February 17th, 2023: Montas, King, Torres, Catchers, Prospects To Know, Mailbag

Sad news: Tim McCarver passed away earlier this week. He was 81. McCarver had an eventful playing career (debuted as a 17-year-old in 1959, won the 1964 and 1967 World Series with the Cardinals, part of the trade that led to Curt Flood challenging the reserve clause, Hall of Famer Steve Carlton’s personal catcher, one of the few players to play in four different decades, etc.) though me and my generation remember him as a broadcaster. McCarver broadcast the Mets (1983-98) and Yankees (1999), among other teams, plus over two decades of All-Star Games and the World Series with FOX. He lost his fastball at the end like everyone else, but McCarver was the voice of baseball when I was growing up, and an indelible part of my baseball fandom. Rest in peace to one of the sport’s most iconic voices and a titan in the broadcasting world. Here is today’s post.

1. Spring Training news and notes. Spring Training is underway and there’s some actual baseball stuff to talk about. Domingo Germán is now wearing No. 0, for example. Carlos Rodón took (or paid for) No. 55. Germán is on his fifth number with the Yankees (Nos. 50 and 64 in 2017, No. 65 in 2018, No. 55 from 2019-22, and now No. 0 in 2023). Also, Jhony Brito reported to camp a day late because of a visa issue, but here’s there now (I think). Here’s the other important stuff.

Montas will have shoulder surgery

Pretty good chance Frankie Montas has already thrown his final pitch as a Yankee. He’ll have surgery on his troublesome right shoulder this coming Tuesday, Aaron Boone said earlier this week. Best case is Montas returns late in the season. He has dealt with shoulder inflammation since last July and had a few starts and stops this offseason. Now he’s going under the knife.

“They have an idea (what the problem is). Once they’re in there, they’ll know if they have to touch the labrum or touch the rotator cuff. That’ll determine if you have to add weeks to the surgery,” Boone said (video). “Best case is he would be back late in the season. If it’s just a scope, then he could potentially be back late in the year.”

The only good news is the band-aid has been ripped off and we don’t have to spend the next few months hoping/pretending Montas will come back and contribute. Boone called a return late in the season the best case, so anything Montas gives the Yankees this year is a bonus. Once we learned he would miss April, I was prepared for Montas’ season to play out like this:

• April: “We knew he was going to miss this month, it’s fine.”
• May: “It’s a minor setback. It’s okay as long as he’s ready in a few weeks.”
• June: “He just got back, give him some time to round into form.”
• July: “Okay the Yankees have to trade for another starter.”

I can’t call the trade a total loss because Lou Trivino’s solid, but woof, what a disaster. The Montas trade made sense at the time – like the Joey Gallo trade – and I was in favor of it. I would rather the Yankees be aggressive and take big swings to try to address their needs (especially given the first half they had last season) than sit on their hands like they did at the 2019 deadline.

That all said, this is a results-based business, and the season-ending surgery in his final year of team control means we can definitively say the Montas trade did not provide the intended results. This is a yucky run of trades:

• July 29th, 2021: Joey Gallo (and Joely Rodríguez)
• March 13th, 2022: Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson (and Ben Rortvedt)
• Aug. 1st, 2022: Frankie Montas (and Lou Trivino)

There have been good trades along the way (Clay Holmes, Jose Trevino, etc.) but the Yankees would hit Ctrl+Z on those three deals if they had the chance. As frustrating as their injuries were, I’m willing to chalk Scott Effross’ Tommy John surgery and Andrew Benintendi’s wrist surgery up to “shit happens.” Montas had shoulder trouble in the weeks leading up to the trade though. His injury issues didn’t come out of nowhere. The Yankees gambled and lost.

“We knew when we traded for him that he had missed time with the shoulder. That’s the nature of a pitcher, though. They’re able to get back on the mound,” Boone said (video). “With all these pitchers, you’re going to have similar things. That’s why – especially with shoulders – they don’t race into surgeries all the time. You can treat these things and sometimes these things lay dormant. Sometimes they’re asymptomatic, sometimes they become very symptomatic. For Frankie, it was just a nagging thing that didn’t allow him to get over the hump.”

