Yankees gearing up for first exhibition on Friday

The New York Yankees were going about their business without much distraction.  Then Saturday

came with full squads reporting but it was all about Dellin Betances.  What happened you might ask,

well the Yankees and Betances had an arbitration hearing on Friday and the Yankees won.  There

were some hard feelings from that as would be expected because it is an unpleasant situation. 

Betances was willing to move on though and forget about but then Randy Levine the Yankees

president opened his mouth on Saturday and a storm ensued.  Betances spoke out about it and

wasn’t very happy.  I thought he handled it well but you could tell he was hurt and this may hurt the

Yankees going forward.  Right now I think it isn’t a big deal but when Betances becomes a free agent

it could become one. 


Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez are with the Yankees as guest instructors.  Arod is still being paid 21 million

this year by the Yankees and has a larger role with the organization with Hal Steinbrenner willing to expand it

even more.  Swisher got there over the weekend and Rodriguez this morning.  Arod will be there this week

and then back again in a couple of weeks for a second tour of duty.  During the year the role is still yet to be

determined but I am sure we will be hearing more about it as we go along in spring training. 

So far everything is going pretty smooth down in Tampa.  Greg Bird has been looking good as he looks to knock off the rust and prove that he can play every day.  Aaron Judge is a work in progress but the Yankees still have high hopes for him.  Gary Sanchez continues to look like he did last year in the majors.  The shortstop talent is overwhelming with Didi the current SS, Gleybor Torres the new stud prospect and Jorge Mateo still a top prospect right now.  It looks like the Yankees are going to try and turn Mateo into a CF, Torres probably second or maybe third and keep Didi where he is.  Can you imagine next ear or the year after.  The Yankees could have Sanchez behind the plate, Bird at first, Torres at second, Didi at short, Castro at third.  Frazier, Mateo and Judge in the OF.  They will be a really good young team with a lot of pitching coming as well. 

It will be interesting this spring to see how the competition for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation play out.  The Yankees did sign lefty veteran Jon Niese to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.  They are saying he is competing for a bullpen spot.  The interesting thing is the two or three guys who don’t get into the rotation could be in the bullpen and could be used as longer inning reliever out of the pen.  It will be fascinating to see that unfold. 

The first base competition was going to be interesting but it should be Bird seeing the majority of the time and Chris Carter starting against lefties.  Judge appears to be the favorite in right field but Aaron Hicks is still there as well competing.  Another story line to watch is will the Yankees break up Gardner and Ellsbury in the lineup.  It sounds like they will as the Yankees keep talking about it but when the games start on Friday let’s see what he does with the lineups.  In the beginning it will be harder to tell as not all the starters will be playing but usually in the home games most of them will at least start.  Also Ellsbury is the only player not to report as his wife is due to have a baby any day and maybe even any minute now.  He may be delayed at least at the start of exhibition games but he should be ready for the start of the season. 

New York Yankees Pitchers and Catchers

The New York Yankees Pitchers and Catchers reported to Tampa, Florida on Thursday.  There really

wasn't much doing on Thursday.  It was a few pitchers playing catch, physicals and Joe Girardi doing

his annual start of spring training press conference.  Friday was a different story as the first official

workout did take place and there were a total of 16 pitchers who threw bullpens.  Masahiro Tanaka,

Luis Severino and Nathan Eovaldi all threw today.  There were no injury concerns today, all were

coming off of injuries last season.  Ivan Nova also threw a pen, he said it was his second or third of

the month though as he was working out early, he stated his arm felt lighter in his second year back

from Tommy John.  He said last year it never hurt or affected him but it definitely felt heavy.  He

said getting a break this offseason helped him recover and he feels better on the mound. 

Mark Montgomery and Kyle Haynes were officially added to the spring training roster this morning.  The Yankees now have 33 pitchers in camp.  Last year they used 31 in New York so anyone of these guys could have a role at some point this season. 

CC Sabathia had a press conference today and openly discussed his alcohol addiction.  He stated he is in a good place now and feels great, better then he has in years.  He said he was always fine when he was out with people, the problem was when he was alone in his hotel room and he would just drink and not have to worry about anyone being around telling him what to do or looking out for him.  He said that he is looking forward to being back out with teammates on the road and not being alone like he used to be.  He said this will be the last time he addresses it because everything is out there now and he is happy with that because it will help him, he said that if the team notices something off about him they will bring it up and that will only help in the long run. 

