In 2018, the New York Yankees acquired first baseman, Luke Voit, from the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization. Instantly he became a fan favorite as the New York faithful admired his home run ability and his celebrations with his teammates.

It was an instant match between a championship enriched team that could of used another player with some pop and an athlete that was hungry to play.

In his career, he went through a lot to gain the success that he has compiled over the years in the world of sports. Quite frankly, I am really happy his journey has lead him to wearing pinstripes.

 Injuries cut his 2019 season short. Voit would go on to share playing time with Mike Ford and DJ LeMahieu upon returning to the Yankees lineup last summer. However, Voit couldn’t seem to figure things out, and his poor performance during the stretch as the Yankees headed toward the playoffs cost him a spot on the postseason roster. Nevertheless, whenever baseball returns from this virus, I could see him putting on an amazing defensive show with his glove work and I definitely can’t wait to see his sweet swing again.

It most likely will be a while before Yankee fans will get to break out the “LUUUKE!!!” chants again. Voit’s 2019 MLB season was not terrible despite losing his job late in the season due to injuries and inconsistency. He played in 118 games, and during the season; Voit collected 113 hits, 21 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .263 batting average. It is pretty obvious of why he has his own chant coming from the fans across the Yankee nation.

Yes, Voit had troubles later in the 2019 year, but I do believe with the dedication that he has to his craft, he will be ready for the return of baseball.

Heading into Spring Training, Voit was looking to win back his job at first base. The numbers he put up during the shorten spring was a good start for a guy who was looking to channel his success from 2018. I believe if spring training was not canceled due to the corona virus, he would’ve had a dominating spring that would of lead him to a successful season.

I am hoping he will have a shot soon at showing the Yankees that he is their first baseman of the future.

Voit has the credentials to be the everyday first baseman for the Yankees, and I expect him to win the job once the season begins. He is healthy now, and if he stays that way when the season gets underway, he should be capable of accumulating some high numbers on the offensive and defensive front of his game.

If Voit returns to his 2018 form and continues his 2019 performance, when he steps onto the field, the Yankees will have just one of their many assets back to remain dangerous. As a matter of fact, I can’t wait for everyone to get back to their restored selves because we need to make an “All-In” run for number 28.

My Report Card- A Run Down On The Choices That The Yankees Came Away With

The Yankees had just three picks this year, losing two due to the $324 million signing of Gerrit Cole. So what are some of the chatter around the guys acquired during the draft selections? Well, lets get into it.

The number one selection out of Arizona is manning the catcher’s position and he joins the Yankees with a couple of other draft picks. Austin Wells was the number 1 pick for the Bronx Bombers and he can really hit, with high exit velocities and has a history of production at school and on the Cape. His approach is pull-oriented and he is capable of using the whole field. So, his bat would be an asset to an already dominant Murder’s Row.  

Scouts don’t necessarily have much concern about Wells’ production in the batter’s box, they do however have reasonable concerns about him behind the home plate at the catcher’s position. All I hope is that, he doesn’t turn out like the Gary Sanchez promotion to the bigs. Both Sanchez and Wells had the Yankees high on their dominate form in the batter’s box, but all I am saying, I personally will give Wells time before I become apart of the Wells hype. Honestly, that is what I fed into with Sanchez, and no doubt he is a great hitter, but his defense is only great at times. We can’t have two shaky catchers. I know I am just a fan, but the scout and I are on the same page here. Scouts don’t give him much chance to stay behind the plate; he’s below-average there already and likely to be too big for the position anyway. Quite frankly, I would Wells time in the minors and definitely keep Higashioka as the backup catcher.

Although the Yankees selected Wells to fill the backup catcher role, I am hearing that he isn’t staying at that position for long.

It would appear that Yankees director of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer is quickly trying to quiet those beliefs. He believes Wells could be a catcher despite worries. Oppenheimer said, “The coaching just hasn’t been the best coaching for him as a catching guy, Nothing against the guys that have coached him, but we’ve got guys that are much better at it.”