The silver lining is none of the prospects the Yankees surrendered in these recent bad trades has come back to bite them (yet). There is an opportunity cost though. The Yankees gave up a lot of young players in an effort to improve the big league roster the last two years and didn’t actually improve the roster. The organization is in worse shape now than before those trades.

Germán figures to step in as the No. 5 starter because he’s done that the last few years, and his role coming into this year was “next in line in case of injury” guy. I hope Clarke Schmidt is given a legit chance to win the job, but I dunno. The depth behind those two isn’t great, at least on paper. Here are the best available free agent starters by projected 2023 WAR:

1. LHP Mike Minor: +0.9 WAR
2. RHP Michael Pineda: +0.5 WAR
3. RHP Dylan Bundy: +0.4 WAR
4. RHP Chris Archer: +0.4 WAR
5. LHP Dallas Keuchel: +0.3 WAR

No, the Yankees are not going to sign Trevor Bauer now. At no point have they ever had interest in that guy, and I don’t think the Montas injury changes that. Archer as a once through the lineup multi-inning reliever intrigues me, but overall, yeah, the free agent starting pitcher market stinks. There is no impact to be had there. Only filler innings.

Trading for a starter in Spring Training is difficult because no one wants to give up pitching depth, plus making a trade in the immediate aftermath of a major injury is how you get hit with inflated asking prices. Teams know Montas is done for the year and I’d rather the Yankees not give up a good prospect for someone like, say, Chris Flexen or Brad Keller. (I wrote a thing about the Yankees’ options to replace Montas at CBS, if you’re interested.)

The Montas surgery and turning Ken Waldichuk into essentially nothing really, really sucks. There is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube though. What’s done is done, and now the Yankees will presumably move forward with Germán as their No. 5 starter. The rotation remains the strength of the Yankees, although the Montas surgery means it is not quite as strong as it was expected to be.

“I’m really excited about where Domingo is right now,” Boone said (video). “His work has been excellent. He’s in great shape. I feel like his frame of mind is really good. I do feel like there’s been a lot of maturity that’s happened with him over the last couple years, but even from last year to this spring so far. He certainly understands where he’s at in his career and the opportunities that are in front of him right now.”

King already facing hitters

In better injury news, Mike King is at 100% following his elbow fracture, and he’s already faced hitters in live batting practice. He’s thrown 10 bullpen sessions and he faced hitters last Friday, and he’ll do that again this week. Last month we heard there was some doubt King would be ready for Opening Day, but things seem to be going well.

“I have no reservations. I got yelled at for throwing too hard,” King told Pete Caldera and Greg Joyce. “My (velocity) has been back up there. Movement, everything looks normal. Now it’s really just the timing in my mechanics, the sequencing of it is a little off. So I want to get on the mound as much as I can. They’re pulling me back a little bit, just to make sure I’m within my realm of workload to not overdo it just because I want to have that feeling.”

The case could be made King was the best reliever in baseball before he got hurt last year. The Yankees missed him dearly in the second half and in October. Boone indicated King’s exact role has yet to be determined, though I hope they continue to use him as a multi-inning high leverage dominator. As long as he’s physically up for it, King is incredibly impactful in that role.

“I think with Michael, that’ll be one of the conversations we have. Quite a bit of talk and debate about what’s the best way to use him,” Boone said (video). “Is it that multi-inning role out of the ‘pen every few days, where you can essentially give high leverage guys days off? Is he part of the short stint one inning, one-plus inning guys at the back end of the bullpen? I don’t think there was a more valuable guy in the sport before he got hurt last year.”

Given the nature of King’s injury and the fact there’s still an entire Grapefruit League season to be played, I imagine the Yankees will bring him along slowly, so don’t freak out if he doesn’t get into a game until the second week of exhibition games or something. King’s doing well and facing hitters, and is way ahead of where I thought he’d be when we heard we might not be ready for Opening Day. Hooray for good injury news.

No extension talks with Torres

The Yankees and Gleyber Torres did not discuss a multi-year contract extension before agreeing to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration last month, Torres confirmed. They agreed to a $9.95M salary, splitting the difference between their filing figures. Gleyber will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player next season. He’ll be a free agent after 2024.

