September 8th, 2023: Domínguez, Cole, Bullpen, Rizzo, Mailbag

Self-promotion: I wrote a thing at CBS about the Yankees’ youth movement. I didn’t know what to do with it when my editor requested it (I hate writing off tiny samples), so I spun it forward and looked at 2024. I dunno. I’m not really happy with it, but that’s there if you’re interested. Let’s now get to today’s post.

1. Weekday thoughts. Eight wins in the last 10 games and at one point earlier this week the Yankees were 69-69 for the first time since 1969. Nice. A good stretch of baseball, this has been. The best of the season, really. The YES Network is going overboard with the “they’re not out of the Wild Card race yet!” talk, but what else is the team’s network supposed to say? Anyway, here are a few thoughts on the last few games.

J.D. phone home

Jasson Dominguez arrived in the Bronx this week and my goodness, how fun is this kid? Every time they show him, he’s smiling ear-to-ear, and of course The Martian had an E.T. inspired acknowledgement ready for the Bleacher Creatures during Roll Call (Domínguez told Bryan Hoch he’s never actually seen E.T.):

Domínguez banged a double Tuesday night and they played Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys over the Yankee Stadium speakers. The Yankees are hashtagging his hits #Area161 when they post the video to social media (there are Area 161 t-shirts!). John Sterling has a solid home run call too: “El Marciano! He’s my favorite Martian!” This rules so much.

And, of course, El Marciano is raking. He is 7-for-24 (.292) with one double and three homers – “The right field wall. It's great," Domínguez told Max Goodman after his first Yankee Stadium home run Wednesday – through six games. He’s struck out only four times too. Aaron Boone put Domínguez in the No. 3 spot to break up the righties and the kid has looked the part.

“He’s playing with that little grin on his face and enjoying playing baseball right now,” Boone told Greg Joyce earlier this week. “He’s obviously right in the middle of us winning games.”

Domínguez went 3-for-4 with a homer Wednesday (video), including hits from both sides of the plate. He became the youngest Yankee with a three-hit game since Bobby Murcer in 1965, and the second youngest Yankee ever with three homers in a five-game span. Mickey Mantle was younger when he did it in 1952, his second year. Maybe El Marciano really is the next Mantle? Wouldn't that be something.

(Also, Jasson is the second youngest player ever with three home runs in his first five career games. Manny Machado, who debuted soon after his 20th birthday in 2012, beat him to it.)

As is often the case, the kids have been a mixed bag. Domínguez has been great and Oswald Peraza is coming around, but Everson Pereira’s contact rate is Joey Gallo-ian and Austin Wells has unexpectedly stood out more for his work behind the plate than in the batter’s box. That’s fine. It’s a hard league. Growing pains are part of it. El Marciano sure is fun though. He’s come out of the gate well and I hope it lasts right through Game 162 (and 2040 or thereabouts).

“From my point of view, it’s the same baseball,” Domínguez told Hoch. “Of course there are many differences (between MLB and the minors). You have so many more fans in the stands and a lot of excitement. I think after the first couple of days, I’ve been able to bring down the excitement and enjoy it more.”

Cole’s Cy Young chase

Mike Mussina used to say there are about 10 starts a year in which you have your best stuff, and how you get through the other 20-24 starts determines your season. Gerrit Cole did not have his best stuff Tuesday (so many hanging breaking balls!), but, at the end of the night, he gave the Yankees six innings of one-run ball. Lesser pitchers give up the yams in a game like that.

“It was just so thick tonight. The humidity was something else. I unfortunately started that sixth inning with a triple and just really had to go to work from there,” Cole told Mike Fitzpatrick and Mark Sanchez. “... No matter the situation, we knew what we needed to do to get through it.”

