Post by Commissioner Erick on Jun 25, 2018 7:35:30 GMT -5
New York Yankees (18-14) @ Tampa Bay Rays (15-17)
NYY: Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 4.06)
TB: Steven Matz (2-2, 6.25)
The New York Yankees have made the postseason each of the last two years. The Tampa Bay Rays were last season's AL East champion.
These two AL East powerhouses square off tonight in The Game of the Week.
As usual, the New York Yankees a home run force, and they're currently third in the AL in pitches deposited behind the outfield fence. Unlike year's past, this edition of the Yankees is also getting on base. They were ninth in average last year, after finishing 11th in 2017. Thus far, they're at seventh, helping to fuel the fourth best on-base percentage in the league. The Yankees are getting base just a little bit more, allowing their home runs to do a little bit more damage.
Some of their batting marks are anomalous. After hitting .223 and .225 the past two years, Aaron Judge is batting .311—that won't last. However, neither will Gary Sanchez' baffling .182, zero home run beginning to 2019.
It appears that the Yankees have changed their roster construction a bit to limit the at bats given to big power, low contact sluggers in years past. Matt Holliday and Chris Carter are off the team, and 2017 Nippon League sensation Wladimir Balentien is now a bench player.
The sluggers left standing are all in their prime or younger. Only defensive wiz Didi Gregorious and super sub Rob Refsnyder are over 27-years-old of anybody who gets significant at bats, and those guys are still under 30. This means that there's the potential for internal improvements for virtually everyone on the roster, and aside from Sanchez, virtually everyone has taken a step forward.
Greg Bird is second in the league in home runs and hitting .294 after a strong 35 home run, .268 season last year. After a .260 rookie season, Gleyber Torres upped his average to .333. Clint Frazier's average is up to .252 after .231. This pattern holds for virtually all of the Yankees top players.
They're also getting a strong rookie campaign from Estaban Robles, who is off to a flying start. Robles has held out from playing professionally anywhere in the world until declaring himself a free agent this offseason. Robles is slashing .273/.378./.545 and has shown a quick bat, an ability to work a deep count, and great strength in ripping extra base hits all over the park. The Yankees signed Robles to a four year contract worth over $80 million and are getting their money's worth as Robles wrapped up the Rookie of the Month award for April.
The Yankees will start Nathan Eovaldi, who resigned with the team to a lucrative contract this offseason. One of the top arms on the market, Eovaldi was able to command a five year, $126 million contract, though the final year is a team option. It makes Eovaldi the 19th highest paid player this season, which is a little ridiculous to think about, but the Yankees have been happy with his stability, especially with Michael Pineda on the DL.
Eovaldi won't strike out too many guys, but he seldom walks anyone, and his last start against Toronto where he gave up three dingers notwithstanding, isn't too homer prone. His ERA of 4.07 isn't far off from the 3.67 and 3.77 he posted the last two year, and he was able to fire off a Complete Game two starts ago against Boston. Tampa Bay's power hitters will be a good test to see whether or not Eovaldi's gopheritis is a real thing or a temporary blip.
As usual the Yankees have a terrific bullpen, with Aroldis Chapman, Tommy Layne, and Nick Rumbelow each working with an ERA under 2.00, and Jonathan Holder a 2017 All-Star with a 2.38 ERA in 2018.
New York's staff will be challenged by a Tampa Bay offense that's more balanced in years past. Kevin Kiermaier is still wonderful, and Casey Gillaspie is the game's least talked about superstar, but the team now has some help.
After learning the ropes as a rookie last year, Jake Bauers put together a nice postseason run, using it as a springboard into 2019. He's hitting .333 with seven home runs, and a nearly identical walk and strikeout rate. A terrific prospect, he's showing himself to be a terrific player, and could be one of the game's best at the ripe age of 23. He's coming off a terrific series against Texas where he had three hits, including a walkoff, on Saturday, then had two hits, including a home run, yesterday.