“I wish, but no,” Torres told Caldera when asked whether there have been any extension talks. “I’ve got two more years of control. If they don’t trade me, I think I’ve got two more opportunities (to show I belong here long-term). I feel like this is my home, for sure.”

Torres is at a service time level (third year arb-eligible as a Super Two) where not many players sign long-term extensions*. At that point they’ve already made good money (Gleyber’s career earnings will be over $23M by the end of the season) and free agency isn’t too far away. Players like Torres are in position to bet on themselves, hence the lack of extensions at this service time level.

* The last position player at this service time level to sign a long-term (i.e. 5+ years) deal was Brandon Belt in 2016. Before him it was Giancarlo Stanton in 2014.

Gleyber is going to play the entire 2025 season, Year 1 of his free agent contract, at age 28. If he takes a step or three forward the next two years, he’s a $100M player. Pretty easily too. He might be a $100M player even if he remains 2022 Torres in 2023 and 2024. 110-ish wRC+ and +3-ish WAR middle infielders on the right side of 30 are hard to find. A Torres extension might look like this:

• 2023: $9.95M (agreed to salary)
• 2024: $13M (final arb year)
• 2025 and beyond: $20M per year (free agent years)

A five-year contract at those terms would be worth $82.95M (call it $85M with a signing bonus) and take Torres through his age 30 season. He’d get a nice chunk of money and security, and still be positioned to get a good free agent contract come 2027 (Marcus Semien signed his deal at age 31). The Yankees would secure what figure to be Gleyber’s best years. They’d get the rest of his 20s and his age 30 season.

I just can’t see the Yankees doing that though. Not with Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe so close. Maybe those two flop and/or Torres really breaks out these next two years and the calculus changes, but right now, I can’t see the Yankees committing to Gleyber long-term. No long-term extension is standard operating procedure for this franchise.

As for a trade, we know the Yankees and Marlins discussed Torres for Pablo López at last year’s deadline, and I’m sure they remain open to trading him. Might as well listen, right? After the Montas surgery, it’s easy to think the Yankees will now trade Torres for a pitcher, but like I said earlier, teams are going to jack up the prices in the immediate aftermath of a major injury. I don’t see the Yankees jumping into the trade market and paying a premium to replace Montas.

My tepid take is the Yankees would be better off these next two years with a Volpe-Torres middle infield over a Peraza-Volpe middle infield, though it depends somewhat on what Gleyber could fetch in a trade. I’m sure the Yankees are looking for pitching post-Montas. How could they not? I’m just not sold on Torres being the piece who gets it done. I bet it’s a smaller deal, if anything.

Miscellany

Aaron Judge took ground balls at first base earlier this week (video). Don’t read anything into that. Judge might (probably will) finish his career at first base, though that move is still years away. Players mess around at different positions in Spring Training and even during the season all the time. I couldn’t tell you how many times I watched Gary Sánchez take ground balls at shortstop before batting practice. There was buzz about Judge and first base earlier this week but there’s nothing to it. Just people desperate for something to write/talk about … And finally, Zack Britton threw a bullpen session for six teams earlier this week, according to Ken Rosenthal. The six teams: Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, and Rangers (the Angels have since signed Matt Moore). The Yankees didn't attend, eh? Just gonna wing it and sign him sight unseen, I guess. I’ll believe Britton won’t be a Yankee when I see him sign with another team.

2. The future at catcher. During the depths of the lockout last offseason I ran a series looking at the Yankees’ long-term future at every position (infield, outfield, pitching, management). That was so long ago that I thought Gio Urshela was locked in at third base through 2024, and re-signing Joey Gallo to play left field in 2023 (and beyond) was a possibility. Sheesh.

Here’s what I wrote about the future of the catching position at the time:

Post-2022 outlook: Expect the Yankees to bring in someone from outside the organization to replace (Gary) Sánchez. (Kyle) Higashioka isn’t a starter, (Antonio) Gomez is too far away, and realistically, (Austin) Wells won’t be able to make enough progress in 2022 to be a big league starter on Opening Day 2023. I'm pretty confident the 2023 starting catcher is not currently employed by the Yankees.