While Cole was grinding his way through the Tigers, the Guardians tagged Sonny Gray for three runs in six innings (that qualifies as an offensive outburst for Cleveland), so Cole jumped Gray for the American League lead in ERA (2.90 vs. 2.98) and ERA+ (149 vs. 147). Cole also leads the league with 180 innings. Here is the AL pitching WAR leaderboard:

1. Gerrit Cole, Yankees: +5.6 WAR
2. Sonny Gray, Twins: +4.6 WAR
3. Shohei Ohtani, Angels: +4.1 WAR (won’t pitch again this season)
4. Kyle Bradish, Orioles: +3.7 WAR
5. Framber Valdez, Astros: +3.7 WAR

I will again note the league leader in Baseball Reference WAR, which is listed above, has won 10 of the last 14 Cy Youngs, and was the runner-up in the voting on two other occasions. It is the best single stat Cy Young predictor right now, and Cole has a significant lead over the rest of his league. Leading the league in ERA and innings with help with traditionalist voters too. That’s the name of the game, right? Throw a lot of innings and don’t allow a lot of runs.

Cole has four starts remaining, maybe five if the Yankees use off-days to rearrange the rotation, but I don’t think they’ll do that unless they go on a run and are within striking distance of a Wild Card spot in a week or two. If they’re still out of it, they won’t rearrange things so Cole can start a meaningless Game 162 in Kansas City. You don’t do that to your $324M ace.

With those four (maybe five) starts remaining, Cole is in the Cy Young driver’s seat. Ohtani’s and Shane McClanahan’s injuries take them out of the race and Bradish is still under 140 innings. I’d say Cole’s Cy Young competition is Gray, Valdez, Luis Castillo (+3.0 WAR), and Kevin Gausman (+2.5 WAR). They’re all chasing him. Cole is the favorite with three weeks to play.

(For what it’s worth, FanGraphs debuted a new Cy Young projection model earlier this week. It has Cole leading the AL by a good deal over Gausman, with Gray a distant third.)

Middleton to the IL

I thought it was kinda weird Keynan Middleton did not pitch in Houston. Turns out he has an achy shoulder. He was placed on the injured list Wednesday. Too bad. Middleton had been really great since coming over at the trade deadline: 13.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 17 K, 70.4% grounders. Given where we are in the calendar, Middleton’s season may be over. Bummer.

“It’s inflammation, so I don’t think he’s going to be shut down for very long,” Boone told Joyce. “The thought is hopefully he can begin throwing in a couple days and we will get him back. We’ll just have to see.”

Matt Krook, not Ron Marinaccio or Nick Ramirez, was called up to replace Middleton. Add in Ian Hamilton’s groin injury and Mike King moving into the rotation, and the bullpen looks like this:

• Closer: RHP Clay Holmes
• Setup: RHP Tommy Kahnle, RHP Jonathan Loáisiga, LHP Wandy Peralta
• Low leverage: RHP Albert Abreu, LHP Matt Krook, RHP Greg Weissert
• Kids: RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Randy Vásquez

There’s a clear top four Boone will lean on in close games. Holmes got the save Wednesday and it was his seventh appearance in 10 days, which is something Boone basically never does with his relievers. Weissert entered with the bases loaded and a one-run lead in the eighth inning that night and got a key strikeout too. He pitched in that spot because the regular high leverage guys have all worked a ton lately.

“I don’t know (that) I’m exactly young like Domínguez and those guys, but I think everybody wants to win so bad,” the 28-year-old Weissert told Hoch after that big strikeout Wednesday (video). “Everybody wants to make a name for themselves. It’s bringing that extra little energy to the team. Everybody’s vibin’ pretty good right now.”

The Hamilton and Middleton injuries (and King’s role change) are a great opportunity for Brito and Vásquez. They both pitched well out of the bullpen in Houston and they’ll get more chances in games exactly like that moving forward (at least when they’re not cleaning up Carlos Rodón’s garbage starts). I’m particularly interested to see more of Brito as a reliever. The sample isn’t very big, but he has pitched much better out of the bullpen this year …

• as SP: 6.32 ERA (6.34 FIP), 16.4 K%, 9.1 BB%, 42.4 GB% (52.2 IP)
• as RP: 1.27 ERA (2.46 FIP), 20.5 K%, 5.1 BB%, 48.4 GB% (21.1 IP)

… and limiting times through the lineup and how often hitters get a look at him in general will be beneficial. Maybe Brito will follow the 2021 King path, and go from pretty ordinary as a starter during the summer to a revelation out of the bullpen in September. That would be neat. The opportunity will be there this month and I hope Brito takes advantage. This is his Big Chance (Vásquez too).