James Kaprielian threw today, he was the Yankees top pick from last year.  Girardi said "Thought he had good command today, you know, the focus early on in spring is the command of that fastball, and I thought he had good command.  I thought he was not overwhelmed by his surroundings.  He was comfortable.  That's always a concern of mine for kids their first year in camp.  He was talkative, and it was good to see."

CC to get back to him continued to work with his knee brace through the offseason and he said it was great and he will continue to use it.  It really helped him at the end of last year when he was really good.  This could be the answer and if it is then he can really help the Yankees.  The Yankees are really focused on the pitchers bunting early in camp.  They have minor league instructor Reggie Willits with them now until minor league camp starts and Girardi said he is a great teacher of bunting.  There was perfect attendance today, no delays or problems with anyone reporting to camp.  There are always some position players around early and today Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo and Tyler Wade were spotted. 

Tommorrow will be a big day as both Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances will throw bullpens, I am assuming that Andrew Miller will as well and if those three are lined up together it will be fun to watch.  I hope someone takes good video of that.  Thanks to Chad Jennings of the Journal News and Lohud Blog for the information. 

New York Yankees release their non roster spring training invite list

The New York Yankees announced on Thursday afternoon their non roster spring training invite list.  It is headlined by top prospects Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Jacob Lindgren and Rob Refsnyder.  The Yankees also announced six minor league signings and then the 20 other players that were the invites to go with everyone on the 40 man roster. 

The six minor league contract guys with invites to spring training are Scott Baker a right handed pitcher, infielder Cole Figueroa, infielder Jonathan Galvez, catcher Juan Graterol, infielder Nick Noonan and catcher Eddy Rodriguez.  Baker is a guy who has had a decent career as a starting pitcher mainly with the Minnesota Twins.  He will be insurance in case someone gets hurt in spring training and he has an out clause but we don't know when that is.  I am sure if he doesn't make the team he won't want to go to AAA.  The infielders are guys who could also potentially make the team but I would list that as very unlikely unless major injuries happen.  The Yankees are probably going to have Stephen Drew at second and Didi Gregorius at short with Rob Refsnyder in AAA ready to take over at second sometime this year or next year.  The utility guy is probably going to be Jose Pirela. 

The bright up and comers that headline the prospects that will be in camp are Severino and Judge.  Severino is a dynamite starter who led all Yankees farmhands last season with 127 strikeouts.  He should start the year in AA Trenton and is rated as baseballs 23rd best prospect.  He will have a chance to make a good first impression and could even reach AAA at some point this year and be knocking on the door to the big leagues.  Judge is a power hitting right fielder who should also start out at AA Trenton.  He led the prospects in RBI last year with 78 and was rated as 68 prospect in baseball.  The Yankees have 14 guys in camp who were originally drafted by the Yankees.  Lindgren is included in this list as he was the second round pick in last year draft.  He is a left handed reliever and considered the Yankees ninth best prospect.  He could appear in the majors this season after advancing to AA last year and posting a 2.16 ERA.  Right handed reliever Nick Rumbelow, left handed reliever Tyler Webb and catcher Trent Garrison are also products of the 2014 draft.  Infielder Rob Refsnyder who is the Yankees number 6 prospect, right hander Nick Goody, left hander James Pazos were drafted in 2012 and infielder Greg Bird who is the Yankees number 11 prospect and Jack Cave the number 8 prospect were drafted in 2011.  The Yankees draft selections are rounded out by Cito Culver and Slade Heathcott who were first round selections.  Kyle Roller who is a 1B and catcher Kyle Higashioka.  In addition catcher Francisco Arcia, right hander Vincente Campos, right hander Diego Moreno and right hander Wilking Rodriguez have been invited to camp.  Andrew Bailey was also included in the list, he is a former big league closer who had been rehabbing with the Yankees last year.  He is 30 years old and owns 89 saves over 206 career appearances with the Athletics and Red Sox. 

The total number of players expected to report to camp is 66 with pitchers and catchers reporting on Friday February 20, 2015 and position players reporting a few days later with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 26, 2015. 

