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Prospect O'Brien has two-homer day for Trenton

Written By limadu on Kamis, 31 Juli 2014 | 14.25

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/30/2014 7:34 P.M. ET

Peter O'Brien, the Yankees' No. 9 prospect, homered twice Wednesday, but it wasn't enough to lead Double-A Trenton to victory. The Thunder lost, 3-2, to New Britain.

O'Brien went 3-for-4 with a double and two solo home runs. He ranks third in the Minor Leagues with 33 home runs this season, trailing only Rangers' No. 1 prospect Joey Gallo (37) and Cubs' No. 1 prospect Kris Bryant (34).

O'Brien caught in Wednesday's game, something he has done sparingly for Trenton since he was promoted from Class A Advanced Tampa in early May. He more typically has played first base or designated hitter, while Yankees' No. 2 prospect Gary Sanchez handles the catching duties. But with a day game Wednesday following a night game, O'Brien played his 19th game behind the plate for the Thunder while Sanchez served as the DH.

While O'Brien is still finding his home defensively, his bat has made plenty of noise this year and earned him a spot on the U.S. roster in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game. In 102 games between Tampa and Trenton, he is hitting .267/.312/.593. He has hit 23 of his 33 home runs in 72 games since being promoted.

-- Teddy Cahill

Girardi won't alter approach to managing bullpen

ARLINGTON -- The Yankees have been able to count on the back end of their bullpen most nights this season, which is why it was so concerning to see Adam Warren, Dellin Betances and David Robertson struggle in succession on Tuesday night against the Rangers.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has tried to give his late-inning hurlers rest whenever possible, but with the team playing so many tight games, that hasn't been an easy task.

"You hope that off-days come at the right time, you get some distance out of your starters, and you've just got to manage it," Girardi said. "I'll manage it like I have the whole year. You know that you can't overwork them, or you're not going to get the same production."

Warren took over for starter Brandon McCarthy in the seventh inning, holding a 10-4 lead, but issued two walks and permitted a hit to leave a bases-loaded situation for Betances, who served up a grand slam to Texas' J.P. Arencibia.

"Mechanically, I just felt off," Warren said. "It was really strange. I usually take pride in my mechanics. I just felt out of sync and couldn't get on top of the ball. Especially in that situation, you want to come in and pound the zone, get some quick outs, and I just couldn't do that."

Warren and Betances, converted starting pitchers who have made 48 and 47 appearances, respectively, both said that they do not believe fatigue is an issue. Betances pointed out that he rebounded after Leonys Martin's triple to record two strikeouts around a walk, escaping the inning.

"I feel good, man. I feel great," Betances said. "It was a tough one for me. It's going to happen. Even after I gave up that home run, even after the triple, I was able to hold it right there. It could have been worse."

Girardi said that he does not plan to use the trio of relievers much differently over the final two months of the regular season.

"We've been pretty good about giving them the days when we need the days, giving them two days when they need two days," Girardi said. "[I'm] looking at what they've done in the past and having an idea how many innings they've thrown, and just trying to manage it that way."

Cashman: 'More work to do' before Trade Deadline

ARLINGTON -- Brian Cashman has said that he has "more work to do" in preparing the Yankees' roster for a playoff run, and if the general manager is able to cross the finish line on anything, there could be new faces in the clubhouse on Friday at Fenway Park.

Possibilities continue to float with Thursday's non-waiver Trade Deadline approaching, and while manager Joe Girardi is keeping an eye on transactions around the league, he isn't counting on anything as an absolute lock to happen with his club.

"Not necessarily, no," Girardi said. "There's less than 24 hours if something's going to happen. You do expect that there's going to be some movement in baseball. A lot of times, there's more talked about than actually done. We'll wait to see what happens."

Cashman has expressed desires for a big bat as well as a starting pitcher; on the hitting front, the Yankees are known to have touched base about the Phillies' Marlon Byrd and the Twins' Josh Willingham. The Rangers' Alex Rios is also on the block.

There have been links between the Yankees and the White Sox about left-hander John Danks, but it appears that interest in bringing the Padres' Ian Kennedy back to New York was overstated. CBSSports.com reported Wednesday that the Yankees inquired about Padres reliever Joaquin Benoit.

The Yankees have already added starters Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano, plus infielder Chase Headley, in deals completed this month.

"We talk about things, but I know that he's very busy this time of year," Girardi said of Cashman. "If something gets close, we usually hear about it. I don't expect an update every hour. That would drive him crazy and he wouldn't be able to get anything done. So I just let him do his thing. When he calls me, I say, 'OK.'"

Bombers bits

• One day after Girardi said that Brian Roberts -- who has played 91 games, his highest total since 2009 -- has looked "beat up" to him and could use a couple of days off, the veteran second baseman said that he is dealing with normal bumps and bruises, nothing out of the ordinary.

"I hope it pays off, sure. I'm not 20 anymore," Roberts, 36, said. "Nobody wants days off, but you trust the people in charge to make decisions that hopefully benefit everybody. Hopefully that's what happens.

"[Girardi] said, 'I just think it's a good time to give you a couple of days.' It's not my place to argue. I just work here. I'll play when they put me in the lineup. If Friday is the day, then I'll be ready to go."

• Brian McCann was out of the Yankees' lineup on Wednesday, with Francisco Cervelli catching. McCann said that it was just a scheduled day off, and Girardi said that he planned it this way to give McCann two days off with Thursday's travel day.

Girardi said that he was giving Ichiro Suzuki a day off for the same reason, playing Zoilo Almonte in right field.

"I'm sure it will probably help all of our guys at this point in the season," Girardi said. "As I've said, we have some age on our team, and you feel that you have to manage it."

• On this date in 2011, the Yankees scored a franchise-record 12 first-inning runs in a 17-3 win over the Orioles, sending 16 men to the plate. Thirteen reached base, with seven singles, two doubles, a homer, two walks and an error.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Jeter gets presidential sendoff from Bush in Texas

By Grace Raynor / MLB.com | 7/31/2014 12:04 A.M. ET

ARLINGTON -- By now, Derek Jeter is used to the celebrations, the pregame festivities that opposing teams honor him with in his final stops at their ballparks. Typically, he knows what to expect. But that wasn't fully the case Wednesday night when the Rangers honored the shortstop by surprising him with a special on-field presentation from the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Bush, a former managing partner of the Rangers from 1989-1994, had just been on the video board a few minutes earlier, smiling as he recounted the advice Jeter had given him before he threw the first pitch of Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. Seven weeks removed from the 9/11 attacks, Bush was hoping his presence in Yankee Stadium would be a calming one to the American people that night.

"Don't bounce it," Jeter had told him. "They'll boo you."

Jeter laughed Wednesday, standing next to former Rangers All-Stars Michael Young and Ivan Rodriguez, only to see Bush enter the field from the Rangers' dugout area seconds later. Bush smiled, giving the baseball icon a signed photo taken in the indoor batting cage before he threw the first pitch that October night in New York.

Jeter didn't expect the on-field surprise.

"I had heard he was coming to the stadium, but I didn't know he was going on the field," Jeter said. "That's a pretty special feeling, when you have a President come out and give you something to honor you. That's definitely a memory I'll have for a long time. I'll be able to brag to a lot of different people."

Rodriguez and Young presented Jeter with a $10,000 donation from the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation to go toward his Turn 2 Foundation, and he also received a pair of Lucchese Italian goat leather cowboy boots. The boots had his name, number and the Yankees' logo on them to have something to remember Texas by.

Jeter was asked if the surprise visit by President Bush was more meaningful than the gifts.

"It's an experience, you know what I mean?" said Jeter. "That's a gift within itself. Not too many people can say they've had the President come out and honor them in a ceremony. It meant a lot to me."

"I think you have to have a pretty special guy in order to have a ceremony like that," Young said. " In a lot of ways, Derek's kind of a cultural icon in this country, not necessarily just a Hall of Fame baseball player. But you have to be a pretty special guy in order to get that kind of a sendoff. I think Chipper [Jones] got it a lot, Cal Ripken Jr. of course, Mariano [Rivera], Derek -- giants of the game."