As for Krook, the fact the Yankees called him up rather than fellow lefty Nick Ramirez, who has been up a few times this year, suggests they will force feed him lefty specialist work the last few weeks. Krook isn’t young (29 in October) but he’s been outstanding in Triple-A this season (0.92 ERA, 2.49 FIP, 41.5 K%, 46.7 GB%). It’s time to get this show on the road, you know? Krook looked pretty good in a mop up inning Thursday. Hopefully there’s more to come.

We’ll see where things stand with Middleton and his shoulder in a few weeks, but I think there’s a chance the Yankees try to bring him back next year. The change in pitch selection is a reason to believe this year’s success is not a fluke, and he shouldn’t command a big contract. We’ll worry about that after the season. For now, the short bullpen would be a problem if the Yankees were in the race. Instead, it’s a great opportunity for Brito and Vásquez (and Krook).

Miscellany

Congrats to Giancarlo Stanton on his 400th career home run (video). True to form, Stanton went from looking like he never played baseball before in his first two at-bats to hitting a game-winning missile in his third at-bat. He got a curtain call – shoutout to Anthony Volpe for calling his timeout to give Stanton more time – and I was glad to see it. It’s been a difficult year for Stanton, but he works hard, he’s accountable, he’s had a lot of big hits over the years, and his teammates love him. “(Getting to 400) is definitely a cool little wake-up call. It doesn’t change much in terms of how the year’s gone, but we do have about a month left. That’s all I can really focus or pay attention to. There’s still a big hill ahead of us, but we’ve got work to do,” Stanton told Hoch after the game … Rodón has been a colossal dud. He gave up rope after rope and couldn’t get through four innings against one of the worst offenses in baseball Thursday. At no point this season has he looked like the pitcher a) he was the last two years, and b) the Yankees expected. I’m not looking forward to an offseason of hearing how the Yankees believe Rodón will be better in Year 2 because he’ll be more comfortable or whatever. Maybe it will be true. I hope it is. I’m just not looking forward to hearing it all winter … Since the Peraza and Pereira promotions, Isiah Kiner-Falefa has played only five of 16 games. I feel for the guy. It’s his free agent year and he’s barely playing down the stretch. The Yankees aren’t doing anything wrong, playing the kids is the smart move, it just sucks for Kiner-Falefa. They should’ve put him on waivers like Harrison Bader and given him a chance to catch on with a contender before the postseason-eligibility deadline last week (Wilmer Difo could’ve come up and sat on the bench the rest of the season). Kiner-Falefa has handled all this like a total pro, but I’m sure he’s disappointed and unhappy with his current situation. He’s only human.

2. Rizzo shut down for rest of 2023. This is not exactly a surprise: Anthony Rizzo will not play again this season, the Yankees confirmed Tuesday. Aaron Boone said Rizzo is progressing well – take that with a grain of salt given this team’s history of downplaying injury matters – but there is only so much season remaining, so they’re shutting him down.

“I would say everything is going well. We’re just kind of up against the clock. He’s continuing to work out, he’s continuing to make all the right cognitive improvements.” Boone said. “... My understanding is the last month, as he’s seen the specialists and the things they’re asking him to do, I think everyone’s been really encouraged by how he’s done and how he continues to improve.”

Rizzo being shut down doesn’t hurt the Yankees on the field. They’re out of the Wild Card race and DJ LeMahieu is a more than adequate veteran to put at first base with a young infield. Jake Bauers, who is still on the roster, will back up LeMahieu. I suppose the Yankees could put Austin Wells there at some point, though he already has his hands full with catching responsibilities. LeMahieu’s a fine fill-in, especially with the way he’s played lately.