Then there's Matt Chapman who was flipped for Eovaldi back in 2017. Chapman was a prospect in the Oakland system who has blossomed in Tampa Bay. He showcased his massive power in roughly a full season of games with Tampa Bay in 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately, he also showed off a severe lack of an understanding at the plate, striking out just under 200 times in 500 plate appearances, with virtually no walks to counterbalance.
After hitting .168 and .172, Chapman has upped his average to .263. The strikeout rate has been cut from 42% to 37% to 32% this year, which shows an increase in approach. He's making harder contact so his BABIP has ballooned from .212 to .309 to support the average. With the better approach, he already has 10 home runs, putting him on pace for 50 in the early going, and he has four steals to boot.
The bottom of the lineup is hitting for power, though surely the Rays would like to see more from World Series Champion Eric Hosmer. Hosmer is batting just .214 in the early going, and hasn't been able to shake a brutal postseason last year. His price tag was cheap and he contributes defensively, but one more bat would go a long way to making Tampa Bay's lineup even more dangerous.
Especially since they've gotten so little from Steven Matz so far. The young ace was second in ERA and fourth in WHIP last season. This year, he's working to a 6.25 ERA. He's striking everyone out, he's not walking hitters, and except for a start against Toronto—who apparently tee off on Game of the Week starters—he hasn't given up many home runs. It's likely this is just a cold spell, but he's allowed four runs or more in each of his last four starts, and hasn't gone more than 5 innings during that span.
Questions for the GMs:
For Greg Masceri, you made a big splash in Free Agency for Esteban Robles and he just won the Rookie of the Month award. What did you see in him that warranted his signing?
You gave Eovaldi a lot of money last offseason. Do you think it was justified?
Dee Gordon was second in stolen bases last season, but you demoted him to Triple A. Will he play any role with your team this season?
For Graham Statford, Matt Chapman's approach appears to be much better in the early going. How much do you think is small sample size, and how much is real?
Willy Adames is one of the better prospects in baseball. However, Brad Miller is hot right now, and Matt Duffy is one of the game's best defenders at second. Do you feel like you need to get Adames in the lineup more often?
Two years ago, a franchise-altering trade was made between your team and the Mets to bring in Matz at the expense of two major prospects. What's your perspective on that trade?
NYY: Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 4.06)
TB: Steven Matz (2-2, 6.25)
The New York Yankees have made the postseason each of the last two years. The Tampa Bay Rays were last season's AL East champion.
These two AL East powerhouses square off tonight in The Game of the Week.
As usual, the New York Yankees a home run force, and they're currently third in the AL in pitches deposited behind the outfield fence. Unlike year's past, this edition of the Yankees is also getting on base. They were ninth in average last year, after finishing 11th in 2017. Thus far, they're at seventh, helping to fuel the fourth best on-base percentage in the league. The Yankees are getting base just a little bit more, allowing their home runs to do a little bit more damage.
Some of their batting marks are anomalous. After hitting .223 and .225 the past two years, Aaron Judge is batting .311—that won't last. However, neither will Gary Sanchez' baffling .182, zero home run beginning to 2019.
It appears that the Yankees have changed their roster construction a bit to limit the at bats given to big power, low contact sluggers in years past. Matt Holliday and Chris Carter are off the team, and 2017 Nippon League sensation Wladimir Balentien is now a bench player.
The sluggers left standing are all in their prime or younger. Only defensive wiz Didi Gregorious and super sub Rob Refsnyder are over 27-years-old of anybody who gets significant at bats, and those guys are still under 30. This means that there's the potential for internal improvements for virtually everyone on the roster, and aside from Sanchez, virtually everyone has taken a step forward.
Greg Bird is second in the league in home runs and hitting .294 after a strong 35 home run, .268 season last year. After a .260 rookie season, Gleyber Torres upped his average to .333. Clint Frazier's average is up to .252 after .231. This pattern holds for virtually all of the Yankees top players.
They're also getting a strong rookie campaign from Estaban Robles, who is off to a flying start. Robles has held out from playing professionally anywhere in the world until declaring himself a free agent this offseason. Robles is slashing .273/.378./.545 and has shown a quick bat, an ability to work a deep count, and great strength in ripping extra base hits all over the park. The Yankees signed Robles to a four year contract worth over $80 million and are getting their money's worth as Robles wrapped up the Rookie of the Month award for April.