Jeter entered his final game in Globe Life Park on Wednesday batting .333 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs through 72 regular-season games there. He's played seven playoff games at the park -- in the American League Division Series in 1996, 1998 and 1999, and the AL Championship Series in 2010.

"He's an unbelievable player. When I'm not playing against him, I love to watch him play -- the things that he does, the things that he did in the field," Rodriguez said. "If there's a way to teach a kid how to hit a baseball, that's the best way to teach a kid how to hit a baseball."

Grace Raynor is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Liverpool tops Man City in Yankee Stadium match

By Jake Kring-Schreifels / MLB.com | 7/31/2014 12:27 A.M. ET

NEW YORK -- If it was strange to see a capacity Yankee Stadium crowd covered with red and spots of sky blue, or a diamond turn into a pitch, then it might be substantially stranger when this event happens on a regular basis next year.

In what might be considered a final trial run for Yankee Stadium as the venue for 2015 MLS expansion team NYCFC, Liverpool and Manchester City gave fans a look at two English Premier League teams that have increasingly become part of American fans' collective soccer conscience.

The teams squared off Wednesday night, part of the next leg in the Guinness International Champions Cup, and the turnout seemed indicative of the recent FIFA World Cup's lasting effects. Liverpool, with help from goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, would eventually win on penalty kicks (3-1) after playing Manchester City to a 2-2 draw.

Stevan Jovetic scored twice for City, but his keeper, Joe Hart, who entered in the second half and made several acrobatic saves, couldn't keep an 85th-minute equalizer out of the net from the foot of Raheem Sterling. Jordan Henderson, who scored one of Liverpool's goals and then was successful in the shootout, was named Man of the Match.

"It's always nice to get a victory, whether it's in a friendly or in a competitive game," said Henderson. "When you're playing for points, it's always competitive in my eyes, especially when you're playing against Man City. To score a goal to win the game is nice as well. I think in the second half, we definitely counter-attacked a bit more."

Even though support split between two teams from England, it was clear that soccer in New York City, or more specifically in the Bronx, will be a welcome change of pace.

Part of the recent fervor for NYCFC, which will begin its first season in March, has been spurred on by the signings of former Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard and Spanish striker David Villa, who were both in attendance Friday.

Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new MLS squad, but the Yankees have a minor share and will be involved in the operations of the team. But Friday, when Man City entered the field for the first time, any future allegiances were dismantled, and a heavy dose of boos erupted from the majority Liverpool support.

Liverpool is owned by Red Sox principal owner John Henry, adding an interesting twist to Wednesday's match.

There was visceral cheering and familiar chanting during the game, as Liverpool fans, groaning and then erupting with each opportunity to score, packed the left-field bleachers using typical home run territory to intimidate Man City's goalies.

Both teams will play the last matches of the tournament Saturday, when Liverpool goes to Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium and Man City heads west to TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. In the meantime, Yankee Stadium can boast about being the only baseball park to host a match in this tournament, even though it appeared to be more work. The grounds crew, which had laid grass on top of the first and second base half of the diamond, spent time in between play stamping down the temporary sod. At halftime, sprinklers inadvertently started hosing down the field.

But even as the Stadium works out its kinks hosting a new sport, it was hard not to notice the added decibels echoing around the park. The Yankees will still take precedence in the Bronx, but it seems clear that New York soccer fans are ready for another team to make some history there, too.

Jake Kring-Schreifels is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Replay gives Jeter single to help key Yanks' rally

Written By limadu on Rabu, 30 Juli 2014 | 14.24

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 10:16 P.M. ET

ARLINGTON -- Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter moved closer to Honus Wagner on the all-time hit list with the help of replay on Tuesday night. Jeter's infield single also was big in the Yankees' seven-run rally against Rangers starter Nick Martinez and reliever Shawn Tolleson.

Jeter came to bat in the sixth inning with nobody out, Brett Gardner on second base and the Yankees trailing, 4-1. Jeter hit a one-hop grounder back to the mound that caromed off Martinez's glove out to shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Andrus made a barehanded play and an off-balance throw that forced first baseman J.P. Arencibia to stretch toward the outfield to make the catch. First-base umpire Ed Hickox called Jeter out on a close play, but the Yankees challenged at the behest of first-base coach Mick Kelleher.

The call was overturned and Jeter was given an infield hit. It was his second of the night, giving him 3,422 for his career. That is seventh all-time, leaving him eight behind Honus Wagner with 3,430.

The Yankees ended up scoring seven runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead.

After Jeter was ruled safe, Jacoby Ellsbury fouled out and Mark Teixeira walked to load the bases. Carlos Beltran doubled home two runs and Brian McCann tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Martinez left the game after walking Chase Headley. Zoilo Almonte, facing Tolleson, drove in a run with a single, and Brendan Ryan drove home two more with a double. The final run scored when Rangers right fielder Alex Rios, in a near collision with center fielder Leonys Martin, misplayed Gardner's fly ball for a run-scoring error, with Gardner reaching third.

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Girardi: Rest hopefully recharges Roberts

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 7:33 P.M. ET

ARLINGTON -- Brian Roberts has played in 91 games this season, marking his highest total since 2009, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that the veteran second baseman may be wearing down as a result.

"I think that could possibly be going on," Girardi said. "He's been beat up pretty good this year, physically. He's answered the bell every day that we've called upon him, and he's played hard for us."

Roberts entered play Tuesday with two hits in his last 17 at-bats, and he has reported some aches and pains, according to Girardi, who said that he plans to give Roberts a couple of days off to see if he can recharge leading into the weekend series against the Red Sox.

"He's dealing with soreness that players have," Girardi said. "Legs get beat up, you hit balls off your feet, shins. It's all part of it."

Roberts, 36, has posted a split line of .237/.300/.360 with five homers and 21 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees, having signed a one-year, $2 million contract in January.

Staying in the lineup has financial advantages for Roberts, who has 348 plate appearances and is two shy of a $250,000 bonus. Roberts has already collected $350,000 in incentives, tied to reaching 250 and 300 plate appearances.

Pineda set to make rehab start this weekend

ARLINGTON -- The last time Michael Pineda was healthy enough to face a lineup, he was wearing a smudge of pine tar on his neck, an offense that got the right-hander ejected from an April 23 start at Fenway Park.

That is expected to change on Sunday, when Pineda is being scheduled to get on the mound for one of the Yankees' farm affiliates, targeting a mid-August return to the big league rotation.

"Four innings and 60 to 65 pitches will be his next move," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We're not exactly sure where it's going to be, they were talking about that today, but it wil be a regular game."

Pineda, who served a 10-game suspension for the pine tar incident and has been on the disabled list since May 6 with a strained teres major muscle behind his right shoulder, threw 45 pitches on Tuesday in a simulated game at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla.

It is likely that Pineda would need three Minor League rehab starts before the Yankees would deem him ready for big league action.

"I think you've got to get him to where he can go 90 pitches and you feel good about it, where he's not fatiguing," Girardi said. "I think if you get there, then he's a guy you think about."

Bombers bits

• As anticipated, Mark Teixeira returned to the Yankees' lineup at first base on Tuesday. Teixeira pinch-hit in the eighth inning of Monday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers, his first game action since July 20 because of a lower lat strain and back spasms.

"Pretty easy; I knew where to put him," Girardi said. "That didn't take me long. It was good to see that he woke up today and he felt fine."

• Girardi said that Francisco Cervelli's performance over the last week, when Teixeira's injury pressed Brian McCann into duty at first base, offers a reminder that Cervelli can be a serviceable starting catcher at the big league level. Cervelli has hit safely in a career-high 10 straight games.

"Great job. I said it last year; Cervy's talented," Girardi said. "It's unfortunate, some of the injuries he's had -- broken hand, broken wrist, concussion. But Cervy's played for us and he's played well. He's been thrown into pennant races and everything. We just need to keep him healthy."