Yankees first official workout notes

The Yankees started their quest for championship #28 this morning as they held their first workout of the season. There are no players that reported late so all the pitchers and catchers are in camp, position players will report Sunday and then the ballpark will really come alive. Francisco Cervelli met the media today, Mariano Rivera did the same and Andy Pettitte was a big topic about not playing in the World Baseball Classic and possibly playing past this season. 
Cervelli denied the allegations against him. He said that he was recommended to go to the Biogenesis clinic by someone but wouldn’t say who. He said it wasn’t a teammate or his agents. He did say he went there and just listened and didn’t leave with anything. Cervelli also said look at him and his numbers, does it look like he is taking steroids. I guess you have to believe him, there is no reason not too and honestly I don’t think people care that much about him. He isn’t really a story, Cervelli has a chance to be the starting catcher this year and he is a Yankee but he really isn’t a big deal.

Mariano Rivera reported on time this year, he said he feels like a 9 out of 10 but will be a 10 when the season starts. He said he has made a decision on his future but isn’t going to announce it just yet. He did say he will let everyone know in the near future though. It sure sounds like he is going to retire and we should find out soon enough. He said he expects to be how he always is and that he is feeling great and excited to be back.

Andy Pettitte wanted to play in the World Baseball Classic especially with his old manager Joe Torre managing team USA. He said that Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman had concerns though and basically talked him out of it. He said they said we will support you if you do it but we would prefer if you didn’t. He said ultimately it was his final decision but he felt although he would of loved to pitch for his country he had to be loyal to the Yankees. Pettitte also said he isn’t sure if he will continue past this season but won’t make any decisions until the season is completed. He sounded the opposite of Rivera, that he may play again next season.

Phil Hughes threw 40 pitches today in his bullpen and Clay Rapada threw 35. A lot of the pitchers seem ahead of the normal schedule. Hughes said it was his sixth bullpen already. The first workout was smooth, no problems reported.

David Adams who missed most of the last two seasons with an ankle injury will be sidelined now with a back injury. He will be in camp but won’t be cleared for full activity when the first full squad workouts begin.

The Yankees made a trade tonight. They have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Seattle Mariners for Abe Almonte. Almonte was a minor league outfielder who really had no where to go with the Yankees. Kelley is 28 and went 2-4 last season with a 3.25 ERA. He made 47 appearances with the Mariners last season during three different stints with the big club. He averaged more then a strikeout per inning and he also made 14 appearances in AAA where he was 2-0 with six saves and a 0.90 ERA. Alex Rodriguez was placed on the 60 day disabled list to clear room on the 40 man roster and the Yankees 40 man roster now stands at 40.

Yankees pitchers and catchers report to spring training

The New York Yankees pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on Tuesday morning. They were there for their physicals, some guys played catch in the outfield and the manager met the media today. The first official workout is tomorrow morning. Here are some of the notes from today. 
Alex Rodriguez will rehab in New York and not join the team in spring training. Girardi said it has nothing to do with distractions but that there is just no reason for him to be in spring training. If you want to believe that it is fine but I am sure they just don’t want him around and deal with anything more with him.

Girardi said that for now he wants to keep Brett Gardner in left and Curtis Granderson in center but that they will continue to discuss it and won’t completely rule out a change. It seems to me that Girardi wants to keep it how it is. I think Gardner is probably a better center fielder but he was the best or one of the best left fielders so why mess with that. Girardi said the lineup is a work in progress, he gave no indication of his ideas for that. I would think that you can go Ichiro, Jeter, Cano, Tex, Granderson, Youkilis, Hafner, Stewart/Cervelli, Gardner. I like that lineup but I realize you could also go with Gardner at the top or Jeter, Granderson could bat second. Nunez could get a lot of play and that could change things a little. I think the lineup will be a lot different but that they will have the ability to score runs in different ways.

Girardi did say that Austin Romine might not be exactly on equal footing with Stewart or Cervelli but that he does have a real chance to win the job. I think they will send him to AAA and go with the other two guys in a platoon type situation. I think Romine could eventually come up and take the job though before the season is over. I would love to see Romine take the job because the Yankees need youth and more home grown players.

CC Sabathia spoke a little today and said he didn’t think he was as hurt as he was last season. He said now that he feels great and he knows the difference because he is healthy now. He said he just wants to concentrate on staying healthy now. He said he lost about 10 pounds and is down to 290 which is about the same as last spring. He said he gained the ten during the season which he is ok with because it just happens but right now he feels good and is at the ideal weight.

