevino, Urshela), but all of the middle of the road guys flame out.
And Torrens is just fucking weird as fuck. Dude had a lower OPS in AAA than Carlos Narvaez, and is now practically at a .900 OPS in the MAJORS!
Torrens is also 28 and has been in the bigs since he was 21 and has almost half as many PAs this season as Ben Rice.
I wouldn’t count him as an shoulda coulda woulda guy.
When Cash goes to a GM meeting and wonders who the fish is, it’s him.
So far today, 2 more big college righties with big fastballs, but more relief risk, and a smaller college righty with a big fastball.
Churn out more bullpen arms.
I wish I had more interest in draft stuff, but it seems like a real roll of the dice as far as who makes it and who doesn’t.
Yeah, it’s not as immediately impactful, especially when routinely picking where the Yankees do. Even when they do perform badly enough to pick higher, they aren’t high enough to make it much more likely to get a MLB regular.
I think leaning into your developmental strength is a legitimate strategy.
They did change it up in the 6th round by taking a college lefty (and back to a college righty in the 7th).
aw man, the Yankees took an OF in the 8th. I was hoping for all college pitchers
a lefty and another OF round out 9/10, both college
Pick 16 (152nd overall), Yankees: Greysen Carter, RHP, Vanderbilt (No. 226)
New York continues to load up on pitching with its fifth straight arm at the top of the Draft. 103. That’s the number many will know on Carter. It’s what he’s capable of touching in terms of fastball velo, and he’ll typically sit 96-99 mph with explosive life up in the zone. His curveball, slider and changeup all need work, as does his control, but the Yanks will hope to work around the plus-plus heater.
https://www.mlb.com/news/2024-mlb-draft-day-2-results-complete-coverage?t=mlb-draft-coverage
After his first semester at Vanderbilt, Greysen Carter’s family lost their home in a wildfire. Then, he was cut from the team. But after a second chance with the #VandyBoys, Carter is back, now armed with a 100 mph fastball and a new perspective:
https://x.com/aria_gerson/status/1664259303673413637
I forgot the other piece of bad news, JT Brubaker has an oblique injury, so we’re probably not going to see HIM this season.
At least they control him for 2025 still either way.
Yeah saw that too. I don’t think it moves the needle on this year much (I get the feeling the Yankees want him as a SP not RP), but not great either way.
Anthony Volpe
There are some positives – he’s 13th in MLB in runs and third in triples and he’s delivering good defense again at shortstop, Sunday’s gaffe notwithstanding. But he hasn’t bloomed into the dynamic offensive beast the Yankees perhaps were expecting. Among shortstops, he’s 17th out of 21 qualifiers in OPS (.666) and 16th in on-base percentage (.300).
Grade: C
https://sny.tv/articles/yankees-2024-midseason-grades
The trouble is when he’s bad he’s horrid and he’s been bad the 2nd quarter.
triples are a combination of luck and effort. they’re exciting but not particularly relevant to me.
runs, really? you’re in front of judge and soto who have combined for more than sixty home runs already. anyone getting on base at his rate would be in the same ballpark, no?
very hard to look at the positives with him as he takes a step back from last year. hopefully he turns it around.
Apparently all-star people have been doing all-star stuff.
The Yankees took all college players with their first ten picks, which I think is unusual, don’t they normally lean on HS guys more?
I think Eric Longenhagen said (not recently) that in the draft the Yankees go with guys rated highly by their “model” and that international signings were more lottery picks–Dominguez being an exception as every team in baseball thought he was a major leaguer.
Last year only their first pick of 8 across the top 10 rounds was a HS pick
In 2022 they were also 10/10 college players
2021: 9/10 college players
They’ve been college heavy for a while.
This draft was very pitcher heavy for them with 8/10 picks pitchers, but that also doesn’t seem totally out of character
2021: 7/10
2022: 7/10
2023: 4/8
Thanks Clay
Well why bother drafting hitters when you are so bad at developing them. Even when they are good they come to the big leagues and stink. Pitcher development is better I think. So go with your strengths.
Yeah, they can’t develop a quality CF’er who can be a league average or slightly better hitter.
Offensively, there should be concern.
Volpe is up to 1,041 plate appearances. Doing a random search of SS, I see that Alan Trammell had early trouble (84 OPS+ in first 1,072 PA). Volpe is at 83.
So things can change in a hurry. But we don’t know that they will.
https://x.com/mryclept/status/1813265318283706705
Volpe’s last 45 games.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GSn3DujXgAk_QDL?format=png&name=large
Ungood.
Has anybody seen an analysis of why Volpe was so good for a while, but absolutely terrible the rest of this season? April-May he OPSed close to 800. Did it take months for the game to learn how to exploit him? Where are all the mechanics guys to break him down.
The AL has weird uniforms.
The tan is nice and then the hot pink is extremely terrible.
Soto and Judge showing Skenes exactly what the Yankee offense is all about.