• Kelly Johnson, who was placed on the disabled list July 23 with a strained left groin, is expected to be ready for activation in the minimum 15 days. Johnson may be sent on a Minor League rehab assignment to gather at-bats, and it is likely he will see some increased time at second base down the stretch.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Pineda set to make rehab start this weekend

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 7:33 P.M. ET

That is expected to change on Sunday, when Pineda is being scheduled to get on the mound for one of the Yankees' farm affiliates, targeting a mid-August return to the big league rotation.

It is likely that Pineda would need three Minor League rehab starts before the Yankees would deem him ready for big league action.

"I think you've got to get him to where he can go 90 pitches and you feel good about it, where he's not fatiguing," Girardi said. "I think if you get there, then he's a guy you think about."

Girardi: Rest hopefully recharges Roberts

"He's dealing with soreness that players have," Girardi said. "Legs get beat up, you hit balls off your feet, shins. It's all part of it."

Roberts, 36, has posted a split line of .237/.300/.360 with five homers and 21 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees, having signed a one-year, $2 million contract in January.

Bombers bits

"Pretty easy; I knew where to put him," Girardi said. "That didn't take me long. It was good to see that he woke up today and he felt fine."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Girardi gives Cashman space to work on deals

Written By limadu on Selasa, 29 Juli 2014 | 14.25

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 1:02 A.M. ET

ARLINGTON -- Joe Girardi has more of an inside track to the Yankees' trade-rumor scene than the average observer, but the manager said that he prefers to give general manager Brian Cashman his space to work, rather than get excited about moves that might not happen.

"We talk on a daily basis anyway during the course of the day, so it doesn't really change much," Girardi said. "I know he's always trying to improve our club, and I'm not going to keep bothering him and take up his time when there's things he's doing."

Cashman has said that he has more work to do in what has been a busy July; upgrading starting pitching is a focus, but various media reports have also connected the Yanks to discussions of some level for outfielders Marlon Byrd (Phillies), Chris Denorfia (Padres), Alex Rios (Rangers) and Josh Willingham (Twins).

Girardi often says that he has to worry about the 25 players in his clubhouse, but he does regularly communicate his views on the roster and specific needs to Cashman, something that will continue even after Thursday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.

"I try not to get excited, because as I always say, it takes two teams to really want to do a deal," Girardi said. "And do I expect it? I never expect to get new people. I always think, 'This is who we've got, this is who has to get it done.'"

Teixeira hoping he's had final day of rest

ARLINGTON -- Mark Teixeira took on-field batting practice Monday for the first time since he sustained what the Yankees called a lower lat strain, and the first baseman hopes to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Rangers at Globe Life Park.

"I'm very happy," Teixeira said. "The back spasms are gone, which I've been dealing with for a long time, so that's really good. It's good to see that the treatments worked and the time off helped, so hopefully they won't come back."

Teixeira had not played since July 20 against the Reds before singling in a pinch-hit appearance in Monday's 4-2 Yankees loss; he had a platelet-rich plasma injection, and at the time, the team said that he would miss three to four days. It has been longer than initially anticipated, but Teixeira has at least been able to avoid the 15-day disabled list.

"I wasn't expecting all the little annoying things that come up. That's part of the game," Teixeira said before the game. "Hopefully this is it, and I have two healthy months to finish the season. But missing a couple of games here, a couple of games there, it's never fun."

Teixeira, 34, said that last season's wrist injury made him consider his baseball mortality, and the fact that he could no longer play through injuries that he might have played through while in his 20s.

"I've played through so many things. I can't play through them anymore," Teixeira said. "That's just the fact of the matter. The guys ask me, 'How did you play in Texas for five years, 100 degrees every night?' I was young. I was a kid. I played through everything.

"You fouled a pitch of your leg, 'Go get 'em.' Strain something in your back, 'Go get 'em.' That's just the way it is when you're young. I can't play through those things [now]. I don't think I would have had to miss games with back spasms."

Teixeira said that maintenance will be a key for him, and that he'd prefer to play until something hurts rather than take precautionary days off. But it's pretty much inevitable at this stage that sooner or later, there will be another issue to deal with; as he said with a smile, "Father Time is undefeated."

"I was very lucky that I could play through those things and stay on the field as long as anybody," Teixeira said. "But at a certain point, you hit a wall. I hit a wall last year, and hopefully I won't have a lot of these. But if they do pop up, it's just harder to play through it."

Almonte rejoins Yanks as Francis designated

ARLINGTON -- The Yankees recalled outfielder Zoilo Almonte from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, immediately inserting the 25-year-old to play left field and bat ninth against the Rangers.

It is Almonte's third stint with the big league club this season, and he has batted .160 (4-for-25) with one homer. Almonte was batting .281 in 75 games at Triple-A, leading the RailRiders in homers (16) and RBIs (57).

In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees designated left-hander Jeff Francis for assignment, reducing the number of active pitchers on the staff to 12.

Francis was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two relief appearances, spanning 1 2/3 innings. On July 11, he was acquired from the Athletics with cash considerations for a player to be named.

Bombers bits

-- Jacoby Ellsbury received a day off from the starting lineup for rest on Monday against the Rangers. Ellsbury had played in all 10 of the Yanks' games coming out of the All-Star break, batting .289 (11-for-38) with a double and two homers on the homestand. He said Girardi told him about the day off on Sunday's flight to Texas.

• Masahiro Tanaka (partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament) stayed back in New York to continue receiving treatment at Yankee Stadium. Aug. 4 will mark three weeks of full rest since the right-hander received a platelet-rich plasma injection.

"We're still waiting for that three-week mark. Nothing's really going to change until the three-week mark," Girardi said. "He's staying back and doing treatment every day. He feels better and better. You just kind of wait to see where you are after three weeks."

• Carlos Beltran (bone spur in right elbow) has increased to throwing at 100-120 feet. The Yankees are hopeful that Beltran, currently only a designated hitter, could return to play some outfield after this road trip.

• Michael Pineda (strained muscle in upper back) is scheduled to throw three innings or 45 pitches in a simulated game on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla. The Yankees are hopeful that Pineda can rejoin the big league roster in mid-August.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Jeter passes Yaz for seventh on career hits list

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 12:11 A.M. ET

ARLINGTON -- The milestone came in a loss, so Derek Jeter was not particularly in a celebratory mood, but he recognized the significance of moving into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time hits list.

Jeter collected his his 3,420th career hit on Monday night in a 4-2 Yankees loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Park, passing Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski (3,419) as the captain takes aim at one final push up the list of legends.

"It's quite an accomplishment," Jeter said. "It's tough to enjoy it when we lost the game, but I'm pretty sure when this season's over and done with, I'll look back and get a chance to realize how special it is. Any time you talk about a list of all-time great players, it's pretty special."

Jeter went 3-for-4 with a walk on Monday, passing Yastrzemski with a two-out single to right field off Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish, coming on a textbook run-and-hit with Brett Gardner in motion.

"There's a lot of things that we're getting to see this year. It's been neat to watch," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He's passed a lot of people. He's been amazing."

The 40-year-old Jeter also laced a first-inning single to left field off Darvish and tied Yaz with a third-inning ground-rule double to right field.

"He showed what he is," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I hear a lot of comments about him being 40 years old, but he is a winning 40-year-old player. You put him on the spot, and he'll come through."

Honus Wagner (3,430) is in sixth place and is Jeter's next target on the all-time hits list, according to MLB.com and the Elias Sports Bureau. Due to discrepancies in historical statistics, some numbers may differ according to the source.

The top five players on baseball's all-time hits list are Pete Rose (4,256), Ty Cobb (4,191), Hank Aaron (3,771), Stan Musial (3,630) and Tris Speaker (3,514).

Yastrzemski collected his 3,419 hits during a 23-year playing career that spanned from 1961 through 1983, with all of those seasons having been spent with the Red Sox.

It was the fifth game of three hits or more this year for Jeter, who raised his season average to .278 and has multiple hits in six straight games played in Arlington.

