The red hot Tigers just flipped KC and would now play Baltimore in the Wild Card round.
Bad news for the O's. Two games against Skubal? No thanks.
Good news for Houston - naturally - as they play the floundering Royals.
Either way, the Yankees will face a roaring lineup after their first-round bye.
Here's where the Universe sits...
Our Magic Number for home field advantage in the ALCS is one (1.) It's also the loneliest number that you'll ever know. All we have to do is beat Pittsburgh in one of the final two games, or hope that Cleveland loses one. (They lost last night to the Astros.)
Today, the Yankees must face the wunderkind, Paul Skenes, which will require shortening their swings and advancing baserunners. In other words... it's a loss. Let's hope he doesn't throw a no-hitter. It would be a buzzkill for October.
Let's hope Cleveland drops another.
One other thing...
Last night, The Martian flubbed yet another fly ball to left, a catchable home run that just missed his flailing glove. I cannot imagine how the Yankees can play him in left field during the playoffs. He will pull a Nick Swisher. It's that simple. I don't blame him, or his coaches, or even the juju gods - (who are bastards) - for his lack of defense. He's only 21 - (turns 22 next July) - and soared through the minors - (missed a year during the Covid lockdown.) He has a bright future. But he is not ready to play LF in the chaos of a pressure-packed Yankee Stadium with the entire 2024 season on the line. If he blows a fly ball in the Divisional Series - and he will - it could haunt him for the rest of his time in NYC, which might be seriously shortened.
We have no choice but Verdugo. There. I've said it. No choice but Verdugo.
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Well, I'm back from Tokyo. Great trip. The postseason of disappointment awaits.
E.D. Please say Verdugo again….just one more time. Please.
Jasson didn't miss the HR ball because he didn't line it up right. He was right there. He missed it because he is very short for a baseball player and has no vertical leap.
I suppose this is another black mark against him as outfielders do, from time to time, steal HRs with great leaping grabs but it shouldn't go down as a failure to take the correct route or an inability to time it right.
-- Two games against Skubal? No thanks.
I'd rather they play the zerOs than that.
TBH, he needs more time in the minors. A LOT more time. Why was he rushed through the minors while others languish there like a real life version of The Prisoner? Was it for marketing reasons? And why is the team’s developmental process so stunted? All the hitters have the same crappy approach at the plate, gritting their teeth and swinging for the fences no matter what the situation. Why? How can it be that the organization can’t see the fallacy of their approach ? Why was Judge fully formed as a hitter only AFTER he sought outside help?
Why do we allow this organization to treat us as walking wallets? Why? Why? WHY? 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Loved Japan. Been there on business, which didn’t allow me to fully explore.
Sadly, evidence of Jasson's fielding deficits have been hiding in plain sight all along; in his statistics.
He's a solid .975 (Fld%) outfielder in his 4 year professional career. In small sample sizes, he's got 1.000 MLB average in center, a disastrous .941 in left. While the differentials between positions are not so extreme across his whole career (.971 in center, .963 in left), they show he's an utterly sub-par fielder who is far from ready to patrol an MLB outfield.
By comparison, all the other Yankee outfielders are .994 or better (except Grisham's league average, .986). Judge sets the pace with a perfect 1.000.
Despite his speed, Jasson's MLB range is low (RF/9: 1.77, compared to league average 2.27 across all outfield positions). That's .25 worse than the next range-limited outfielder (Verdugo, 2.02) and nearly a full point behind Grisham (2.68). In the canyon that is Yankee LF, lack of range is a championship-killer.
I do blame the coaches throughout his career for not putting in the extra work to get him ready. But I mostly blame player development, who can't develop defensive skills anywhere in the system.
I fear this kid is on the fast track to become another Cliff Frasier. Puffed up by the PR department, used like a yo-yo by Cashman for PR purposes (to distract from poor team performances), and totally unprepared for NYC media heat.
If catching the ball is what you want in the playoffs, it has to be Judge, Soto and Verdugo, with Grisham on the bench, when Verdugo faceplants in left. The Martian needs to go to Tampa when the season is over, to learn how to field his positions. Or better yet, some other site, where the coaches can actually teach fielding.
Doctor T - Thanks for the good info.
As to the playoffs - I hope they get shaken up again because I want Detroit to knock out the Asstros.
#Yankees announce Cody Poteet was optioned to Triple-A.
Will Warren is here to take his place on the active roster with two games left in the regular season.
They must want to lose home field in the ALCS
Just what I was hoping for . . . .
Poteet looked dominant in his first few minutes on the mound.
Pointless move,…
If you want to blow up a game, don't use dynamite, bring in Will Warren.
Kudos to the real enemy of the NY Yankees, its front office. They really know how to beat this team.
Is there a glove on Mars?
Well said, Doug. It's like putting Rizzuto in the OF in that respect.
Beaten spouse syndrome, BTR. A serious disorder.
Will Warren won't.
Jasson should be tagged as our new DH, but as long as Stanton is there, that's not going to happen. If we could have two DHs, it would be perfect. But as the team is now composed, there's really no place for the Martian in the lineup except as DH.
This begs the question: is his bat that fearsome that he's worth a roster slot in the postseason? I don't know that it is. And that's a problem. Maybe we'd be better off with Rice or Spencer Davis on the bench. Not ideal, but nothing in this discussion is.
Bam. Perfectly put.
There's lemons on sale again.
I always thought that teenagers were nabbed in foreign countries for two reasons. First reason, they can be made to believe that five thousand dollars is more than five million. The other reason is that they can be taught baseball the "right way". But it seems that the Martian hasn't been pushed very hard in developing as a fielder. Or, and this is worse, a lot worse, he lacks the innate ability to track a fly ball. OMG.
I tend to agree that the ball was an inch or two out of reach.
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