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see with Wells.

So as I mentioned before that the Yankees only got three selections in this year’s draft because of the Cole signing, but with the team forfeiting their second- and fifth-round picks to sign the best pitcher on the planet they had three picks and the second smallest bonus pool this year. They landed Wells with the No. 28 pick, so what about the other two? Let us digging in on those guys now.

Third rounder Trevor Hauver has a chance to carve out a career as a versatile super utility type. That being said, he is the Yankees second pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Like the Yankees’ first-round pick Austin Wells, Hauver’s bat is what the Bombers were buying. His defense is the question mark and they will worry about his position later. You know what, I have seen many guys go through the Yankees farm system and they couldn’t crack it at the major league level, but I also have seen guys come out of the system and just bring through the glass season. Even though these two guys raise my eyebrow in a little uncertainty, I am looking forward to seeing them prove that they are major league professional ball players.

Hauver played right and left field at Arizona State, and scouts say his arm rates more as a left fielder or infielder in the big leagues. Hauver was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 37th round of the 2017 draft as a high school shortstop. At Arizona State, he played in the outfield because the Sun Devils had a talented infield, which included No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson and Rays first-round pick Alika Williams. Hopefully, he will get a shot at breaking in the shinning lights of New York.

After starting the 2020 MLB Draft with two lefty-swinging position players, the Yankees close out its class with a right-handed pitcher.

New York picked Beck Way out of Northwest Florida State Junior College with the No. 129 selection.

Twenty year old Way is ranked as the No. 95 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s top 200. Baseball America had him at No. 84 and called him the top junior college prospect. “Top junior college prospects”, I like the sound of that.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, the product of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is committed to transfer to LSU. The Yankees will hope to change that.

With the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League this past summer, Way was dynamic out of the bullpen. In 11 games and 13 2/3 innings pitched, the righty had 18 strikeouts and a 3.29 ERA.

If you think those numbers were impressive, get this.

In a coronavirus-shortened campaign this spring, Way had a spotless 5-0 record with a 0.67 ERA across seven games. It’s a great day for Beck and his family,” Way’s head coach Doug Martin told the Northwest Florida Raiders’ website. “One of the things we do is try to help players develop to be able to continue their careers…” Continuing, the head coach said, “…For Beck, he gets to continue at the highest level possible. We’re happy to be a part of his journey to what we hope is the major leagues…”

With all three guys now in the Yankee system, I hope they will have an impact career with the team.

 

If you missed it, the Bronx Bombers wasted no time to cash in on the 2020 MLB Draft by acquiring another catcher.

Yesterday evening marked the second time in three years that the Yankees have called Wells’ name, having tabbed him in the 35th round out of high school in 2018. Wells opted to honor his collegiate commitment and, after refining his game with the Wildcats, the 20-year-old was rated among the nation’s top prospects as he reentered the mix as a Draft-eligible sophomore.

Now in this pandemically fractured baseball season, the New York Yankees finally get their man. As Brian Cashman has frequently said that he subscribes to the organizational mindset of featuring “a strong spine” up the middle, a belief that was instilled in him by the legendary Gene Michael. That means focusing on catchers, middle infielders and center fielders, as well as strong pitching. So we saw last night that Cashman did follow the advice of Gene Michael, as the Yankees locked up another catcher to add to their farm system.

Aside from the Cole signing, I guess that Hal Steinbrenner will not steer away from his original mentality of wanting to grow the ballclub from within.

Quite frankly, I have no problem with the youth aspect to the Yankees. I like the pop that they bring to the Yankees organization. Also our major league roster is stalked with righty power strokes, aside from the bats of left handed hitting Brett Gardner and switching Aaron Hicks, Austin Wells would add stability to the lineup. I know that Yankee Stadium is a hotspot for right handed bats, but once Wells breaks into the majors, I believe he would serve as an asset to the team in other major league parks.

