For clinching a postseason spot, 31.
We're not there, but with our John & Suzyn rose binoculars, we can almost see it. And that's because of a few performances that belong as future Yankee keepsakes, regardless of how 2022 turns out.
1. Clarke Schmidt. He couldn't quite put them away last night - thrice coming within one strike, so close they stopped playing the distressed whale siren - but he heroically staved off the "Amazings" for three innings. At 26, barring injuries, he should be a Yankee lug nut for years. And 2022 will always be his unveiling.
2. Oswaldo. Already on a first-name basis. Somebody should write a song about this guy. Never has a Yankee rook made such an impact, despite not even hitting his weight. It's as if the juju gods installed a ball-magnet in that $29.99 Etsy necklace. And I believe he will hit, eventually; in his last two seasons, he started slowly and heated up. He reminds us of the joy of rookies, and 2022 will always be that beginning.
4. Judge. Two HRs in two games ought to silence any festering, toxic drivel from fans of the Amazings, who wanted us to believe he's just a 16-oz can in a 12-oz bandbox. Last night's HR was a cannon shot Pete Alonzo only hits in dreams. And it put him back on track with Roger. And 2022 will be the Year of Judge.
5. Frankie "The Yankee" Montas. He needed last night, more than anyone. Imagine the boos if he hadn't squirmed out of those early jams. (Still a bit worrisome, those early jams?) If Montas comes through, and if Setback Sevy suffers no setbacks, the our playoff rotation should be formidable.
Thanks to the last two games - and Andrew Benintendi, and the Amazings - maybe we can breathe easier?
Thirty two... and counting.
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22 comments:
Gleyber is a goner. No doubt about it.
Duque,
Exactly how many fingers and toes *do* you have?
I have to use a calculator after 21. Of course, Antonio Alfonseca could get to 25.
No comment on fingers and toes. Let's just say you should see me play the piano.
Judge at 48 HR, 100 R, 105 RBI with 38 games to play. He's hitting right around .300 while leading the AL in walks. What a season.
I also appreciate that he's 14/15 on stolen base attempts.
Baseball insider,
Jon Hyman (pun intended)
has noted that based upon the length of Schmidt's outing last night, he is being optioned down to SWB , to bring up a "fresh arm".
Apparently, Bader can pitch in a walking boot.
In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Higgy has been released and IKF will be the backup C.
And plays a pretty snazzy outfield.
Judge leads the AL in runs, RBI, HR, and walks, while his slash line is .297/.394/.663/.1056
Of course, Augments DH and MLB Designated Favorite Shohei Ohtani is at .265/.356/.514/.870, with 27 HR, 72 RBI, 60 BB, 120 Ks,
and a 10-8, 2.83 pitching record (he is also leading the AL in WP, at 13).
Buuuut...still not so much as a major-league chance at any position besides pitcher. Babe Ruth my ass.
(No, I'm not letting it go!)
They've averted a total disaster with these last three wins. But they better win most of those west coast games. A .500 road trip won't cut it.
And let's not forget that the kids have really helped win these games. Oswaldo Cabrera seems to do something good in every game. They should play Florial more in CF too. Why does Boone sit him on the bench so much? Boone has to stop taking orders from upstairs. He should tell Cashman that "it's my way or the highway" from now on. Grow a backbone, goddammit!
Nothing speaks to Brian Cashman's perspicacity as does his belief that Gleyber would be the new Jeter.
Despite occasional signs of awakening last week—2 HR in 4 games—Torres continues in the massive slump he's been in since mid-July. 4 ribbies and 2 walks for all of August! Combined with his complete lack of baseball acumen, this guy is a massive sinkhole on the interstate highway to the World Series.
I dread hearing, sometime in the future, that 'Hey, the Yanks could have had Juan Soto/Luis Castillo had they only agreed to throw in Gleyber!'—much the same way it came out, eventually, that Cashman would not give up David Adams and Jesus Montero to acquire Cliff Lee.
Gleyber Torres, I'm sorry to say, should've been traded a long time ago. He had that one great year, but all the signs were there back then as well. The home runs tend to obfuscate the bad habits and the tell-tale signs that he wasn't for real and that he was never going to be a really good player.
There's got to be a ton of work done on the roster over the winter, no matter what happens during the post-season, even if they win the World Series.
Josh Donaldson hit .154/.241/.269 (.511 OPS) on the homestand.
No one wants to criticize him because of the grand slam, but he continues to be Joey Gallo 2.0 at Yankee Stadium.
Honestly, if the Yankees make the playoffs Donaldson shouldn't be in the lineup for home games. But I'm sure Boone will put him in the cleanup spot anyway.
Donaldson is Joey 2.0, well put, Zach. Such an enormous waste of money. Typical Cashman move, over the hill old guy gets contract...blah blah blah.
Oswaldo looks really good. Smart kid, good attitude, plays everywhere. Wonder if he can pitch?
JM - well - we do need a closer. . .
We are talking about magic numbers? This team? These Our 2022 New York Yankees ® ? Have you completely lost your minds? Fuck me. You people are really losing it now. These Our 2022 New York Yankees ® are winning 3 whole games a month. There will be be no playoffs this year or any year from now until the heat death of the universe.
Fuck. Pull you shit together Commentariat.
Cashman is working on a futures deal with Pujols as we speak.
Three years 18Mil per year. Bonus for 725 and 750 HR.
He will take Judge's place in lineup with Stanton in RF until he is hurt, then Hicks, Bader and Ryan LaMarre
Pujols will put those fannies in the seats-- the reason for Hal's existence.
Will turn down Verlander's request to play in pinstripes because of new salary cap restraints.
Despite what you think, I am NOT a robot.
piling on Gelyber Day: His good season was a mirage. If you recall, he hit most of his homeruns against the godawful Oreos. Totally skewed his numbers to make him look like a future star.
Yankee Roster Moves:
08/24/22 New York Yankees optioned CF Estevan Florial to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
He will be replaced by Mike Stanton...
I’ll jump on the pile.
This off-season would be the most prudent time to deal Torres. He still has 2 years of team control, and his value may never be this high again. I think we may be able to get comparable value, as well as get a player whose head isn’t up his ass half the time. I realize he had several clutch hits earlier in the season, but over his last 30 games has a pitiful .194 avg / .536 OPS. His fielding and baserunning is an unquestionable detriment, if not an outright embarrassment. He’s been a big part of our protracted slump.
Move him!
I not a Gleyber Hater, though the criticisms are valid. But Donaldson is a much bigger and immovable problem, as is Hicks. I can live with Gleyber and his bizarre brain farts. Those other guys...they're mistakes that have to be undone.
Not that they will be. But they should be.
Speaking of mistakes, I see Sonny Gray, Andrew Heaney and Pineda are all free agents after this season. As are Ty Clippard and Dave Phelps.
Can't wait to see what the Genius does in the offseason.
God save us all, JM!
Pretty funny, AA—and you tell 'em, Warbler!
So, bottom line here is that even after this season, we will owe Hicks and Donaldson about $30 mill more, including buyouts.
Throw in another $140 mill for The Man Who Wasn't There, and we're talking $200 mill committed to what will be more and more just dead weight. And you know The Brain's credo: if you paid for it, you gotta play it!
Disastrous.
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