There are quality of life concerns with concussions and post-concussion symptoms, but I am no doctor, and am not qualified to speak on that. I just hope all is good there. Baseball-wise, Rizzo now heads into the offseason – and will report to Spring Training – as a bit of a question mark, right? Even if offseason workouts go well, game action and live pitching are a different animal.

The Yankees badly need a healthy and effective Rizzo, his lefty bat is so important, and now we’ll just have to wait and hope he shows up to camp looking like the hitter he was before the collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. (.304/.376/.505 and 145 wRC+). I wanted to see Rizzo before the season ended just to know he’s okay, get read on him, and for my peace of mind. Alas.

I understand these things are tricky – MRIs and CT scans and all that are like art, they’re open to interpretation, not necessarily definitive – but geez, the way the Yankees handled Rizzo’s injury is a major black eye on the organization. I will never ever understand why he was in the lineup the day after he complained of fogginess. Get well soon, Anthony. Brain injuries are no joke.

“I think he’s in a good place,” Boone said. “I think the doctors and he have seen the progress they’ve wanted to see. I feel like he’s encouraged by where he’s at.”

(In other unsurprising “he won’t play again this season” news, Nestor Cortes isn’t coming back, Boone said earlier this week. Nestor is expected to begin a throwing program soon, maybe even this weekend, so he’s recovering well. There just aren’t many days remaining in the season. This is his second rotator cuff injury of the year. No sense in playing around with this.)

3. Rapid fire thoughts. Aaron Judge backed Aaron Boone as the manager next season. "I’ve been with Boonie all the way since 2018. He’s the guy ... He has been there for us in good times and bad times. The guy shows up and supports his players," Judge told Andy Martino. Judge is the captain and his opinion carries weight in the organization, but also what is he supposed to say in this situation? Boone sucks and should be fired? Bit of a meaningless soundbite here … Shoutout to Kyle Higashioka. Higashioka played Thursday (because the lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was on the mound) for the first time since the final game in Detroit and he’s watching Austin Wells take his job, yet he’s taken Wells under his wing. Wells told Brendan Kuty (sub. req’d) that Higashioka showed him around Yankee Stadium earlier this week (his first time at the ballpark) and he also did the veteran leader thing and bought him suits. “It was really generous and I’m super thankful … He’s been welcoming and he obviously wants the best for everybody. He wants the best for me and I want the best for him,” Wells told Kuty (subs. req’d). Good guy, that Higgy … And finally, the Yankees honored Miguel Cabrera prior to Tuesday’s game and they went all out. Here are all the gifts (here’s video):

Aaron Boone, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, and all the Venezuelan-born Yankees presented Miggy with a 161st Street Yankee Stadium subway sign signed by all the Yankees, a painting of Cabrera’s titanic home run against Mariano Rivera in 2013 (this one), and a $10,000 donation to his foundation. That’s better than my dumb gift ideas. Nicely done, Yankees.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Sam asks: With the way the season has gone, I can imagine that you, like myself, have already been thinking about what needs to happen to get the Yankees back to the postseason. For me, a big part of that is getting younger, more athletic, and adding some left-handed pop. Finding a left fielder and center fielder who can hit from the left offers a few options (Lee, Bellinger, sticking with Jasson). However, I come up empty thinking of left-handed-hitting third baseman the Yankees should target in a trade. Perhaps Peraza and Pereira are not long for the team and can be part of a deal. Who stands out as a LHH 3B on the trade market?