Yesterday evening, vice president Damon Oppenheimer said, “We are very happy to get Austin Wells today…” As the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting, he added that, “…We thought he was one of the top hit and power combinations in the Draft. We love his desire and makeup, along with his athleticism. We have known him for years and seen him progress quite a bit behind the plate to allow us to believe he can be an impact guy.” 

Watching the Draft last night, I am glad to know that the Yankees were tracking Wells for a while. To hear him be compared to current stars like Bryce Harper and others raises my interests in him.

Ranked as this year’s No. 27 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, Wells was torching opposing pitching when the coronavirus pandemic halted play in mid-March. In the words of Bryan Hoch, “He followed a standout Cape Cod League campaign by batting .375/.527/.589 with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games as a sophomore, working more walks (17) than strikeouts (14) while earning Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.”

I think this draft pick will work out for the Bronx Bombers, especially with his extensive track record.

Honored in 2019 as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year — the first in Arizona’s history — and the Cape Cod League’s Outstanding Pro Prospect after starring with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Wells impresses with all-fields power that earned him a place on the Buster Posey Award watch list alongside some of the nation’s top backstops.

“Austin is a special player, has all the tools to be an impact Major League player, and has an intense desire to help his team win,” Arizona head coach Jay Johnson said. “His ability is matched with an elite work ethic and capability to prepare that rivals any player in the country.”

As far as Draft Tracking, Hoch gave an analysis of the Arizona draft pick.

“Wells was eligible for this Draft because he will turn 21 within 45 days of the MLB Draft. The No. 28 selection carries a slot value of $2,493,900, and the Yankees’ total assigned bonus pool is $3,520,000….”

Since Wells is being compared to the Cubs’ star and knowing that Kyle Schwaber has developed into a great athletes for the Cubs, it should be interesting to see how Wells blossoms into an extraordinary player for the Yankees.

Hoch also said, ” Though Wells was identified as a catcher when the Yankees’ selection was announced, it is possible that his future could involve a position switch. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wells has been compared to the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber, who started his career behind the plate but has played most of his big league career in the outfield…”

It is also notable that Wells is listed at almost the same height and weight as the Yankees’ current starting catcher, Gary Sánchez.

Ultimately, Wells’ bat is what appealed most to the Yanks’ scouts. The club selected him in 2018 despite a right elbow injury that prevented him from catching during his senior season at Bishop Gorman High (Nevada) — a school that counts Rangers All-Star Joey Gallo and 1995 American League Rookie of the Year Marty Cordova among its alumni.

Now the Yankees have two catchers to back Sanchez, as Kyle Higashioka is a righty and now they obtained a lefty to man the position. Talk about versality and depth. I definitely can’t wait for baseball to start up again.

Well, its been almost three months since MLB vanished from the baseball diamond, but a five-round draft is here in an atmosphere that hopefully the world will never have to confront again. This evening via video, the first round will be held and televised by MLB and ESPN. The following four rounds are set for Thursday. […]

Yankees Rumors: Which Draft Picks Make Sense For The Pinstriped Ball-Club — The Pinstriped Baseball Lane

Well, its been almost three months since MLB vanished from the baseball diamond, but a five-round draft is here in an atmosphere that hopefully the world will never have to confront again. This evening via video, the first round will be held and televised by MLB and ESPN. The following four rounds are set for Thursday.

Here’s the latest on what will probably go down for the New York Yankees and other possible moves that other teams may make:

Per Bryan Hoch, “Under normal circumstances, the Yankees’ talent evaluators prepare for the MLB Draft by visiting countless diamonds across the nation, setting their eyes upon the brightest high school and collegiate talent. For Damon Oppenheimer, the club’s vice president and director of domestic amateur scouting, this will be the first time that most of that work has been performed digitally.”

