After committing a not-insubstantial $52 million contract to Chase Headley during the offseason the New York Yankees are probably not pleased with what they’ve seen so far. The 32-year-old third baseman has posted a .255/.308/.402 line and relatively putrid 0.2 WAR given his salary and his history. It’s safe to say that not only are these […]
Author: Nick Ashbourne
Southpaws can’t strike out Mark Teixeira
Coming into his 13th year in the major leagues there were exactly two things it was reasonable to expect from Mark Teixeira: a strong walk rate and his fair share of home runs. Normally a player that combines power and discipline is more or less guaranteed to be an excellent hitter, but Teixeira is a little […]
Jacoby Ellsbury can’t find holes in the infield forever
Jacoby Ellsbury has played the role of “prototypical leadoff hitter” to a tee so far this season. The 31-year-old outfielder has gotten on base at a gaudy .419 clip, he’s been a menace on the basepaths swiping 12 bags, and his 27 runs scored are tied for 4th in the major leagues. These are the […]
The Yankees rotation is playing with fire
So far this season the New York Yankees have enjoyed pleasant surprises up and down the roster. That’s what it takes for a team that’s projected to play .500 ball to seize an early division lead and post one of the best records in baseball. It is not shocking that the resurgence of Alex Rodriguez has been […]
Brett Gardner’s “pest” pedigree could be on the decline
Brett Gardner is a pest. That may same like an insult, but it is both a compliment and a matter of fact. The idea of a pest is widespread in sports, but rarely applied to baseball. For the uninitiated, it is a label applied to a player who is loved by teammates and local fans, […]
Lady Luck could help soften the loss of Masahiro Tanaka
Losing Masahiro Tanaka to a forearm strain was scary for the New York Yankees for two reasons. Firstly, any injury to Tanaka’s arm is a scary one, even if it is considered a mild one. Reports of the Japanese ace’s arm hanging by a thread may be slightly exaggerated, but his health issues do warrant […]
The role of Adam Dunn will be played by Alex Rodriguez
Coming into the 2015 season Alex Rodriguez was one of the most difficult players in baseball to project. He was clearly one of the best talents of all-time, but that talent was tainted by his checkered past. Father Time was catching up to him, but he had also been forcibly given a year off to rest […]
Yankees could get a taste of their own medicine this year
The “New York Yankees” name is arguably the most evocative in North American sports. The team brings to mind a variety of images to both diehard baseball fans and the unfortunately souls who are barely aware of the sport alike. Whether it’s the pinstripes, the financial might, 27 World Series titles, or even just the […]
Assessing the Yankees’ early base running gaffes
Looking back on the New York Yankees opening series against the Toronto Blue Jays, one of the things that stands out is the number of thoughtless mistakes made by the Bronx Bombers. The team looked shaky in the field at times and made boneheaded plays on the base paths as well. It is not altogether surprising […]
How Didi Gregorius will differentiate himself from Derek Jeter
On a forgettable opening day for the New York Yankees, one of the most significant changing of the guards in recent memory took place. After 20 seasons of watching Derek Jeter start at shortstop, Yankees fans saw Didi Gregorius try to fill an impossibly large pair of shoes. Gregorius isn’t going to be a worthy […]