Only 14 left-handed batters or switch-hitters have played at least 40 games at third this season and the majority are either unattainable (Rafael Devers, José Ramírez, etc.) or undesirable (Nick Maton, Jace Peterson, etc.). Here are the four who might be available and are worth rostering:

• Jeimer Candelario, Cubs (will be a free agent in a few weeks)
• Ryan McMahon, Rockies (trade candidate but would require a hefty package)
• Yoán Moncada, White Sox (trade candidate if you think he can bounce back)
• Max Muncy, Dodgers (the Dodgers will probably pick up his $10M club option though)

I wonder about Brett Baty. The Mets traded Eduardo Escobar to open up third base for Baty and they gave him a long look earlier this year, but he didn’t hit (.218/.287/.327 and 73 wRC+) and he wound up back in Triple-A, and it’s at least possible the Mets believe more in Ronny Mauricio, who isn’t playing shortstop in Queens anytime soon and needs a new position.

Baty entered 2023 as a top 20-ish prospect in baseball. He hasn’t hit yet though, and there is some weirdness in his swing that leads to a ton of ground balls (49.0%) and a lot of balls to left field. There’s nothing wrong with taking the ball the other way! But you can do it to a fault, and Baty hasn’t shown the ability to turn on anything in the inner half:

The ground ball and opposite field batted ball profile has followed Baty through the minors. It’s not something new that popped up once he got to the big leagues. There is legit juice in Baty’s bat, he’s run exit velocities in the 113 mph range, but all the grounders and inability to pull the ball mute his power output. Baty’s swing doesn’t allow him to get to his natural pop consistently.

Baty turns 24 in November. Have the Mets soured on him enough/do they believe in Mauricio enough to trade him? I don’t expect them to give him away, but the Mets have very little pitching in their farm system. Is there something like Baty for Chase Hampton or Baty for Drew Thorpe that works? If the Yankees believe they can tweak Baty’s swing, they have to at least ask, right?

To get back to Sam’s question, if the Yankees want to add a lefty bat at third base this offseason, their best option by frickin’ far is signing Candelario, and I can’t say I’m overly enthused about giving him a multi-year contract. As a rental at the deadline? Sure, Candelario would have been great. I’d rather not tie myself to that player years into the future though, especially with the poor free agent market likely to inflate contracts.

McMahon is worth a call, you never know when the Rockies will offer to pay their best player to play for you, though I suspect the asking price will be prohibitive. Moncada has not been good this season (.260/.306/.405 and 93 wRC+) and he has $29M coming to him in 2024. Baty probability isn’t realistic. The lefty hitting third base market is really weak right now.

Rob asks: Can you share your thoughts on what the Yankees will do about Severino after the season? Two starts against bottom dwellers have brought calls to re-sign him, maybe even give him a qualifying offer to get a draft pick if he goes elsewhere. Personally I think the QO is a hard no at $20M. Assuming this is not Dellin Betances part 2 and he is willing to come back, I can see them offering him a low dollar first year "show us" deal with incentives like for 150 IP and a 2nd year team option at maybe $15M if he reaches some specific number of starts and IP. And, of course, I can certainly see them holding him out if he is getting ready for the 2nd year to vest and they don't want to pay him.

I think both sides are ready to move on and get a fresh start. As much as I love Luis Severino, the guy is hurt every single year (it’s all arm problems too), and the Yankees are going to need more reliability next year given Carlos Rodón’s injury history, Nestor Cortes coming off shoulder trouble, Clarke Schmidt setting a new career high in innings (by a lot), etc.

The Yankees have been willing to assume injury risk to get upside the last few years (Rodón is a clear example), but they kinda have to change the way they do things, and not hoping this is the year Severino stays healthy figures to be part of that change. There are some red flags with his stuff too. The induced vertical break on his fastball (i.e. life up in the zone) is down from 17.5 inches last year (elite and in line with the rest of his career) to 16.1 inches this year (average).

There are ways to mitigate the decline in movement. Severino has started to incorporate more of a sinking two-seamers while cutting back on his four-seamer …

… and perhaps with a normal and healthy offseason he can get back to where he was. It’s also possible (maybe even likely)  this is just who Severino is now. He turns 30 in February and it’s not uncommon to see a decline in stuff at this age, and he may forever be diminished by the injuries. I mean, how often does someone get hurt that much and come out on the other side a-okay?