"I've enjoyed coming here and playing," Jeter said. "We've had some good battles with them in the postseason, both on the good side and the bad side for us. But I've always enjoyed playing in this stadium. It's one of the places I'll miss playing."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Teixeira hoping he's had final day of rest

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 7/29/2014 1:02 A.M. ET

Girardi gives Cashman space to work on deals

Almonte rejoins Yanks as Francis designated

ARLINGTON -- The Yankees recalled outfielder Zoilo Almonte from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, immediately inserting the 25-year-old to play left field and bat ninth against the Rangers.

In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees designated left-hander Jeff Francis for assignment, reducing the number of active pitchers on the staff to 12.

Francis was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two relief appearances, spanning 1 2/3 innings. On July 11, he was acquired from the Athletics with cash considerations for a player to be named.

Bombers bits

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yanks eye further upgrades as Deadline looms

Written By limadu on Senin, 28 Juli 2014 | 14.24

NEW YORK -- The Yankees considered themselves fortunate to get through their first-half gauntlet, absorbing more than their fair share of injuries and underperformance, while still remaining within striking distance of the top spot in a bunched-up American League East.

A ticket into postseason play remains up for grabs, which fits perfectly into the Yankees' business model of never giving up on a season. That has kept general manager Brian Cashman busy attempting to patch the ship, simultaneously chasing incremental upgrades and bigger fish to rebuild the roster for October.

"We're hoping that we can get a jolt from every single addition that we bring in here," Cashman said. "We're going to keep mixing and matching. We're open to anything. I said before, which was kind of true, that we're ready to rock and roll. We're ready to try to do things."

As the days ticked off toward the Trade Deadline, Cashman was among the game's most active GMs. He crossed the finish line on moves to import right-hander Brandon McCarthy, infielder Chase Headley, left-handers Jeff Francis and Chris Capuano, while jettisoning slumping outfielder Alfonso Soriano.

Few clubs could withstand losing 80 percent of their Opening Day rotation, as the Yankees have, but somehow their second line of pitching has held the fort. That impacted Cashman's outlook toward the second half, with the GM recently saying that if he had to choose between an impact pitcher and an impact hitter, he'd probably take the bat.

The Yankees rank close to the bottom of the AL in runs scored and could particularly use help in their outfield -- where injuries have relegated Carlos Beltran to designated-hitter duties, while forcing light-hitting, 40-year-old Ichiro Suzuki back into an everyday role.

The Phillies' Marlon Byrd, the Rangers' Alex Rios and the Twins' Josh Willingham have been mentioned as possible fixes available off the trading block. Reinforcing the starting pitching is also high on the team's wish list, with no guarantees of more innings from Masahiro Tanaka or Michael Pineda this year.

New York is known to have touched base with a number of clubs. Cashman noted that the Yanks were in on talks with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel before they were dealt to the A's, in what he called "high-level" discussions that would likely have cost a top prospect like catcher Gary Sanchez.

More recently, it has been reported that the Yankees talked with the Padres about Ian Kennedy -- word from San Diego's side was that those talks had not reached the "substantial" stage, however. The Yanks have touched base with the Rockies about Jorge de la Rosa, and the White Sox, who are shopping John Danks.

The Phillies' Cliff Lee, a popular Yankees target from years past, is also up for grabs. It appears that New York has thus far resisted getting into deep discussions for the 35-year-old, who is guaranteed at least $37.5 million over the next two seasons and could be available as an August waiver claim.

That scenario might be preferable for Cashman, who has so far refrained from parting with valued chips like infielder Eric Jagielo, left-hander Ian Clarkin and right-hander Luis Severino. Instead, the Yanks have taken advantage of Hal Steinbrenner's willingness to add in-season payroll for smaller boosts.

The combined acquisitions of McCarthy, Headley, Francis and Capuano cost the Yankees infielder Yangervis Solarte and left-hander Vidal Nuno (both of whom were signed as Minor League free agents), plus Class-A prospect Rafael DePaula. New York added approximately $6.1 million to take on the salaries of McCarthy and Headley.

"They're trying to upgrade our lineup and our defense. I applaud them," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "They're giving us opportunities to win and that's what we want."

Cashman has a decent track record of completing deals in July. New York picked up Soriano from the Cubs last July 26, catching lightning in a bottle when the outfielder hit 17 homers in 58 games, and it brought Ichiro over from the Mariners in 2012.

The Yankees were silent at the Deadline in 2011, but made ripples a year earlier -- acquiring first baseman Lance Berkman, outfielder Austin Kearns and right-hander Kerry Wood in a flurry of late-season pickups that helped bolster their run to the postseason.

As in the past, Cashman made it clear that the Yankees should be very much considered buyers leading up to the Deadline and beyond.

"We're going keep sifting through [the market] and try to find ways to improve this club so we can get the team where it needs to be -- which is qualifying for the playoffs and being one of those teams that has a shot at this thing," Cashman said. "But I have more work to do."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Torre's Hall speech: Game 'part of the American soul'

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Joe Torre batted sixth on Sunday, delivering his speech eloquently, if not briefly, to end this year's induction of the grand Class of 2014.

Torre spoke about his family and his love of the game, and he detailed each of the six times the Yankees went to the World Series during his 12-year tenure as manager, winning four of them.

But moments after it was over, Torre seemed devastated that he formally forgot to thank late Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner and members of the Steinbrenner family, some of whom were in attendance among the crowd of 48,000 on what turned out to be a gorgeous sun-baked afternoon in upstate New York.

"I missed mentioning and thanking the most obvious guy in the world when you're talking about the Yankees," Torre said in opening the post-ceremony media conference. "My plan was to thank him and [mention] the fact that we had a great relationship. It was so obvious that I was going to do it that I just went right past it and the whole Steinbrenner family. It was the proudest time in my career."

Steinbrenner's youngest son, Hal -- the club's current principal owner -- was here along with general manager Brian Cashman and a contingent of Yankees executives and former coaches who worked under Torre.

Currently Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, Torre was inducted with fellow managers Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa, all elected late last year by the Expansion Era Committee. They were joined by 300-game winners Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas -- elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in January.

The three skippers inducted Sunday -- Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre -- rank Nos. 3-5 all-time in managerial wins.
Manager	Wins	Years
1. Connie Mack	3,731	53
2. John McGraw	2,763	33
3. Tony La Russa	2,728	33
4. Bobby Cox	2,504	29
5. Joe Torre	2,326	29
6. Sparky Anderson	2,194	26
7. Bucky Harris	2,158	29
8. Joe McCarthy	2,125	24
9. Walter Alston	2,040	23
10. Leo Durocher	2,008	24

Torre managed the Yankees from 1996-2007, winning those four World Series, six American League pennants and taking the team to the playoffs 12 years in a row. He also managed the Mets (1977-81), Braves (1982-84) and Cardinals (1990-95), mentioning each organization in his speech. He didn't cite the Dodgers, who he managed from 2008-10 to close his managerial career, but he's been unequivocal about the fact that his Hall of Fame selection was due to his Yankee record and years.

"Might as well cut to the chase -- I'm here because of the New York Yankees," Torre said. "However, in order -- as [Glavine] said -- to be ready, you had to make stops along the way. You had to fail along the way."

Torre went into the Hall with a Yankees logo on his plaque, and later this summer, the Yanks plan to retire his No. 6 in a Monument Park ceremony at the new Yankee Stadium, the ballpark in the Bronx where he never managed.

Torre said he recognized his faux pas and asked Hall vice president of communications and education Brad Horn for a moment to address the issue before opening the media conference to questions.

"I realized it immediately and I felt terrible," Torre said. "You don't gain any acceptance in New York without George's acceptance. I was so concerned about my family that I didn't want to forget anybody's name. I forgot [former Yankees trainer] Gene Monahan, too. But as soon as I turned around [after ending the speech], I realized I forgot George. Even though I mentioned his name a few times, it was not the way I wanted to do it."

The 74-year-old Torre had 300 relatives in attendance, most of them from the side of the family of his wife, Ali, who has 15 siblings. They all traveled to Cooperstown from Cincinnati and stayed at a hotel a few hours away. Torre's brother, Frank, 82, who had a heart transplant in 1996 just a day before the Yanks defeated the Braves in Game 6 to win the World Series, didn't travel from his home in Florida for the ceremony. Two of his daughters, a slew of grandchildren and a pair of sisters were in attendance.