Grapefruit League Game 4-Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees

Here are the lineups and some notes courtesy of the Lohud Yankees Blog. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Granderson(CF) Posada(C) Rodriguez(3B) Winn(RF) Gardner(LF) Cervelli(DH) Miranda(1B) Pena(2B) Toronto Lineup: Bautista(3B) Hill(2B) Lind(DH) Wells(CF) Overbay(1B) Reed(RF) Gonzalez(SS) Snider(LF) Molina(C)Yes it is Jose Molina the former Yankee The game will be broadcast on MY9 in New York and also on the radio WCBS 880. A.J. Burnett will make his first start of the spring against Shaun Marcum. He missed all of last season, and should be one of the guys the Blue Jays look too as he was up and coming before he got hurt. The Yankees PR Dept released this info this morning. Of the 66 players in camp 37 were either originally drafted by the Yankees or signed with the Yankees as non drafted free agents. 23 played in at least one game for the Yankees last season and 27 have appeared in a game for the Yankees at some point in their careers. Andrew Brackman is scheduled to make his spring debut today. The other pitchers who are scheduled for today are: Jonathan Albaladejo, Boone Logan,Mark Melancon, Jason Hirsch,Romulo Sanchez, Amaury Sanit. The position players scheduled to come in the game are Jaime Hoffman getting his first turn in CF, Mike River(C), Jorge Vazquez(1B),Kevin Russ(2B), Eduardo Nunez(SS), Brandon Laird(3B),Colin Curtis(LF), David Winfree(RF) and Austin Romine(DH). Tomorrows scheduled pitchers are Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Kei Igawa, Wilkens Arias, D.J. Mitchell,Ryan Pope, Amaury Sanit and Kevin Whelan. The game tomorrow is in Fort Myers against the Twins and obviously they aren't sending any of the big guys. Christian Garcia is throwing a bullpen today and scheduled to make his spring debut on Monday. The other guys who are throwing side sessions today are CC Sabathia, Zack Segovia, Zach McAllister and Ivan Nova. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte got up to 30 pitches in their bullpens yesterday. They are scheduled to throw tomorrw. Mo said he thinks it is BP tomorrow. Today is Francisco Cervellis 24th birthday so Happy Birthday to him. The Yankees have signed Can Am league player Myron Leslie to a minor league deal. It is on the Can Am website. This is the same league that the New Jersey Jackals play in. Enjoy the game everyone and the nice day. I am hoping you guys will post on these game posts and get some good discussion about the lineups, the battles for roster spots, the game itself even during the games etc. Any other ideas please feel free to let me know, thank you for all the support.

Yankees Win Opener on Walkoff

The New York Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon in their exhibition opener. The game was tied 3-3 when Colin Curtis hit a walkoff 3 run homerun in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory for the Yankees. A.J. Burnett wasn't around to deliver the pie, but it was a good start as the Yankees started the way they ended with a win. The Yankees also continued on a trend last year of walkoff wins, they sure seem to love the pie. Here are some of the stats and the notes from today. Alex Rodriguez recorded the Yankees first hit of the spring. Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves each pitched 2 scoreless innings. They each also had a strikeout and Gaudin was the only one who allowed a hit with a infield single to lead off the game. Nick Johnson had a rbi double and made a nice pick over at first. He has always been a good first baseman and will provide great defense when Mark Teixeira is dhing or taking a day off. Jon Albaladejo had a rocky outing, he gave up 2 hits and 3 runs without recording an out. Royce Ring pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts. Jason Hirsh faced 2 batters and struck them both out. Sanit pitched a scoreless inning. I really don't know much about him but he is a minor league pitcher. Ramiro Pena had a solo homerun, he was the utility guy last season and I would think he is the frontrunner for the same job this season. He started it off the right way and he did make a couple of nice plays in the field, he is known for his defense though. George Steinbrenner was at the field briefly, he was driven through the concourse and quickly driven out. CC Sabathia is scheduled for 2 innings or 35 pitches tomorrow when he faces Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. Javier Vazquez threw a bullpen today becoming the last starter to do so, Joba felt better today and threw a bullpen and then went home. If he feels ok tomorrow he will be good to go for Friday. Derek Jeter, A-rod,Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Jon Weber, Francisco Cervelli, P.J. Pilittere and Mike Rivera. If I see this correctly that is 3 catchers which would lead me to belive we will see top prospect Jesus Montero in the game tomorrow. There is Joe Girardi and Curtis Granderson audio up on the great Lohud Yankees Blog by Chad Jennings. You can hear it at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/. The Yankees take on the Phillies tomorrow in Clearwater at 1:00pm, the game is on the MLB network.

