Baseball The Way It Never Was

Tag: Nick Swisher

TWIWBL 56.2: Spring Training Notes – New York Black Yankees

Spring Training Questions

The pitching staff will be under great scrutiny, with 5th round pick Noah Syndergaard having an outside shot at the rotation.

Last season the Black Yankees were hampered by limited MI flexibility, which will be a concern they want to address.

First Cuts

Things on the mound went much as expected for New York, as Cal Eldred, Don Liddle, Paul Shuey, Frank Viola, Bill Monbouquette, and John Danks all moved on to the minor leagues. Dave Righetti remains in camp, but his control continues to be a concern. On the other side, Lefty Gomez, Noah Syndergaard, and Whitey Ford have all impressed out of the gate.

Darrin Fletcher and Benny Bengough were both reassigned, with the Black Yankees planning to take a look at Ron Pruitt behind the plate as a 4th option. Fred Whitfield and Nick Etten have impressed at 1B, with Ryan Garko being sent to the minors while at 3B Aaron Hill and Elliott Maddox have been stellar (and Héctor López quite good), while Josh Harrison and Red Rolfe were both moved to the minors.

The 2B/SS situation was quite convoluted but poor starts from Mark Grudzielanek, Jess Barbour, Charlie Irwin, and Alcides Escobar have helped clear some space as all four of those IFers were reassigned, with Willie Randolph barely hanging on to a spot in camp.

In the OF, despite there not being much room on the eventual roster, only Bill Lange was moved from the major league camp, although there are doubts as to how long Clyde Milan and Nick Swisher will stick around.

Second Cuts

Other than Jeff Nelson, the pitching has been excellent for the Black Yankees, with nobody else posting an ERA over 3.00. Nelson heads to the minors while New York tries to sort out the rest.

C Gary Alexander was recalled for some depth, and to see if his impressive power holds up against better pitching.

Nick Swisher, Willie Randolph, and Ron Pruitt were sent down as well.

Third Cuts

Lady Baldwin and Vic Raschi were sent down, clearing up the back end of the staff a bit. Whitey Ford and Sparky Lyle are next on the chopping block, depending on what they do over the next week or so.

Eric MacKenzie, Pee Wee Reese, Red Rolfe, and Roger Maris were all sent to AAA. MacKenzie’s demotion keeps Gary Alexander in camp for a while, as much for his defensive flexibility as anything else.

While the IF starters–Tom Herr, Derek Jeter, and Mike Schmidt–are pretty much set, it’s unclear how the reserves will sort out, with Aaron Hill, Héctor López, and Elliott Maddux all making cases for roster spots. Veteran Doug DeCinces looks like he may be done, but he’ll be given another week to turn it around.

Final Cuts

SS Alex Arias was the first to go, in a move that would seem to indicate that Aaron Hill will break camp as the backup infielder for the Black Yankees. That was followed by the demotion of P Dewey Adkins, always considered a long shot to make the opening day roster.

1B Fred Whitfield had a good Spring, but there’s just too much blocking him at 1B, moving him to AAA for the time being.

Gary Alexander was pulled into camp to take some of the load behind the plate. He showed some pop, but little else, and was moved back to AAA as was Hardy Richardson, who was outperformed throughout the Spring by several lesser regarded prospects.

Whitey Ford clearly has the arm to have a future in the WBL, but his time is yet to come as the young lefty will start the season at AAA. He’ll be joined by veteran AJ Burnett, who had a spectacular Spring but was edged out by rookie Noah Syndergaard for the last spot on New York’s staff.

Aaron Hill was sent to AAA, cementing roster spots for Héctor López and Elliott Maddox and, perhaps surprisingly, sending veteran 3B Doug DeCinces (who was adequate as Mike Schmidt‘s backup last season) down as well. Maddox and López were retained partially for their defensive flexibility, pushing both Clyde Milan and recent acquisition Mickey Rivers to the minors.

All of that meant that Spring surprise Nick Etten starts the season with the Black Yankees.

Oh yeah … Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig made the team …

TWIWBL 24.13: Mid-Season Reviews – New York Black Yankees

Summary

The Black Yankees are one of the dominant teams in the league, although some cracks have appeared, especially on the mound.

What’s Gone Right

Quite Offensive. The Black Yankees are top 3 in most offensive categories, and are 1st in most of those. They hit for power, they take walks, and the lineup is deep, deep, deep.

The MVP(s). Look, this Babe Ruth kid can hit, but the real MVP of the Black Yankees has been Thurman Munson, who heads into the break having reached base in over 30 straight games.

The 900 Club. Five hitters have an OPS over .890 (I rounded up). Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Munson, Albert Belle, and Eric Davis are a fearsome … dare I say it … Murderer’s Row.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Middle Infield. Derek Jeter is doing alright, but 2B has been a real struggle. Willie Randolph has been much better of late, and still has an OPS around .650, and the less said about Craig Counsell‘s performance, the better.

Back of the Bullpen. Ralph Citarella has been quite good, but both Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage have struggled.

Guidry’s Fall. Ron Guidry looked like one of the best pitchers in the league for the first few months; while he still leads the WBL in strikeouts, his overall performance has suffered, with only a 5-6 record and an ERA over 4.00.

Key Storylines

The Black Yankees look likely to sit pat: they have the talent to compete just as they are, although pitching is always welcome.

There are some things to watch for in the second half, from whether Ruth’s slight slump is anything to worry about to whether they can continue to carry both 2B as a position and, to a lesser degree, Don Mattingly at 1B.

The most likely thing here is that some of these things break well and some don’t, and overall the team remains a powerhouse.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

But it’s not clear what they need. Bullpen help for sure, and a solve to 2B could be useful as well.

AAA Shuttle

They haven’t used it a lot. Cole Hamels and Sam Thompson have been fine.

Midseason Changes

Cole Hamels joins the rotation.

Awards

All Stars: Eric Davis (CF); Lou Gehrig (1B); Derek Jeter (SS); Mickey Mantle (RF); Thurman Munson (C); Red Ruffing (P); Babe Ruth (LF).

Player of the Month: Babe Ruth (April)

Offensive MVP: Babe Ruth (OF)
Pitching MVP: Red Ruffing (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Newark Eagles

Next to the Show: SP AJ Burnett & Jake Peavy, RP Bryan Hickerson, OF Joe Harris.

Prospects: SP Jake Peavy (23), C Smoky Burgess (22), 3B Chris Brown (22).

Projects: SP Whitey Ford (24), OF Sam Thompson (26), OF Nick Swisher (29), RP Bryan Hickerson (27), 1B Hal Chase (27), SP Jim Clinton (25).

Suspects: 1B Moose Skowron (29), OF Hank Bauer (31), IF Aaron Hill (23), OF Charlie Keller (33), RP Fritz Coumbe (24).

AA: Hudson Valley Renegades

Prospects: 2B Dick Bartell (20).

Projects: P Joba Chamberlain (25), P LaTroy Hawkins (22), P Art Ditmar (26), OF Roger Maris (26), OF Héctor López (25), Kevin Pillar (27).

Suspects: None, really.

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