"Great support, even though my sisters thought we should bunt more," Torre quipped in the speech.

Torre also mentioned Don Zimmer, his coach for eight seasons with the Yankees, who passed away at 83 on June 4.

"Aside from costing me a lot of money by introducing me to horse racing, eight years sitting next to me made me the manager I turned into," Torre said. "He had more guts than I did, and sort of got me off the conservative platform. And I know he's watching us from a racetrack in the sky somewhere."

The speeches were supposed to be limited to 10 minutes each. Cox and Maddux basically hit it on the button, while Glavine, Thomas, La Russa and Torre went long. Torre hit it out of the ballpark when his speech went 29 minutes, and he took some good-natured ribbing about it from his fellow Hall of Famers. Of the 66 living Hall members, 50 were in attendance, including the six inductees.

"He truly does love the game, and his finish was the best, because he really did speak from his heart," Torre's wife, Ali, said.

Here's how Torre ended the speech, mentioning the late Tony Gwynn, who died June 16:

"Closing thoughts, if you give me a moment," Torre said. "Today is a celebration of chasing your dreams and putting the team above yourself, as my players did. Tony Gwynn, I was at Tony's memorial, and I watched him up on the screen, and he said something that didn't surprise me coming from him. He said, 'All I ever tried to do was play the game the right way.' No better message for our youngsters than that.

"There is a power to both patience and persistence. Baseball is a game of life. It's not perfect, but it feels like it is. That's the magic of it. We are responsible for giving it the respect that it deserves. Our sport is part of the American soul, and it's ours to borrow just for while, to take care of it for a time, and then pass it on to the next generation. When I say us, I mean as managers and players. If all of us who love baseball are doing our jobs, then those who get the game from us will be as proud to be a part of it as we were.

"This game is a gift, and I'm humbled to accept its greatest honor."

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Severino jumps to No. 1 on Yankees' updated Top 20

With the passing of the Draft signing deadline, teams have had a recent influx of talent into their farm systems, and with that, we've updated the Top 20 Prospects lists of all 30 teams.

To be on a list, a player must have rookie eligibility. To qualify for rookie status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the 25-player limit period, excluding time on the disabled list or in military service.

Players are graded on a 20-80 scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average.

Check out all 30 team Top 20 lists and the Top 100 on Prospect Watch.

1. Luis Severino, RHP
Preseason rank: 10
MLB Top 100 rank: 70 (Preseason: None)
ETA: 2017
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

Severino began 2013 as an unknown Yankees prospect who had yet to make his U.S. debut, and he finished it as the top right-handed pitching prospect in the system. He has made another leap in 2014, becoming the organization's top prospect, period, and pitching in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

Though he isn't especially big, Severino is strong, and he can run his fastball up to 98 mph. His heater usually sits at 94-95 mph and features some sink at the lower end of its velocity range. Both Severino's hard slider and his changeup have the potential to be solid or better offerings.

Severino reached low Class A ahead of schedule last August, and the Yankees are excited to see what he can do in his first full pro season. If Severino continues to fill the strike zone with three quality pitches, he'll continue to accelerate his timetable.

Sanchez was well regarded as an amateur in the Dominican Republic, and he got a $3 million bonus as a 16-year-old in 2009. He has continued to impress -- especially with his bat -- as he climbs through the Minor Leagues.

Sanchez has above-average raw power, and he knows how to use it, hitting at least 15 home runs in all three of his years in full-season ball. Sanchez has a good approach at the plate and the potential to be a solid all-around hitter.

Sanchez's defense remains a question mark, though he has gotten better behind the plate. He still needs to work on his receiving and blocking balls. Sanchez's strong throwing arm remains an asset behind the plate. His bat would make him a valuable Major Leaguer, even if he had to change positions, but he has star potential as a catcher.

Just the fifth first-rounder in Notre Dame history, Jagielo went 26th overall in June 2013 and signed for $1,839,400. The Yankees hadn't taken a college position player in the first round since going for John-Ford Griffin in 2001, but they couldn't ignore that Jagielo's left-handed power was tailor-made for Yankee Stadium.

Jagielo showed an ability to drive the ball to all fields when he finished second in the Cape Cod League with 13 homers in the summer of 2012, and he continued to do so while going deep six times in his pro debut. He has matured as a hitter in the past year, displaying more patience at the plate.

Jagielo has improved defensively, too. While he won't be a Gold Glover, he should be able to stick at third base, and he definitely has the arm strength for the position.

4. Ian Clarkin, LHP
Preseason rank: 8
ETA: 2017
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Clarkin established himself as a potential first-rounder with a strong summer in 2012, capped by winning the gold-medal game for Team USA at the 18-and-under World Championships. When he followed up with a strong high school senior season, the Yankees didn't think they'd get a shot to draft him, but they were pleasantly surprised when Clarkin was available as their third of three first-rounders in 2013.

Signed for $1,650,100 as the 33rd overall pick, Clarkin is a left-hander with three quality pitches at his disposal and more polish than a typical prepster. His 90-94 mph fastball is his best pitch, but his hard 12-to-6 curveball isn't far behind. Clarkin's changeup features good fade and deception.

Clarkin pitched just five innings in his pro debut because he sprained an ankle. Healthy again in 2014, he has performed impressively in low Class A. Clarkin could move quickly through the Minors, and he has the upside of a No. 2 or 3 starter.

At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Judge looks more like he should be playing football (most of his college scholarship offers were as a tight end) or basketball (he has a close physical resemblance to NBA star Blake Griffin). He also has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who played in eight straight All-Star Games for the Yankees, and Giancarlo Stanton.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2013 Draft and recipient of a $1.8 million bonus, Judge has huge power potential. He uses his leverage and strength to crush balls, and he has a two-homer game against No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel and the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby title on his resume. With his long arms, his swing can get very long as well, which results in strikeouts and reduces his ability to hit for average.

Judge moves very well for a big man, with his solid speed and strong arm making him a nice fit in right field. He has yet to make his debut because he arrived in pro ball with a quad injury, yet Judge could move quickly if he makes consistent contact.

Refsnyder batted .476 with two homers at the 2012 College World Series, leading Arizona to the championship while winning Most Outstanding Player honors. Though he was an outfielder in college, the Yankees were intrigued by the possibility of moving him to second base, which they did in his first full professional season in 2013.

The former fifth-round pick has established himself as the best pure hitter in a system loaded with seven-figure bonus babies. Refsnyder has a quality approach at the plate, recognizing pitches, controlling the strike zone and using the entire field. He has shown more power in 2014 than he has in the past, and he could develop into a 15-homer threat in the Major Leagues.

Refsnyder was extremely shaky when he first moved to second base, and he still has a lot of work to do there, but he could develop into an adequate defender. Though Refsnyder has solid speed and an average arm, he really doesn't profile well at another position, and he doesn't have the true versatility desired in a utilityman.

Some teams liked Cave more as a pitcher when they scouted him in high school, and he would have been a two-way player had he attended Louisiana State. The Yanks had other plans, however, signing him for $800,000 as a sixth-round pick in 2011 and making him a full-time outfielder. Cave fractured his right kneecap in his first pro game and missed all of '12 when it didn't heal properly, but he since has emerged as one of the system's top position prospects.

Cave makes consistent hard contract from the left side of the plate. He'll need to tighten his strike-zone discipline against better pitching, but the bigger question is how much power he'll develop. Most of Cave's pop comes to the gaps for now, and he might max out at 10-12 homers per season.

Cave has good if not great speed, but his instincts could allow him to remain in center field. He has arm strength and hit 94 mph with his fastball as an amateur, though he hasn't registered many assists in pro ball. Scouts love the way Cave plays with full effort on a daily basis.

8. Manny Banuelos, LHP
Preseason rank: 12
ETA: 2014
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

Banuelos began his pro career as a control-oriented starter, then he saw his stuff take a huge step forward while his command regressed in 2010. He was a sensation in big league camp the following spring, and he appeared on the verge of reaching Yankee Stadium. But Banuelos has yet to reach New York, missing most of 2012 and all of '13 following Tommy John surgery.