Yankee Notes from Tuesday

Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain each threw 40 pitches in their bullpens today. They will throw again on Friday when they throw live batting practice to the position players. Joe Girardi said he didn't see Andy Pettittes bullpen today, he was watching the catchers throw to second. He said the main reason he was there was to see their arm strength but also to tell them not to overdo it. Damaso Marte was sporting an ice pack on his left shoulder today. He still hasn't thrown a bullpen, he said he will next week. He has thrown off flat ground. Boone Logan has decided to go to a changeup as his third pitch, he has been using a splitfinger in recent years but decided to go back to the changeup which has come back to him fairly quickly. Here are the pitchers who threw today Group 1 was Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes,Andy Pettitte and Edwar Ramirez. Group 2 was Kei Igawa,Mark Melancon, Boone Logan and Dustin Mosely. Group 3 was Zach McAllister,Ivan Nova and Kevin Whelan. Group 4 was Jeremy Bleich,Hector Noesi and D.J. Mitchell Derek Jeter will meet with the media tomorrow and Alex Rodriguez on Thursday. Joe Girardi will give his team address tomorrow morning.

One last long weekend without baseball

I will be enjoying a nice 4 day Presidents Day weekend and this will be the last weekend without baseball. Pitchers and Catchers will begin reporting next week, with the Yankees reporting on Thursday. I know the games don't start until March 1st but still there will be plenty to write about from the workouts and then eventually the exhibition games. It is a very exciting time of the year and it means that spring is drawing near which is always a good thing. Here are some things to keep an eye out for this weekend. It appears that the Johnny Damon saga may be coming to an end. The Detroit Tigers have apparently offered him a 2 yr deal for 14 million. If he does end up signing that, isn't it what he was offered by the Yankees and didn't he say he wanted to stay a Yankee?? The Atlanta Braves have offered him a one year deal and appear that they are still taking with him. It was being reported earlier today that the Chigago White Sox were trying to make a late push for him. I would guess he is going to sign with the Tigers by the end of this weekend. The New York Mets signed catcher Josh Riggans to a minor league deal today along with veteran Japanese lefty Hisanora Takahashi. My question is are the Mets playing a game of lets see how many catchers we can sign, they have an insane amount on their roster right now. Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine officially retired today. Tom Glavine will be joining the Braves front office. Tim Lincecum's arbitration hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. The Giants have offered him a long term deal for 3 years and 37 million. He is seeking 13 million for the one year and the Giants offered 8 million. It looks like he will go to the hearing and not sign the long term deal.

The Calm before the Storm

The title says it all, as we all wait for the snow up here in the Tristate area we can start thinking of spring training. The Yankees truck day will be on Monday. That is the day where all the equipment and stuff needed for spring training is loaded up and heads down to Tampa. Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in 13 days. Derek Jeter is already down there working out and Joba Chamberlain will be heading there on Monday. I am sure there may be some others. It has been a long cold winter and I am sure we will be getting hammered with snow this month but at least we can think spring with pitchers and catchers about to report to spring training. It is time to get excited and feel the warmth of spring. It has been quiet for a couple of weeks now but we will be geared up now to bring all the news and notes from spring training. I will be posting pictures of spring training as well so come back and check it out once spring training begins. The Minnesota Twins signed Orlando Cabrera. The Toronto Blue Jays signed reliever Kevin Gregg. Melvin Mora signed with the Colorado Rockies for 1 yr and 1.275 million. There aren't many free agents left out there but one notable is Johnny Damon. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. His agent Scott Boras is still claiming there are 3 or 4 teams out there. I haven't seen one that has offered him anything. Detroit has been the chatter lately but they were clearing money off of their books so who knows.

Yankees announce Spring Training Schedule

The New York Yankees will open their Spring Training schedule March 3rd at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was announced this afternoon by the Yankees. They will play 33 spring training games with 16 at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The Yankees will complete the grapefruit league schedule on April 3rd against their minor league stars. Ticket prices for all of these home games will remain the same for the 2nd consecutive season. The Yankees will play the Phillies 5 times and face every one of their AL East foes except for the Boston Red Sox who they open and close the season with. They have 6 night games, pitchers and catchers will report on Feb 17th and the first workout will be Feb 18th. The first full squad workout will be Feb 24th. The Yankees also today recieved a record postseason share. They divided it up by awarding 46 full shares, 12 1/4 partial shares and 2 cash awards. The total amount they had to divide up was 365,052.73.