Hoch also pointed to the fact that, “With radar guns and frequent-flyer accounts having been holstered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oppenheimer’s department pivoted, scouring hours of available game video and polishing previous written reports in hopes of identifying the next group of top-level Yankees prospects.”

This year, due to virus, the draft will mostly focus upon what talent comes out of the college class, with a hint of high school stars.

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs tonight on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 11, on MLB Network and ESPN2, and spans the remainder of the 160 picks. So who exactly do the Yankees have their eyes set on?

Well according to bleacherreport.com’s Adam Wells, “Of the 37 selections that will be made on Wednesday, New York has just one at No. 28 overall. The Bronx Bombers certainly have some idea of what direction they will go with that pick, but there could be some internal debate as names start to come off the board….” Continuing Wells said, “…Even in a draft heavy on college pitching, the Yankees are reportedly keeping an eye on position players on Day 1…”

Answering to some extent the question of which individuals exactly the Yankees have their eyes set on certain pieces. With the Yankees having forfeited their second- and fifth-round selections as compensation for signing free agent Gerrit Cole, experts believe the club will target a quality position player in the first round before seeking pitchers later.

Recent mock MLB Pipeline Drafts put the Yankees in connection with  shortstop Nick Loftin from Baylor University. Among other names linked to the Yankees, there is shortstop Ed Howard from Mount Carmel HS (Chicago), shortstop Carson Tucker (brother of the Pirates’ Cole Tucker) from Mountain Pointe HS (Phoenix), right-hander Clayton Beeter from Texas Tech University and catcher Austin Wells from the University of Arizona.

The Matter of MONEY

Each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of its selections in the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. This year, with a five-round Draft, all signing bonuses of drafted players will apply toward the bonus pool total.

So with the draft taking a different direction this year, there will be a $20,000 limit on bonuses for non-drafted free agents. There is no limit to the number of undrafted players teams may sign, but they cannot go over $20,000 per player.

I am hoping the Yankees can capitalize on talent that could contribute to multiple championship season, especially with the chemistry of veteran and youth already at the major league level.

General manager Brian Cashman has frequently said that he subscribes to the organizational mindset of featuring “a strong spine” up the middle, a belief that was instilled in him by the legendary Gene Michael. That means focusing on catchers, middle infielders and center fielders, as well as strong pitching.

If you follow the Yankees’ farm system, you know that right now Jason Dominguez is their top prospect and he has already garnered staggering comparisons to the likes of Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. As for the rest of the Bombers’ top 20 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, is comprised of 11 pitchers (all but one right-handed), four shortstops, three outfielders and a catcher).

Trends To Keep An Eye On

According to Hoch, “Last year, 31 of the Yankees’ 41 selections were from the collegiate ranks, with the club taking 10 high school players. Twenty-five of those 41 selections were pitchers, nine of them left-handed. The remaining picks were used on two catchers, nine infielders and five outfielders…” Hoch also brought up a excellent point by saying, “In 2018, the Yankees used 31 of 40 picks on catchers and pitchers, including seven backstops. Thirty-one of their 40 selections were from colleges. Oppenheimer views that trend as a product of a system where teams generally opt to spend allotted dollars on high school players near the top of the Draft….”

My Final Thoughts Before The 2020 Draft Gets Underway

With a possibility that the team continues on the same trend, I know the Yankees have a great minor league system and hopefully we get the guys on Cashman’s list. I trust in the my team’s development team, as every other fanbase does with their club. Hopefully with this group of youths, baseball will continue to draw new fans to the game and this draft should help baseball inject some more pop to the game.

Well, by now we all know that 2020 has been a crazy year for everyone, especially for baseball because there is no season plans as yet for the return of the sport.

If it comes down to not having baseball this year, many teams will have to confront difficult issues.  MLBPA and the Owners have yet to agree on a set of terms for a shortened season. Honestly to me, it is crazy to think that an invisible invader that we now know as, “THE CORONA VIRUS”, has taken away so much from our lives. The pandemic has taken away our loved ones, our way of functioning in society, and now it has fractured our social activities in each of our communities.