Before he got hurt, Banuelos showed the potential for three plus pitches. He worked at 91-94 mph and touched 97 with a tailing fastball. Banuelos also got swings and misses with his curveball and changeup.

In addition to regaining his health, Banuelos will have to prove he can throw enough strikes to realize his ceiling as a No. 2 starter. His velocity has bounced back in 2014, but he's still getting himself into trouble with walks.

The Rockies made O'Brien the second-highest pick ever out of Bethune-Cookman when they took him in the third round in 2011, but he opted to transfer to Miami rather than sign. He went in the second round a year later as a senior, and he has demonstrated consistent power since turning pro. O'Brien led the short-season New York-Penn League with 10 homers in his pro debut in '12, and he topped the Yankees' system with 22 in his first full season in '13.

O'Brien's raw pop ranks among the best in the Minors, and he can crush the ball out of any part of any ballpark with his combination of bat speed and strength. He hit the longest measured homer during the 2013 Arizona Fall League season, a 455-foot blast. O'Brien does swing and miss a lot, and he doesn't control the strike zone well, so there's some concern as to how much he'll be able to hit for average and tap into his power against more advanced pitchers.

There are defensive concerns with O'Brien, as well. He has raw arm strength, though he needs to quicken his transfer and release, and other clubs don't share the Yankees' optimism that he can refine his receiving and stay behind the plate. O'Brien has seen time at third base and in the outfield, but his lack of speed and quickness may leave first base as his only realistic fallback.

10. Jacob Lindgren, LHP
Preseason rank: None (2014 Draft)
ETA: 2015
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Lindgren helped pitch Mississippi State to the College World Series as a starter in 2013, then dominated after a shift to the bullpen this spring. He went 6-1 with a 0.81 ERA and three saves as opponents hit just .124 with one extra-base hit and 100 strikeouts in 185 at-bats. The Yankees took Lindgren with their top pick (second round) in June and signed him for $1,018,700.

Lindgren's stuff took a leap forward when he worked in shorter stints. His fastball zoomed from 87-91 mph last year to 91-95, and his slider became a true wipeout pitch at 82-84 mph, with late bite. When batters manage to make contact against Lindgren, they struggle to put the ball in the air.

Though Lindgren has a decent third pitch in his sinking changeup, New York has no plans to try him in the rotation. He could become the first player from the 2014 Draft to reach the big leagues. Lindgren's ability to throw consistent strikes will determine how much time he needs in the Minors.

Though Torrens had played mostly shortstop as an amateur, the Yankees switched him to catcher after signing him for $1.3 million out of Venezuela in 2012. They considered Torrens advanced enough to bring him to the United States for his pro debut last year, and he responded by leading the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League by throwing out 45 percent of basestealers.

Torrens has a strong arm, and he already has developed the footwork and release to make the most of it. He's coming along as a receiver, though he had 13 passed balls in 32 games behind the plate in 2013. Torrens' intelligence and work ethic are two more assets that will help him as a catcher.

Torrens predictably wore down in his first season as a pro, but he has the tools to contribute offensively, as well. He has good pitch-recognition skills, a patient approach and solid raw power.

12. Shane Greene, RHP
Preseason rank: None
ETA: 2014
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Improbably and suddenly, Greene developed into the Yankees' best healthy starting pitcher in their big league rotation. He had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at NCAA Division II West Florida in 2008, then he transferred to Daytona Beach (Fla.) CC, where New York spotted him and signed him for $100,000 as a 15th-rounder in 2009. Greene went 12-31, with a 4.79 ERA in his first four pro seasons before figuring out how to command his stuff last year.

That made all the difference for Greene, who started racking up outs with his sinker and cutter/slider once he learned how to locate them. He throws his fastball at 90-94 mph with good sinking and tailing life. Greene's breaking ball can reach the upper 80s, and it is tough on right-handers because his crossfire delivery gives him tough angle to the plate.

Greene's changeup lags behind his other two offerings. He has the stuff to stick in the Yanks' rotation, though he fits best in the back half rather than being counted on heavily.

Bird served as Kevin Gausman's catcher at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo., helping him attract the attention of scouts. He has since moved out from behind the plate, flourishing as a hitter at the same time.

Bird has a patient approach, and he led the Minor Leagues with 107 walks in 2013. He is a smart hitter and earns praise for his understanding of the game. Bird has the ability to hit for both average and power, though his swing has a tendency to get long at times.

Bird has had back problems in the past, and his athleticism has suffered. He is an adequate defender, but his bat will need to continue to produce as he climbs the ladder.

Katoh is an exception to the rule that high school second basemen aren't usually highly regarded as top pro prospects. His stock soared right before the 2013 Draft, and the Yankees didn't let him get past their second-round pick at No. 66 overall.

Katoh continued to raise his profile in pro ball, leading the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League with six home runs and a .924 OPS. He has struggled in low Class A this year, but his bat-on-ball skills and his plus speed should help hit for average as he climbs the ladder. Katoh also has wiry strength and good pop for a middle infielder.

Katoh's high baseball IQ and athleticism make him a fine defender at second base. He has quick feet and turns the double play well. New York may give Katoh a chance to show what he can do at shortstop.

15. Jose A. Ramirez, RHP
Preseason rank: 13
ETA: 2014
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

It took Ramirez three years to escape Class A, but just one to vault from Double-A to Triple-A in 2013. He got his first big league callup this June. Ramirez is the most big league-ready pitcher in the Yankees' system, and he might have the best changeup in the entire organization -- including the Majors.

Ramirez makes hitters look silly with his changeup, which bottoms out at the plate with splitter action. It plays well off his fastball, another plus pitch and one that usually ranges from 91-96 mph. If Ramirez can refine his slider and his command, he could be No. 3 starter.

Ramirez has had durability problems, however, never working more than 115 innings in a season. He missed the start of last season with a tired arm and the end with a strained oblique, and he has had oblique issues again in 2014. Though Ramirez has the stuff to start, the Yanks have decided to make him a full-time reliever to try to keep him healthy.

Flores has progressed steadily through the system after signing out of Venezuela for $775,000 in 2008. Even with his development slowed by a high ankle sprain this year, he's on the verge of reaching the Major Leagues. Yet it remains to be seen whether Flores will be an everyday player or a fourth outfielder.

An extremely patient hitter, Flores diligently works counts and uses the entire field. Scouts believe he can be too passive at times, however, and would like to see him try to drive balls more often. Flores needs to get stronger, as well, or else he might be pegged as more of a tweener than a regular.

Flores' speed, arm and defensive ability are all fine, but he presently lacks the power to fit on an outfield corner or the quickness to start in center. While his skills are best suited for left field, he's capable of playing all three spots.

Austin broke out in his first taste of full-season ball, winning Yankees Minor League Player of the Year honors while batting .322/.400/.559 and reaching Double-A in 2012. A persistent sprained right thumb prevented him from putting up a solid encore last season, as his OPS plummeted 230 points, and he has yet to regain his form in 2014.

Nevertheless, Austin has the tools to produce at the plate. He has a short stroke and plenty of bat speed, and for a youngster, he does an excellent job of staying back and waiting on offspeed pitches. Austin added some more loft to his swing in 2013, which should help his power production down the road.

Austin has fringy speed, and he won't be a big basestealing threat, though he has succeeded on 47 of his first 51 steal attempts (92 percent) as a pro. A corner infielder during his first two pro seasons, Austin has found a home in right field, where he gets the job done and has a solid arm.

Heathcott's tools enticed the Yankees to draft him 29th overall and sign him for $2.2 million in 2009, and his all-around ability is still impressive. But he hasn't been able to stay healthy enough to put together a complete season -- he hurt his shoulder and knee as a high school senior and has had continued problems with both joints -- hampering his development. After an offseason operation on his right knee, Heathcott played in just nine games in '14 before needing further arthroscopic surgery.

Heathcott has the bat speed and strength to be a power threat in the middle of a lineup, provided he can refine his hitting ability. He has some uppercut to his swing, which can get long, and he gets too aggressive at the plate. Heathcott has just 1,187 at-bats through six pro seasons, and all the missed reps are holding him back as a hitter.