The Yankees will start Nathan Eovaldi, who resigned with the team to a lucrative contract this offseason. One of the top arms on the market, Eovaldi was able to command a five year, $126 million contract, though the final year is a team option. It makes Eovaldi the 19th highest paid player this season, which is a little ridiculous to think about, but the Yankees have been happy with his stability, especially with Michael Pineda on the DL.
Eovaldi won't strike out too many guys, but he seldom walks anyone, and his last start against Toronto where he gave up three dingers notwithstanding, isn't too homer prone. His ERA of 4.07 isn't far off from the 3.67 and 3.77 he posted the last two year, and he was able to fire off a Complete Game two starts ago against Boston. Tampa Bay's power hitters will be a good test to see whether or not Eovaldi's gopheritis is a real thing or a temporary blip.
As usual the Yankees have a terrific bullpen, with Aroldis Chapman, Tommy Layne, and Nick Rumbelow each working with an ERA under 2.00, and Jonathan Holder a 2017 All-Star with a 2.38 ERA in 2018.
New York's staff will be challenged by a Tampa Bay offense that's more balanced in years past. Kevin Kiermaier is still wonderful, and Casey Gillaspie is the game's least talked about superstar, but the team now has some help.
After learning the ropes as a rookie last year, Jake Bauers put together a nice postseason run, using it as a springboard into 2019. He's hitting .333 with seven home runs, and a nearly identical walk and strikeout rate. A terrific prospect, he's showing himself to be a terrific player, and could be one of the game's best at the ripe age of 23. He's coming off a terrific series against Texas where he had three hits, including a walkoff, on Saturday, then had two hits, including a home run, yesterday.
Then there's Matt Chapman who was flipped for Eovaldi back in 2017. Chapman was a prospect in the Oakland system who has blossomed in Tampa Bay. He showcased his massive power in roughly a full season of games with Tampa Bay in 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately, he also showed off a severe lack of an understanding at the plate, striking out just under 200 times in 500 plate appearances, with virtually no walks to counterbalance.
After hitting .168 and .172, Chapman has upped his average to .263. The strikeout rate has been cut from 42% to 37% to 32% this year, which shows an increase in approach. He's making harder contact so his BABIP has ballooned from .212 to .309 to support the average. With the better approach, he already has 10 home runs, putting him on pace for 50 in the early going, and he has four steals to boot.
The bottom of the lineup is hitting for power, though surely the Rays would like to see more from World Series Champion Eric Hosmer. Hosmer is batting just .214 in the early going, and hasn't been able to shake a brutal postseason last year. His price tag was cheap and he contributes defensively, but one more bat would go a long way to making Tampa Bay's lineup even more dangerous.
Especially since they've gotten so little from Steven Matz so far. The young ace was second in ERA and fourth in WHIP last season. This year, he's working to a 6.25 ERA. He's striking everyone out, he's not walking hitters, and except for a start against Toronto—who apparently tee off on Game of the Week starters—he hasn't given up many home runs. It's likely this is just a cold spell, but he's allowed four runs or more in each of his last four starts, and hasn't gone more than 5 innings during that span.
Questions for the GMs:
For Greg Masceri, you made a big splash in Free Agency for Esteban Robles and he just won the Rookie of the Month award. What did you see in him that warranted his signing?
You gave Eovaldi a lot of money last offseason. Do you think it was justified?
Dee Gordon was second in stolen bases last season, but you demoted him to Triple A. Will he play any role with your team this season?
For Graham Statford, Matt Chapman's approach appears to be much better in the early going. How much do you think is small sample size, and how much is real?
Willy Adames is one of the better prospects in baseball. However, Brad Miller is hot right now, and Matt Duffy is one of the game's best defenders at second. Do you feel like you need to get Adames in the lineup more often?
Two years ago, a franchise-altering trade was made between your team and the Mets to bring in Matz at the expense of two major prospects. What's your perspective on that trade?
