What’s Happening in Baseball – July 6, 2021

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

I’m going to try something different here at The Titanium Spine. I thought I would do a handful of game recaps from the previous day, with highlights and analysis. For too long, I have leaned heavily on Yankees coverage, and I want to involve other teams. I want to expand my audience to fans of all teams, even minor league affiliates.

Let’s get started!

  • Red Sox at Angels – Clearly, the Shohei Ohtani show was in full swing in Anaheim in a 5-3 Angels victory. The All Star pitcher and hitter was on display, with seven innings of two-run ball on the mound. In addition, Ohtani smoked an RBI double off Nathan Eovaldi (9-5). The Angels scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Undoubtedly, the early lead set up Ohtani (4-1) and he settled in. David Fletcher went 4-4, while C Max Stassi added three hits. Raisel Iglesias locked down his 17th save for the Angels.

  • Phillies at Cubs – The wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field last night, and that usually makes for some wild contests. In 1979, these two teams had a game for the ages that resulted in a 23-22 Phillies win. Likewise, the Phillies won 15-10 last night, battering Chicago starter Jake Arrieta (5-9) to the tune of 7 runs over 1.2 innings. Arrieta left the ball up a lot in . As a consequence, Andrew McCutchen got Philly started with a grand slam in the top of the first inning. Bryce Harper had a five hit night, while Jean Segura added four hits of his own. In true Phillies fashion, their bullpen let the Cubs back in the game. Because their bullpen has been so awful, I hope Joe Girardi has a good supply of Pepto Bismol.

  • White Sox at Twins – Although the White Sox only had three hits, it was enough to get by in a 4-1 win over Minnesota. Carlos Rodon, fresh off being named to the American League All Star team, reeled-off six innings of one-run ball with eight K’s. Rodón (7-3) and José Berrios (7-3) matched up in a pitcher’s duel, with the latter pitching seven innings – the only blemish a two-run single to Chicago catcher Zack Collins in the second inning. Finally, in the bottom of the 9th, White Sox CF Billy Hamilton made the catch of the season, robbing Max Kepler of extra bases. Most certainly, you’ll see a lot of this highlight.

  • Yankees at Mariners – The Yankees have gone through a horrendous stretch, winning just 13 of their past 35 games. The team hit the road for a pair of series in Seattle and Houston, hoping to shake the funk. Apparently, the players meeting Aaron Judge called last week did some good. The Bronx Bombers got off to a good start, pounding Mariners starter Justus Sheffield (5-8) for six runs in 1.2 innings. Giancarlo Stanton hit a missile for a three-run bomb, and Luke Voit got off the schnide with a 5-hit night. Every Yankee in the lineup scored at least once, and eight of nine had at least one hit. Jameson Taillon (4-4) had his best start in Pinstripes, with seven innings of four-hit ball. He struck out nine.

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So, I hope everyone enjoyed. I am looking forward to more recaps and highlights going forward. Have a great day! 😎⚾

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Yankees Take ’em or Trash ’em – Outfield

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

Welcome to the final installment of Yankees “Take ’em or Trash ’em”. We have covered everything from pitching to catchers to the infield. Today we will look at the outfield and decide whether the Yankees should keep outfielders from this past season for 2019 or whether GM Brian Cashman should kick ’em to the curb. Let’s get started!

 

Brett Gardner – (.236, 12 HR, 45 RBI) Brett Gardner had his worst statistical season as a full-time player over his long career in New York. The 35 year old veteran started off slowly, hitting .210 in April before gaining traction with a .313 average in May. After a fast start in June, his average was .268 on June 8. It was all down-hill from there, his average plummeted with each passing month. It’s no secret Gardy has always tailed off in the latter months of a long season. Given his age he may be better suited to be in a part-time role to help keep him fresh throughout the 162 game schedule. Brian Cashman signed Gardy to a one year deal on Halloween for 7.5 million.

I think it was a wise move for a couple reasons. He provides valuable depth who can be very effective in a more limited role. He’s still good on defense, can steal bases (16 SB in 2018), and is a respected and beloved man in the Yankees clubhouse. A lot of fans overlook that important aspect.

Take him (and they wisely did!)

 

Andrew McCutchen – (.255, 20 HR, 65 RBI) The 31 year old veteran came over to the Yankees on August 31 from the San Francisco Giants for a pair of lower-level minor leaguers. Over his month in Pinstripes, Andrew was an on-base machine, with an OBP of .421. He drew as many walks as strikeouts (22 of each), hit five home-runs, played solid defense and brought laughs to fans who follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

 

McCutchen is a free agent and it’s unknown whether the Yankees will bring him back. I think he would be a good guy to bring back because he produces on offense, and adapted well to left-field which was a new position for him and can play anywhere in the outfield. Cutch is also durable, routinely playing in over 150 games a season.