The Yankees can move on and pursue a starter they can more reasonably expect to give them 25+ starts, and Severino can go to a new organization with fresh eyes, eyes that maybe see something the Yankees have missed. The Dodgers, for example, will need like 2-3 starters this offseason, and they have a strong track record of getting pitchers on track. That could be a fit.

The qualifying offer will be in the $22M range this winter and hey, it’s not my money, but I don’t see the Yankees doing that with Severino, especially when the potential reward is only a draft pick after the fourth round. They passed on giving Jameson Taillon the $19.65M qualifying offer last offseason and he was both better and healthier than Severino heading into free agency. Severino has higher upside than Taillon, sure, but we haven’t seen that upside in a while.

Two years ago the Giants gave Rodón a two-year, $44M contract with an opt out at 110 innings (he cleared 110 innings, opted out of the second year, then signed with the Yankees). That’s the best case scenario for a Severino contract, I think, and he might get it in this horrible free agent class. The demand will be there but decent pitching will be short supply. (Maybe that’s a reason to make him the qualifying offer then?)

Last offseason reclamation project starters like Matt Boyd ($10M), Mike Clevinger ($12M), and Noah Syndergaard ($13M) all got one-year contracts in the low eight figures. That seems about right for Severino. One year and $13M or so, maybe $15M in this free agent class, plus bonuses tied to innings and/or starts. Some kinda second year vesting option/opt out could be in play too.

I hope Severino gets paid and resurrects his career and I hope the Yankees replace him with a capable starter. I do get the feeling this is the end of the line though, sorta like 2019 was the end of the line with Betances. He was hurt and his effectiveness was beginning to wane, and the Yankees made a clean break when he hit free agency. Feels like they’re at that point with Severino now. Sucks, but it was going to happen one of these years.

Michael asks: After signing Gleyber in arb (to not impact luxury tax calculations) there is an offer of an additional 5 years at 20mm a year. So that's probably around 115mm over 6 years with the arb raise. Who says no??

I was thinking the Javy Báez/Trevor Story contract for Gleyber Torres, or six years and $140M. And that’s when he hits free agency next offseason. Add in next year’s arbitration contract, which will be in the $13M range, and we’re talking seven years and $153M all together (the Jacoby Ellsbury contract!), covering his age 27-33 seasons. There may be sticker shock, but that’s the going rate for above-average middle infielders in the prime of their career.

As Michael noted, the key is adding the extension on top of next year’s arbitration contract. In that case, Gleyber’s luxury tax hit would be $13M in 2024 and $23.3M from 2025-30 ($140M across six years). Do a straight seven-year, $153M contract after this season, and his luxury tax hit is $21.9M all seven years. Sign the arbitration contract first and the extension later, and the luxury tax number next year is the arbitration salary, not the overall annual value. It saves a nice chunk of money in 2024 without raising the 2025-20 luxury tax hit that much.

Given that I had six years and $140M in mind, I will say Michael’s proposed five-year deal at $20M per year is light. I think Torres says no. Gleyber has said he wants to remain with the Yankees long-term, so maybe he’ll take a discount, but his career earnings are already over $23M. He’s presumably secure enough to play out arbitration, then see what free agency has to offer. Then again, nine figures is hard to pass up for anyone.

Gleyber is really starting to come into his own as a hitter – he’s posted career best contract rates (by far) with career best top-end exit velocities (by far) this year – and he’s entering what should be his prime years. Yeah, he’s prone to dumb baserunning and defensive mistakes, but the good outweighs the bad. Torres is a keeper to me. The Yankees need more players like him.

“I want to be here. I want to stay with the team,” Torres reiterated to Randy Miller last week. “But I can’t tell the future, so I’ll stay in the present right now. I’ll try to help the younger guys and we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Taylor asks: What is the latest scouting report on Jasson’s defense? No issues this weekend. Obviously in love with the bat. Wondering if he can stick in centerfield long term or if he’s more likely to stick in a corner outfield spot.