Around this time of year, we all come together to watch and play sports, especially with the beautiful weather outside. Unfortunately, because of this pandemic, it has has flipped our way of life upside down and taken away what people are use to. If life had not been stricken in this way, many cities across the country would have come together, even though there would be a mix of different team colors. Everyone would have been busy supporting their favorite sports team.

All sport fans know about the plague of injuries that attack players during the season, but now COVID-19 has managed to have a strong hold on the great American Pastime. This will hurt a lot of teams, especially those with big-name players. Players like Mookie Betts are on a one year deal and will never see an inning on the field with the Dodgers. Then, you have players like J.A. Happ who will have a team option heading into next season.

As a Yankee and baseball fan, I have to ask the question that I am sure many other Yankee fans have as well: “Should the Yankees pay 37-year-old Happ 17 million dollars in 2021?”

I personally believe that Happ has not been terrible in pinstripes. In his 1½ seasons in Yankee pinstripes, he is 19-8 with a 4.28 ERA. Some might say that he is not worth 17 million dollars, but he definitely has done well on the mound. When he came over from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018 at the trade deadline, he went 7-0 with a great ERA of 2.69. It was the best season of his career, setting a career-best of 193 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.13. In 2019, Happ had one of the worst seasons of his career. He posted an awful ERA of 4.91 and gave up a career-high 34 home runs.

We don’t know what he could have done this year and that makes the decision hard for the Yankees. For me, it make sense to bring Happ back, because in the end Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton are both free agents in 2021. This has to be a factor in the Yankees decision of whether they bring Happ back or not. The Yankees have had injury problems in the past, so it is always good to have an extra arm on the roster.

I know this video is from April 14th, but the things that the Commissioner of baseball touched upon still ring true today in the heat of the pandemic. Like many other athletes in other uniforms, Happ faces the uncertainty of whether or not their team will bring them back under new contractual agreements.

The morning of June 8 marked the second day in 2020 that the baseball world is searching for a proposal that will lead to the restart of this pandemically fractured baseball season.

In this latest offer, it includes a 76-game season, but at 75% of the players’ prorated salaries with only a 50% base guaranteed — the other 25% percent will be paid if the playoffs are completed. MLB also has offered to drop the draft-pick compensation for free agents this offseason, and as David Lennon of newsday.com explains, it has been, “a longtime irritant for the players”.

The playoffs are a crucial element to any proposal because of MLB’s fear that a second coronavirus wave could happen. With the possible threat of another wave approaching, fans could be looking at the possibility of the wiping out of the postseason. If the pandemic stays in full force, we could all miss out on the excitement of baseball’s postseason action and the intensity of the World Series in October.

Now, digging deeper, players aren’t willing to settle for anything less than 100% of their prorated salaries. It is something that they believe is ironclad from the March 26 agreement. This belief of the players is also critical when it comes to the health risks and the game’s potential return to the baseball diamond.

MLB’s first proposal was an 82-game schedule with sliding-scale salary reductions, which featured the most drastic cuts for the highest-paid players, and that was angrily rejected by the union. So, I am hoping that this proposal could be the one they implement and it could finally lead to some baseball action.

From my understanding, if these negotiations result in a dead end, commissioner Rob Manfred could simply proceed with a season without the union’s approval, which he is empowered to do under the March agreement. I am tired of waiting for baseball’s return, so if it comes down to having the Commissioner’s involvement, I guess I can accept that. According to Newsday’s Lennon, “In that scenario, the owners would decide on a number of games that is ‘economically feasible’ — around 48 or so — and pay the players on a full pro-rata basis.”

At the end of the day, I hope that the baseball executives and the player’s union come to an agreement that in turn will lead to having America’s Pastime be apart of the healing process in this pandemic.