Take him.

 

Aaron Hicks – (.248, 27 HR, 79 RBI) “Hicksie” will be entering his fourth season with the Yankees when the 2019 campaign kicks off. He had a hot/cold type of season in 2018. Things started slowly for the now-29 year old Hicks. At the end of May, he owned a .230 average with five home runs. When June began, Hicks turned on like a light-switch with five hits in the first two games. He heated up and averaged .275 from June 1 through August 16, when his average was at a season-high .254. During that 77 day stretch, Hicks hit 15 of his 27 jacks (a career-high). From August 17 through season’s end, he logged 30 hits in 130 at-bats (.231) and his average dipped to .248 on the season.

On defense, the strong armed center-fielder gets to almost every ball possible and he has the hops to jump up and rob home runs that ordinarily just clear the fence. Hicks was hampered a bit by hamstring troubles a couple different times during the season, and may have contributed to slowing him down in the second-half.

At age 28, Hicks just coming into his prime and it looks like the Yankees’ patience with him is paying dividends.

Take him.

 

Shane Robinson – (.143, 1 HR, 2 RBI) Let’s face it, the only reason “Sugar Shane” was in the Bronx is because of injuries. Regrettably, he was penciled into the starting lineup 17 different times out of necessity. After the first three starts, he was 3-8 with a sparkling .375 avg. In the final 14 games he started, he managed four hits in 41 at bats. Woof.

Trash him! 🗑️

 

Aaron Judge – (.278, 27 HR, 67 RBI) Here Aaron Judge was, sailing along toward another productive season at the end of July when Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis ran a two-seamer too far inside, clipping Judge’s right wrist. It caused a chip-fracture that side-lined him the next 45 games. Judge returned mid-September and he started to get the feel of things about ten days later. The Yankees struggled without him in the lineup, going 25-20 while Aaron healed up. Upon his return, they won nine of the 13 games he played. At the age of 26, Judge is an important leader on this team, and the team’s stellar play when he’s in the lineup is evident.

Take him (DUH)

 

Giancarlo Stanton – (.266, 38 HR, 100 RBI) Giancarlo was the marquee free agent addition last winter when Brian Cashman acquired him from the Miami Marlins. After hitting two home runs in the team’s season-opener in Toronto, he recorded 13 hits over his next 81 at-bats (.160), carrying a batting average of .198 after 20 games. After that, Giancarlo settled in, hitting at a .290 clip from April 23 through the end of August. In September, “Mike dropped” — hitting a lethargic .213 down the stretch. He was slowed down with a cranky hamstring that confined him strictly to a DH role, but he fought through it. Thanks to his early struggles, Yankees fans were slow to take to the 29 year old slugger — but he’s going to be just fine.

Take him.

 

Clint Frazier – (.265, 0 HR, 1 RBI) In spring training, Clint hit his head making a catch at the wall in left-field. Initially he was diagnosed with a “mild concussion”, but his recovery was slow, and it affected his entire season. Once he was cleared to play, he was sent to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Frazier hit 10 HR’s in 48 games in with the RailRiders, compiling a .311 average. He was promoted to the Yankees in July, and suffered concussion symptoms when he made contact with Baltimore Orioles 3rd baseman Jace Peterson in a mid-July game. Clint was placed back on the DL. Once he started feeling better Yankees brass sent him to Tampa to ramp up activity, but had to shut things back down after he began showing symptoms again.

At this point, we have to hope “Red Thunder” will continue recovering and be able to rid himself of these concussion issues that have disrupted this talented young man’s career. In Clint’s case, I’m not going to either take him or trash him — I’m just going to hope he starts to feel better and put this unfortunate chapter of his life behind him for good.

 

Jacoby Ellsbury – (Did not play in ’18) The 35 year-old Ellsbury missed the 2018 season recovering from oblique and hip injuries. His injury issues and less than expected production has long made him the whipping-boy of Yankees fans, but he was playing well in the first half of 2017 before suffering a concussion hitting the wall on a great catch. He wasn’t the same after he returned, although he got hot in September of that season, raising his season average from .238 in late August to .264 at season’s end.

Like Brett Gardner, a healthy Ellsbury can be still be productive with a controlled amount of playing time. Over-extending him will cause likely injury risk, but using him as a part-time player could wring out the last ounces of production. He’s signed through 2020, so why not get what you can out of him since he’s already being paid?

Take him (he’s getting paid regardless).

 

With that, we have now covered the entire team from pitchers, catchers, infield and outfield. We can sit back and watch what happens over the winter and toss more logs into the hot stove. It’s time to put “Yankees Take ’em or Trash ’em” to bed.

Gardy sleep

Happy hibernating! See ya next time.