Angel Berroa DFA'd

The Yankees did designate Angel Berroa for assignment as expected and reactivated Cody Ransom. The Yankees do have an interesting decision to make soon with Jose Molina getting closer, the way Francisco Cervelli has played I don't think the Yankees want to send him back down but Molina does have a contract and I don't think they will carry 3 catchers so it will be interesting to see what the Yankees do. Xavier Nady should also be back soon and I am guessing they will send Ramiro Pena back down when he is activated but they also really like Pena but he would benefit from playing everyday down in the minors.

Yankees minor league rosters set

UPDATE: 9:46PM: Chad Jennings of the Times Tribune and AAA beat writer and has his own blog is reporting that Brett Tomko will be the closer at AAA and Austin Jackson will be hitting sixth to start the season. I have been waiting for this to be official for about a week, the Yankees announced their rosters for Scranton-AAA, Trenton-AA and Tampa-High Class A, Charleston-Low Class A. I am not going to list the whole rosters here but you can find it on http://yankees.com/ under minor league affiliates or on http://milb.com/ which is the minor league site. I am going to list some of the top players though first with Scranton: Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Mark Melancon, Austin Jackson. The Catchers down here are Kevin Cash PJ Pilittere and Chris Stewart. PJ was in Trenton for a couple of years and is known as a good game caller. The other names most of you are aware of, I am looking for Austin Jackson to have a big year and maybe be up in the big leagues in September. I also look for Mark Melancon to be on the big club at some point this year. AA Trenton-Kyle Anson and Francisco Cervelli are here as the catchers both pretty good prospects although Cervelli is thought of as the most advanced catching prospect the Yankees have and could be up in AAA at some point this year, he of course had a lost year least year when he broke his wrist in spring training. They have some interesting pitchers here such as Zach McAllister, Mike Dunn, Wilken Arias, George Kontos and Ryan Pope. Zach McAllister is one of the top young prospects that the Yankees think very highly of. The position players Eduardo Nunez impressed a lot of people in spring training and suprisingly Justin Snyder is at this level, Snyder was in his first year last year. A Tampa- The pitchers here are led by supplemental 1st round pick Jeremy Bleich who could move quickly and Dellin Betances who is just a stud and many have labeled the Baby Unit. They also have the 2 big catchers in Jesus Montero who reminds me a lot of Mike Piazza although he seems to be improving a lot behind the plate and may actually stay as a catcher and also Austin Romine who is a good catcher with a good bat. It will be interesting to see if either moves up and they break these two up for the first time in their young careers. I wouldn't really get too worked up over any of the other prospects but I will be watching the minor league teams all year also and update you on what is going on and if anyone else emerges. A-Charleston- The pitchers here are led by Andrew Brackman they also have Manuel Banuelos, Brett Marshall and the ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte. The infield has Carmen Angelini who is a well though of ss and also Garrison Lassiter who they drafted last year, these guys are very young and a ways off. I have been to both Scranton and Trenton and love going to both places, its a lot of fun and you get to see some prospects and possibly future Yankees. If you have a chance to go, check it out, neither is too far away and pretty easy to get too. I will be in Scranton for an outing July 5th and plan on having a good post about it afterwards. I don't know if I will get to Trenton this year but that is where I have met Melky Cabrera, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, Shelly Duncan, Jeff Karstens and more.

Baseball is Back At Last

Here are some pictures from down in Tampa. Today is the official report day for pitchers and catchers with the rest of the squad set to report officially on Tuesday. Jeter and Swish are over at the minor league complex as well as others. Joe Girardi got his first taste of the media in 2009. This is a great day as baseball is finally back.

Baseball Is Near

Here is a picture of Steinbrenner field all ready to go as pitchers and catchers report tomorrow and position players on Wednesday. I know you guys are wondering how did you get that pic did you Jet down to Florida, no I wish I did though. Peter Abraham of the Journal News had this pic on his site at http://yankees.lhblogs.com The media is assembled down there waiting for Joe Girardis first session with them. Joe G and Brian Cashman and all of the coaches have been in meetings all morning about the pitchers and catchers that are in camp and as soon as they are done Joe will meet the media. I will be posting quotes and some things he said as well as what Brian Cashman the GM had to say this morning. We are close to baseball now and although it will be a circus it is good to see a baseball field and to be talking some real baseball. Oh yeah just a quick note but AJ Burnett was at the minor league complex today playing long toss and working out.