Heathcott's speed, arm and outfield defense all rate as better than average, making him an asset in center field and capable of playing all three outfield positions. After New York signed Jacoby Ellsbury as a free agent, Heathcott now projects as the club's right fielder of the future -- provided he can stay healthy.

The son of former NFL wide receiver Derwin Williams, Mason inherited his dad's athleticism, and he is one of the most physically gifted players to come through the Yankees' system in years. Signed for $1.45 million as a fourth-round pick in 2010, Mason had a breakthrough season in '12 to emerge as one of the top prospects in baseball. But he has regressed the last two years, leaving his future in doubt.

At his best, Williams projected as an above-average runner who can hit for both power and average -- think .280 with 20 homers per season -- while stealing bases, as well. He's also played quality center field while displaying an average arm.

For the past two seasons, however, Williams hasn't looked like the same player. He has become more of a slap hitter and has done little at the plate. Scouts have criticized Williams' makeup, noting that he rarely gives full effort, and he was arrested on DUI charges in April 2013.

Bernie Pleskoff's scouting report »

Mateo didn't make his U.S. debut until late June, but already teams are asking about him when they engage the Yankees in trade talks. Signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, he offers an exciting package of tools.

Mateo stands out most for his speed, which draws grades ranging from 70-80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He's a threat to steal bases and covers lots of ground at shortstop. New York wondered about Mateo's arm strength when he signed, but it has gotten stronger and is now an asset.

In addition to his speed and defense, Mateo has more upside at the plate than most shortstops. He's wiry strong, and he already shows signs of being able to hit for average and provide double-digit home run totals down the line. Mateo is still just 19 and is six levels removed from the big leagues, but one club official said the organization hasn't had a middle infielder with a ceiling higher than his since Derek Jeter.

Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com and writes a blog, Callis' Corner. Follow @jimcallisMLB on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

MLBPipeline set to unveil new Top Prospects lists

Written By limadu on Minggu, 27 Juli 2014 | 14.25

By Teddy Cahill / MLB.com | 7/26/2014 2:15 P.M. ET

The 2014 season is more than half over, and much has happened since MLBPipeline.com released its Top 100 Prospects list in January. Players on the list have been promoted and injured, and some have graduated from prospects to big leaguers. And, of course, in the past two months, hundreds of players have begun their professional careers following June's First-Year Player Draft.

With so much upheaval, it's time for a new set of rankings. Fans can see just how much has changed when the new Top 100 is unveiled on Sunday night, and MLBPipeline.com prospect expert Jim Callis breaks down the top 50 players during an hour-long special at 9 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com.

In addition to the Top 100, MLBPipeline.com's Top 20 Prospects lists for each club and Top 10 Prospects by position have been updated and will be released on Sunday, as well.

The new lists for the first time include players who were selected in the 2014 Draft. Eleven players from this year's Draft class have immediately jumped into the Top 100, and every team's Top 20 list includes at least one player selected last month.

The various rankings are put together by the MLBPipeline team, with input from industry sources -- including scouts and front-office executives. It is based on analysis of players' upsides, tools and potential Major League impact. All lists on MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Watch only include players who retain their rookie status. Prospect Watch also follows the guidelines laid out by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, in terms of which players fall under the international pool's money rules: Players who are at least 23 years old and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.

Among the players ranked in the preseason Top 100 who have exhausted their eligibility already this season are Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman, Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton and Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura.

One of the most anticipated questions with the Top 100 is who will take the top spot. Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has been No. 1 since last year's midseason update, but wrist injuries have limited him to 15 games this season. Meanwhile, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has had a sensational first full professional season, hitting .340/.436/.685 with 33 home runs between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. Those two have competition from the likes of Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.

Others may wonder where this year's Draft picks will be placed on the Top 100. Though first overall pick Brady Aiken didn't sign, Tyler Kolek and Carlos Rodon, the second- and third-overall picks, are poised to debut high in the Top 100. Which team will have the most prospects in the new Top 100? The Cubs and Red Sox share that honor now, with eight apiece, but will they still have the most on the new list?

These questions and many more will be answered on Sunday night. But the rankings fun doesn't stop with the unveiling. For even more coverage of the Top 100 rankings, visit MLBPipeline and follow @MLBPipeline on Twitter.

Teddy Cahill is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tedcahill. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

14.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

On Hall's doorstep, Torre at peace with Bronx run

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Joe Torre said on Saturday that his relationship with the Yankees right now is right where it's supposed to be.

"I think what broke the ice was when Donnie [Mattingly] and I flew back from L.A. when they had the memorial for George," said Torre, referring to the event at Yankee Stadium after principal owner George Steinbrenner passed away on July 13, 2010. "I could never have ignored it after George had passed, I could never have not been there. He meant a great deal to me, allowing me to manage his club. It wasn't always easy, but I had some very special relationships there."

Watch inductions live: Today, noon ET
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Torre will be inducted as part of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 today with Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa, a trio of the greatest managers of all time, all elected late last year by the Post-Expansion Era Committee. They'll be joined by 300-game winners Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas -- elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in January -- to form one of the most heralded Hall of Fame classes in history.

Weather permitting -- and there is rain in the forecast -- the induction ceremony is slated to be staged as usual behind the Clark Sports Center. Even if it is moved inside, Hall of Fame coverage will begin at noon ET with MLB Tonight live from Cooperstown on MLB Network and simulcast on MLB.com and the At Bat app, with the induction ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Torre managed the Yankees from 1996-2007, winning four World Series, six American League pennants and taking the team to the playoffs 12 years in a row. A storybook ending would have seen Torre finish his managerial career in New York rather than with three years as skipper of the Dodgers, with whom Mattingly was one of his coaches. Torre retired in 2010, turning over the job to Mattingly and ultimately accepting a job as Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations.

Torre also managed the Mets, Braves and Cardinals, but he's unequivocal about the fact that his Hall of Fame selection was due to his Yankees tenure. Torre's going into the Hall with a Yankees logo on his plaque, and later this summer, the club will retire his No. 6 in a Monument Park ceremony back at the new Yankee Stadium, the ballpark in the Bronx where he never managed.

"It really wasn't uncomfortable when I went back there," Torre told a group of writers circling his table on Saturday during the final media availability before the induction ceremony. "It was a little strange because here I was in a new ballpark I had never been in. I'm very comfortable going there now. I've got credentials. They can't keep me out.

"But I left the way I did and I knew there was some misunderstanding, as far as people thinking it was about money. They cut my salary and I said I was insulted, but the insult part was about my having to be motivated to get my pay cut back."

Rewinding the tape, Torre set the standard for the Yankees by winning the World Series four times in his first five seasons as the Core Four of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte acted as the nucleus.

Subsequently, the Yankees lost the 2001 World Series in seven games to the D-backs and the '03 World Series in six games to the Marlins. A blemish on Torre's Yankees ledger is the 3-0 lead over the Red Sox in the '04 American League Championship Series that the club squandered, becoming the only team in Major League history to do so in a best-of-seven series. By '07, the Yanks had been eliminated in the AL Division Series three years running, and the relationship between Torre and Yankees management had grown fragile.

After the 2007 postseason, the Yankees offered Torre a much lower base salary with enough bonus incentives based on postseason performance to reach his previous guarantee. That didn't sit well with Torre, who wanted to finish his career in New York.

"My intention was to manage one more year," Torre said. "I know I didn't make myself clear to [general manager] Brian [Cashman]. I told him I wanted a two-year contract because I didn't want that one year with you guys coming in every 10 minutes asking, 'Well, what do you think? You just lost two games.' I didn't want a whole year of that hanging over me.

"I mean, the time in New York, that's the reason you're talking to me now, managing the Yankees and the results we got. But toward the last few years, it wasn't a whole lot of fun. There was a lot of stress. I just had a feeling that I didn't want to do it that much longer and they wanted to say goodbye, but neither one of us knew how to say goodbye."