The expectation is Jasson Domínguez will stay in center another few years, but eventually he’ll have to move to a corner. I mean, look at the kid. I can’t think of any long-term center fielders with that physique. I guess Mike Trout, he’s pretty thick, but Trout’s an outlier and I don’t like to use him as a basis of comparison for anyone. (Maybe Jasson is an outlier too! Would be cool.)

I think the likely outcome is Domínguez sticks in center field another few years (two? three? five? I dunno) before settling into a corner. Ronald Acuña Jr. broke in as a center fielder and then shifted over to right field full-time in his fourth season. That could be the timeline Domínguez follows. Here’s what Baseball America (subs. req’d) says about Jasson’s defense:

He has a chance to stick in center field and be average at the position. A lot will depend on how his body develops as he matures. Dominguez is strong and compact rather than the lithe athletes who typically hold down center. Still, scouts see a player whose above-average speed, as well as excellent reads and jumps, could allow him to stay in center field even if he’s unlikely to be a standout. His arm strength is above-average and would play in right field if necessary.

MLB.com says Domínguez’s “play in center field draws mixed reviews, with some evaluators believing he'll remain up the middle and others thinking his defensive inconsistencies will drive him to a corner.” Eric Longenhagen adds Jasson is “currently a fit in center field (but) it’s hard to say how he’ll trend athletically into his 20s because there’s virtually no precedent for his build.”

I think it’s safe to say Domínguez will be able to man center field in 2024. What happens after that is something we can worry about when we get there. Domínguez is a big, stocky kid, and you kinda have to expect him to slow down at some point. With any luck, it won’t happen for another 10 years. Odds are it’ll happen sooner than that though.

Paul asks: Saturday’s game, Yankees up 5-4 after 4.5 innings, Severino is done. They brought in Brito for the top of the order. What do you think about using one of the high leverage relievers for the 5th/top of the order and the use Brito after that? Sort of like a mid-game opener?

Normally, yes, that would be the way to go. Use one of the high leverage guys against the top of the order in a one-run game, then use Jhony Brito against the lower part of the order. With the Yankees being out of the race, I’m cool with going to Brito there, and seeing how he handles the challenge. And he aced it! Brito was awesome Saturday. We’re focused on Jasson Domínguez and Austin Wells and all the other young hitters, but don’t forget about the young pitchers. These last few weeks are important for Brito, Randy Vásquez, and whoever else too.

Roger asks: John Cruz of the FCL team. How is it that a 17-year-old Yankee prospect with a 900+ OPS in the FCL is able to float under the radar? (Okay, he turned 18 on August 29, after the season ended, but still.)  That FCL team's offensive numbers have been eye-catching. Do they have a magical hitting coach or does the league's pitching just turn everyone into the Next Juan SotoTM ?

The rookie Florida Complex League Yankees got swept by the FCL Braves in the Championship Series last month, so no back-to-back titles. As a team, the FCL Yankees hit .281/.397/.434 this season (the FCL average was .243/.365/.370), and they had the third youngest group of position players (19.1 years) in the 15-team league. Last month Baseball America (subs. req’d) said the FCL Yankees “comprised one of the most talented complex league clubs this season.”

As for Cruz, he was a $75,000 signing during the 2022 international signing period, and he hit .294/.376/.531 (131 wRC+) with 10 homers and a league average 21.8% strikeout rate in 48 FCL games this season. He is one of only four teenagers with double digit homers in the FCL and its predecessor, the Gulf Coast League, in the last five years. Cruz had a fantastic season.

I asked around and was told Cruz was a pleasant surprise this year because he improved his approach and bat-to-ball ability quite a bit from last year. He’s a wiry (listed at 6-foot-3 and 171 lbs.) lefty hitting center fielder who’s already hitting balls 105 mph, and doesn’t have much swing and miss in his game. That’s a strong foundation. I’m not sure Cruz is a top 30 prospect in the system yet, but he’s definitely a legit prospect, not a small sample rookie ball fluke.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)