Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Yanks now tied with San Diego in Tankathon

The Yankees didn't lose last night. But they kept rolling.

They gained a game on the Mets and Padres - both of whom won meaningless outings - in the Tankathon race to the bottom of MLB, where the worst teams will compete in a lottery to decide the first pick in the 2024 draft. For now, that's our best hope.

The Death Barge is now tied with San Diego in the all-important WIN column, at 60, only one game behind the Mets and Cleveland. 

Tonight brings a stern test:  Washington, currently baseball's 7th worst team, and a well dented tomato can. But Washington has been energized recently by young players called up from the farm. Could the Yankees actually lose a home series to such an abysmal team? I say, BELIEVE. 

In preparation for this critical three-game series, the Yankees yesterday rearranged deck chairs on their Edmund Fitzgerald. The kings of Starr Insurance announced they will bring up 22-year-old OF Everson Pereira, who gushed up through the farm system last month, hitting .312 in 158 plate appearances at Scranton. It won't matter that Pereira bats RH in a lineup that already tilts tragically in that direction; the Yankees weren't getting production from Triple A stalwarts Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney. 

The Yankees will also promote infielder Oswald Peralta, the Scranton yo-yo, who hit over .300 last September in a similar cup of coffee, and who was then hailed as the SS of the future. He tweaked a gonad in spring training and was ghosted throughout most of 2023 - hitting .268 at Scranton in 300 plate appearances. He's only 23, so a lost year probably doesn't mean much. Still, it's a testament to mismanagement that the Yankees have played so miserably, yet Peraza still hasn't even gotten a chance to show what he can do.

Not to be ignored, the Yankees promoted heavily hyped - (Mickey Mantle meets Mike Trout) - outfielder Jasson Dominquez - aka "The Martian" - to Scranton, after a solid month at Double A Somerset. I don't know what to make of Dominguez. He started ice cold - sub Mendoza line - and has steadily lifted his average to .254 over 500 plate appearances. He has 15 HRs and 37 SBs. He'll turn 21 next February. It feels like he's been a farm hand for 10 years, but it should be noted that he lost a season of development during Covid. It's hard to imagine the Yankees enjoying a reason for hope in this rotten season. If Dominquez hits at Moosic, he could rise out of spring training and become next year's Anthony Volpe. Whatever that means.

On a darker note, veteran slogger Jackie Donaldson is apparently running outfield sprints and planning his return. It's like hearing The Joker has been released from prison for good behavior. Donaldson was the first great pariah of 2023 - (followed by Aaron Hicks, Carlos Rodon, Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino.) 

I cannot think of more hopeful news, if we plan to move up in the Tankathon. 

28 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haiku Tuesday:

    Sitting way up high

    Uniformed Insects below

    Beams of light burns bright

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies
    1. Nazzman...I think your comment disappeared. What did you like?

      Delete
  5. Finally calling up some Scrantoneers, but with Jackie trying to come back, all things are possible in Tankland.

    ReplyDelete

  6. Has Estevan Florial officially had his tether cut and been jettisoned into space by HAL-9000?

    I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it...

    I haven't heard anything about him lately including, and especially, on this blog. I know he was recently on the IL but I thought he came back some time last week. What gives?

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You’re right, LBJ.

    I haven’t heard much about HAL-9000 recently, especially on this blog.

    Last I heard was that Hal was frozen somewhere in a deep space hedge maze, repeating I WAS CURED ALRIGHT over and over again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AA, Florial has missed some time recently, apparently due to some injury concerns, the Yankees are terrible in giving updates on their minor leaguers.

    He’s had an excellent season : 23Hrs, .291Avg , 951OPS, 53SB. Primarily a CF, but has played all 3 OF positions. Very good defensively.

    If the team doesn’t add him to the 40 man roster he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter, so any team that wants him may select him; that team must add him to their 26 man roster or he will be offered back to his original team.

    Unsure how other teams value him. He passed through waivers at the start of 2023 without being selected, but that was at a time when most teams already had set their rosters for the season.

    ReplyDelete
  10. There is only one thing standing in the Yankees way of a genuine surge to the bottom - three things actually: we still have to play Detroit seven times, then Pittsburgh, then finish off the season with KC.

    Those 13 games should actually improve their record. Unless, of course, Booooooone inserts Jackie back at third before long.

    ReplyDelete

  11. You can't blame JackieD for wanting to play. He's in his walk year. He hopes (apparently) to play next year. Someone was dumb enough to sign him to a huge contract in the past, maybe just another $8-$10 million will help him balance his checkbook.

    From the team's perspective, on the other hand -- what's to be gained by playing this guy?