The old Yankee Stadium closed at the end of the 2008 season with Joe Girardi as the Yankees' manager. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in a non-strike season since 1993, and Torre was nowhere to be found for the closing ceremony at the old ballpark.

By then, dynasty mainstay Bernie Williams was long gone and the rest of the Core Four began retiring one by one, winning the World Series together in 2009 as a final encore. Jeter is in the midst of his final season.

Torre said on Saturday he has no regrets about the way his tenure in the Bronx came to an end.

"It's a business; I don't feel anybody owes anything to anybody," Torre said. "What I was trying to do was just finish there and go home. It just never happened."

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inductees feel nervous energy for today's enshrinement

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 7/27/2014 12:07 A.M. ET

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Listening to the six men who will be inducted today in the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2014, it is definitely nervous time. Nervous for the moment, nervous for the experience, nervous for the instant they must stand up before about 50,000 fans on the stage behind the Clark Sports Center and make their individual speeches.

Tom Glavine said on Saturday that he doesn't think it'll be much like taking the mound for a big game.

"Speaking, that's not what I do. That's not what I got paid for," said Glavine, the left-hander who won 305 regular-season games and the clinching Game 6 of the 1995 World Series for the Braves over the Indians. "I don't know if any of us are 100 percent comfortable with public speaking unless you do it a lot. I'm certainly no different. That doesn't mean I haven't done it and I haven't done it OK.

Watch inductions live: Today, noon ET
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"But there's a big difference walking out on that pitcher's mound because you trust what you're doing. And environments like that, the trust probably isn't as great."

Saturday was the last media availability for Glavine and fellow players Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas, plus managers Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa prior to today's induction ceremony.

Weather permitting -- and there is rain in the forecast -- the induction is slated to be staged about a mile from the red-bricked museum on Main Street in the heart of the village. Even if it is moved inside, it will air beginning at noon ET with MLB Tonight live from Cooperstown on MLB Network and simulcast on MLB.com and the At Bat app with the induction ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. Because of time constraints, the six inductees have been asked this year to keep their remarks to 10 minutes each.

The six men sat at individual tables for a media availability that went on for 45 minutes on Saturday.

"I'm nervous as a cat," said Torre, who managed the Yankees in six World Series, winning four of them. He can make the comparison. "People said they looked at me in the dugout and it appeared like I was unemotional, but I'm anything but that. The experience has been wonderful when you see who's around you. It's something they can't take away from you once it happens. It's unlike any experience I've ever had."

"Like I told everyone, I'm anxious, but I'm really nervous," said Thomas, the first baseman and designated hitter who played 16 of his 19 big-league seasons for the White Sox. "It's the finale and you want to leave your mark. I think we've all left our mark on the field. But I want people to understand that I do care about people. People have made me who I am. That's more important to me than anything."

"I'm getting a little nervous, I think," said Cox, who managed the Braves for 29 seasons in two stints, including a record 14 division title-winners in a row and the victory in the '95 World Series. "But I feel good. They treat you so well here. They make you so comfortable that I think everybody feels right at home and we'll get through our speeches somehow.

"I mean, it's great for the Braves. We've got three going in this year and another [potentially in John Smoltz] next year. Then it's going to be Chipper Jones' turn down the road here a little bit, too. You feel good about that. [Team president] John Schuerholz should be popping buttons everywhere. He hired us on and signed everybody. He's got to be proud of that."

Schuerholz is here along with a huge contingent of Braves personnel, including club chairman Terry McGuirk.

The Yankees and Major League Baseball had a party in Torre's honor on Saturday night at a Cooperstown establishment. Torre is MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations and chief operating officer Rob Manfred is already here. Commissioner Bud Selig always has the honor on Sunday of reading the inscriptions off all of the inductees' plaques.

La Russa, now the chief baseball officer for the D-backs and an MLB consultant after he retired from managing in 2011, has people here from all phases of his career. D-backs president Derrick Hall and GM Kevin Towers are at the Otesaga Resort Hotel. So is Walt Jocketty, the Reds' current GM, who worked with La Russa in Oakland and St. Louis, not to mention Barry Weinberg, his trainer in both places.

"Oh, yeah, I'm nervous," said La Russa, third on the all-time list with 2,728 wins in 33 years managing the White Sox, A's and Cardinals. "If you're not nervous you're not ready. I like nerves. I like discomfort. I don't like to be bored about anything."

Maddux, though, looked unfazed on Saturday.

"I'll be nervous big time when it's time to be nervous," said Maddux, winner of 355 games in 23 seasons, 10 of them with the Braves. "Right now, I'm OK."

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Capuano 'excited' to be in Yankees' rotation

Written By limadu on Sabtu, 26 Juli 2014 | 14.24

NEW YORK -- Chris Capuano, the Yankees' newly acquired left-hander, will be inserted into the rotation and make his first start for his new team on Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Right-hander Shane Greene was originally scheduled to make the start but will be pushed back to Sunday; right-hander Chase Whitley will now pitch out of the bullpen.

"We're going with a guy that has a little bit more experience," manager Joe Girardi said. "Doesn't mean that Chase won't have any more starts for us. … It gives us the opportunity to use our bullpen a little bit different, too."

Whitley has been inconsistent in his rookie season, going 4-3 with a 4.60 ERA, but struck out six in six scoreless innings in his last start against the Rangers. He will almost certainly shatter his career high of 91 innings in a professional season -- entering Friday, he had thrown 87 between the big leagues and Triple-A in 2014 -- and the Yankees are not sure how he will respond to the extra wear on his arm.

Capuano started this season with the Red Sox, and went 1-1 with a 4.55 ERA in 28 relief appearances before being released. The Rockies signed him as a free agent on July 4 and he made four starts in the Minors before being acquired by the Yankees on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations.

"If you had told me about 25 hours ago, I wouldn't have believed you," Capuano said about pitching for the Yankees. "The original plan was to be pitching in Colorado this weekend. I found out last-minute yesterday that I was going to be pitching here, and I couldn't be more excited about it."

Capuano joins right-hander Brandon McCarthy, left-hander Jeff Francis and third baseman Chase Headley as new additions to the team this month, as the Yankees attempt to improve the club for a push to the postseason.

"We're confident that he can pitch extremely well for us and help us out," Girardi said.

Teixeira progressing, feels return coming soon

NEW YORK -- First baseman Mark Teixeira was not in the Yankees' starting lineup again on Friday, but he is optimistic that his return is coming soon.

Teixeira has been out of the lineup since Monday, after an MRI revealed a mild strain of his lower left lat. He had been receiving treatment all week and rested until Friday, when he participated in some slow rotation exercises, and he is expected to do the same Saturday.

"Today was, I think, the best day," Teixeira said before the Yankees' 6-4 win Friday. "I feel good with where I am, but now, since I've been shut down for so long, we have to kind of take it easy the next few days and hopefully progress to taking full swings here soon."

Brian McCann has filled in as the team's primary first baseman while Teixeira is out and Kelly Johnson is on the DL (left groin).

Teixeira hoped that if he could swing a bat for the first time since the injury on Friday that he could return to the lineup as early as Sunday. But manager Joe Girardi said after Friday's game that a return that soon is unlikely.

"I don't think that's probably realistic," Girardi said. "Because he's going to have to take some BP first. He is getting better. That's the good thing."

14.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Capuano set to face Blue Jays in Yankees debut

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Cashman: 'More work to do' before Trade Deadline

Bombers bits

Written By limadu on Rabu, 30 Juli 2014 | 14.24

Pineda set to make rehab start this weekend

Bombers bits

Girardi: Rest hopefully recharges Roberts

Bombers bits

Written By limadu on Selasa, 29 Juli 2014 | 14.25

Teixeira hoping he's had final day of rest

Almonte rejoins Yanks as Francis designated

Bombers bits

Girardi gives Cashman space to work on deals

Almonte rejoins Yanks as Francis designated

Bombers bits

Written By limadu on Senin, 28 Juli 2014 | 14.24

Written By limadu on Minggu, 27 Juli 2014 | 14.25

Written By limadu on Sabtu, 26 Juli 2014 | 14.24

Teixeira progressing, feels return coming soon

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