CC looks way too skinny. Get him a coupla steaks and also have him replace Boone.
NL just Charlie Browning every year.
Kind of surprised they didn’t let Holmes close.
Is Holmes the worst Yankee all star of all time? Too lazy to research.
Scott Sanderson maybe?
Why did the stop letting the starter go 2 or 3 innings? That was much better.
because they want guys to get a chance to pitch, and it doesn’t matter anymore.
The All Star Game used to make history, Carl Hubbell struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in a row. Pedro struck out 5 of the first 6 batters Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
History will never again be made in the ASG.
When the MVP goes to a guy who went 1-for-2 it pretty much sums up the nothingness of the game.
a new gm would have me giddy for this deadline. as it is i have to prepare myself for Ben Rice to the Pirates for Andrew Mccutchen.
Pinstripe Alley
YANKEES TRADE DEADLINE COVERAGE
Yankees potential trade target: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Yeah sure
I mean they really are just making it up, Pinstripe Alley has zero inside info. Shohei Ohtani to play 2B? Sure why not, print it.
BP has released their Midseason 50 Jasson Domínguez slots in at number nine, coming in at 33 is Agustin Ramirez, out of nowhere, the breakout slugging catcher. Spencer Jones not included.
IDK if Agustin is out of nowhere, he’s had helium for a year or so, and hasn’t stopped hitting.
CBS has Ramirez at 45 but Martian would be 4 if eligible. MLB has Martian 25, Jones 74, Hampton 82
How do you even TRY to rank dudes who might never pitch again? I mean, I’m not saying that will happen to Hampton, and I certainly hope he’s fine, but none of us KNOW how he will do with his injury, so how do you even rank him?
Was he injured again? He had two rookie league appearances and one low A start where he got bombed.
Basically, the assumption is that they will come back roughly the same, but the risk increases, so they tend to slide a little in the rankings.
Former Yank 3b Andre Chaparro leading PCL in BA at 336, 2nd in OPS at 992.
It’s the PCL, as you mentioned.
I haven’t missed baseball.
Chaparri may be in the PCL but when you lead the league or are 2nd it means you’re better than just about everyone else. So maybe the 992 is too high but it’s still good. If he comes up to the majors and hits it’s yet another cashman booboo. And ownership will do nothing.
Yep
Career MiLB OPS 806, now he is in the PCL, a hitters league.
Boone and co. gotta go
Hey hey, ho ho
Great news on the injury front! JD Davis is back tonight.
B Rice (L) 1B
J Soto (L) RF
A Judge (R) DH
A Verdugo (L) LF Still? How bad does he have to be to at least switch with Wells?
G Torres (R) 2B
A Wells (L) C
A Volpe (R) SS
T Grisham (L) CF
D LeMahieu (R) 3B
Well, dead might do it. Then again, it might not.
I’ll acknowledge that I was skeptical after the first pick, which I didn’t like (for value – I do like Hess). But I loved the next six picks and they got plenty of value on Day 3 too. This is a weird draft for NYY. Not a bad draft, but a weird one. They didn’t draft a prep until Round 20, which is not unprecedented (and reflects a wider reemphasis across baseball, which probably owes to the condensed minors). A JUCO and a young junior. They didn’t touch hitters until the senior signs at the end of Day 2. They drafted more speed than they usually do. They absolutely dogpiled one demographic, the big-bodied RHP with extension. The vast majority of their picks were from below the Mason-Dixon line and east of the Mississippi. Nobody from California, which is rare for an Oppenheimer-led Scouting Department, nor is anyone from the Northeast, unique among the last few drafts. Heavy on the SEC, double-dipping from both Vandy and LSU and touching up Bama, Auburn, and Ole Miss too (with a UGA transfer commit for good measure).
My armchair analysis is this. Pitching on the farm has had a rough year. Arguably their three best pitching prospects have lost at least half a season to injury, and most of the rest – guys who were either established or who they expected to break out – have been so-so or underperformed, or have gone under the knife themselves. Last year’s draft, which was heavier on hitters and on preps than recent drafts, has not produced a ton of return as of yet. Riggio and Lombard have been better of late and Cade Smith flashes the sort of talent they thought they were drafting, but so far the draft picks haven’t built much value. So pitching prospects, who have formed the bulk of their trade chips for the last five or six years, are depleted. …
More here: https://corner.bigblueinteractive.com/index.php?mode=2&thread=647749
Kirschner I asked about Verdugo staying in the middle of the lineup and if Wells was a consideration given how he’s performing. Here is what Boone said:
The manager “I think he’s gonna hit. He’s gonna hit like Alex Verdugo moving forward. That’s what I’m counting on.”
Maybe he is hitting like Alex Verdugo.
Tim Healey Luis Severino on a fun-loving group chat with some Yankees, who he will not pitch against next week: “They talked shit about me when I (didn’t face) the Yankees (last month). ‘Oh, you’re afraid of us.’ I said, I’m not afraid. Right now you only have two good hitters.”