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Florial situation continues to be a huge embarrassment. This organization sucks. Of course, that's why the team sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @ DickAllen, I don't know, they usually suck against Detroit. Seven against Detroit? Could go 2-5 in those, maybe even 1-6. Hey, they've lost 8 out of 9 to the terrible Red Sox. The BoSox must be complaining that they don't get to play the Yankees 19 times a year anymore. They probably wish they could play an entire 162 game season against the Yanks. They could've gone something like 150-12.

    @ JoeFoB, What's to be gained is more losses, so that would mean a better chance at a higher draft pick. Unfortunately, instead of playing their worst players for the rest of the year, it appears that, now, they will finally bring up Peraza. That should've been done from the very beginning of the year, or at least, at the All-Star Break. Really, really late now. To bring up the kids now seems comparable to dissecting/doing an autopsy on a mummy. Do we really need to know what killed that mummy 3,000 years ago?

    The other way to look at it: maybe it would be for the best. Better late than never. But at this point, who cares?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anyone notice that Brainless could've gone for Justin Turner in the off season, if he wanted another right handed bat that hits home runs. It sure would've beat the pants off of starting the year with Jackie Donaldson at 3B. Of course, I'm sure Turner's hair and beard were major disqualifiers. And for Boston, wowy zowy, another Yankee killer. Isn't it amazing how those guys find new Yankee killers every year?

    ReplyDelete
  15. If only Hal had provided the team with free access to WI-FI - then the results we are seeing would have been so much different.

    Cheapskate

    ReplyDelete
  16. ICYMI, Jasson Dominguez has also been promoted, to Scanton. He has been red hot this month and overall was hitting .254/.367/.414 with 15 homers and 37 SB’s. Since the start of July he has a .331/.399/.492 triple slash, good for a 144 wRC+.
    Only. 20, he’s been a victim of the hype machine, and it seems to me he’s being rushed a bit, but keep your fingers crossed…

    ReplyDelete
  17. Beautiful haiku, AA.

    And the only problem with this tank-athon, and I admit that I have been getting excited about winning the tank-athon, is that the person picking in the draft is the same person who won the tank-athon. You see the problem, right?

    ReplyDelete
  18. You’re TOO kind, baker’s dozen bit.

    This just in:

    A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 8 to 15 mph.

    (It’s beginning to look a lot like a RAINOUT.

    Everywhere you go.

    The rats floating down the street

    Contaminating everything we eat

    Soggy fecal matter clinging to our toes)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think "Jackie" should get as much playing time as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Winnie, you mentioned the other night that you were at the game when Oscar Azocar made his debut. After all these years that game stuck in my mind. I was listening to the game in Miami, and I (being a (relatively) young lad) was astonished as the Yankee announcers were just gushing over this guy who reminded them of Orlando Cepeda. Orlando Cepeda???!!! I think the reason that it stuck in my mind was suddenly I realized that there was nothing that the Yankees wouldn't do to hold out some kind of hope for the team. Today's call-ups has that same kind of feel. Yeah, more talent, maybe too young, but the same feeling of desperation. I felt violated after a few weeks of "The Baby Bull". After listening to Boone....

    ReplyDelete

  21. Going down to Moosic tonight, maybe get to see Jasson with my own eyeballs.

    Going to Moosic...IF my wife and daughter come back from clothes shopping in time. School starts tomorrow (thanks be to God)!

    ReplyDelete
  22. As they used to say frequently on the Howard Stern show: " F Jackie!"

    ReplyDelete
  23. See ya, Greg. We hardly knew ye.

    New York Yankees
    @Yankees
    Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
    • Reinstated LHP Carlos Rodón (#55) from the 15-day injured list.
    • Recalled INF Oswald Peraza (#91) and OF Everson Pereira (#80) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
    • Designated OF Greg Allen for assignment.
    • Placed OF Billy McKinney on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to 8/21) with left lower back spasm.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think the Yanks have a future OF in mind of Spencer Davis...I mean Jones, Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge. If Pereira is any good, he can spell anyone of them...but they do have to pan out at the major league level...but there's this unwaivering negativity that I'm afflicted with...

    ReplyDelete
  25. LOL, phantom IL for McK…

    The bottom of tonight’s order Pereira - Peraza - Rortvedt. The Clown Show rocks on! 🤡🤡🤡

    ReplyDelete
  26. @btr999 - Rortvedt is not even batting his weight...we need another phantom EL placement...

    ReplyDelete

Members of the blog can comment. To receive an e-mailed invitation, write to johnandsuzyn@gmail.com. And check spam if it doesn't show up. (Google account required.)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.