Nailed it! Kinda. The 2023 starting catcher was not in the organization at the time and neither was the 2022 starting catcher, though we didn’t know that yet. Gary and Gio went to the Twins in the Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade, which also brought back Ben Rortvedt (who exists!). Not long after that, the Yankees brought in Jose Trevino, who went to the dang All-Star Game.

Trevino and Higashioka will be the catcher tandem again in 2023, and, if the Yankees choose, they can keep them together in 2024 as well. The two of them will remain under team control as arbitration-eligible players. Wells could be ready later this year, plus the Yankees still have Rortvedt. Here are the team control situations:

Wells figures to spend most of 2023 in the minors, maybe all of it. I’m not sure what 2024 has in store for him, though I do know that if Wells is not an MLB regular by 2025, something’s gone wrong. That will be his age 25 season, and given his prospect pedigree and where he is now and his career to date, Wells should be an everyday big leaguer by then.

As far as I know the Yankees intend to stick with Wells behind the plate. They have no plans to move him to first base or left field to get his bat to the big leagues as quickly as possible. That could change if he mashes this summer and it becomes obvious the catcher thing isn’t gonna work, or isn’t worth keeping his bat down longer than necessary. Right now though, the Yankees plan to develop Wells as a catcher.

Higashioka was a minor league depth catcher most of his career (he was Sánchez’s backup at several levels), then he had a breakout season in 2016, hitting .276/.337/.511 (134 wRC+) with 21 homers between Double-A and Triple-A. The Yankees put him on the 40-man roster after that season to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent, and Higashioka spent 2017-19 as the up-and-down third catcher.

Those were Higashioka’s three minor league option years and the timing worked out perfectly. As soon as he ran out of options, Austin Romine became a free agent, and Higashioka slid right in as the backup catcher. Things don’t work quite as neatly with Rortvedt. Rortvedt has an option remaining for 2023, but he’ll be out of options next year, in what will be Higashioka’s final year of team control. Something will have to give at that point.

Of course, Rortvedt has to be worth an MLB roster spot for this to be a discussion. He’s a gifted defender and a lefty hitter, and it would be nice to have a lefty hitting catcher, though Rortvedt has never hit much. He slashed .221/.307/.396 (86 wRC+) with Triple-A Scranton last season and is a .238/.316/.360 (95 wRC+) hitter in over 1,300 minor league plate appearances. It ain’t great. With any luck 2023 will be for the 25-year-old Rortvedt what 2016 was for the 26-year-old Higashioka.

Higashioka will make something like $2M in 2024, his final season of arbitration, and while that’s not much, it could be an area the Yankees opt to save a little cash. Go with Rortvedt at the league minimum and trade Higashioka for something rather than wait a year and lose him for nothing to free agency. But again, Rortvedt has to be worth a roster spot for that plan to work.

The long-term plan at catcher will be impacted by the automated strike zone. It’s not a question of “if” the automated strike zone will come to MLB, but “when” and “in what form.” Will it be a fully automated zone? If yes, then pitch-framing goes away completely, and a guy like Wells suddenly has a lot more value because one of his weaknesses has been legislated out of the game.

A challenge system is also on the table. With that, a human umpire would call balls and strikes, and each team would be able to appeal X number of calls per game to the automated system (teams get three challenges per game in the minors). Pitch-framing would not go away with a challenge system. A good framing catcher would still be able to steal plenty of strikes.

Last year the Yankees prioritized defense behind the plate (and all over the field) but, historically, they've gone with bat-over-glove catchers, and not in some long ago era either. We're a year removed from Sánchez. Before him there was Jorge Posada, Mike Stanley, Matt Nokes, etc. The defense-first catcher thing is relatively new for this organization and I don’t think they’ve completely moved away from bat-over-glove types. Not if they’re sticking with Wells at catcher like they are.

My guess – and I emphasize this is only a guess – is the Yankees would like their catcher situation to play out like this in the coming years:

• 2023: Trevino and Higashioka, Rortvedt as the up-and-down third guy
• 2024: Trevino and Higashioka, Wells debuts and gets his feet wet
• 2025: Trevino and Wells split time a la Posada and Joe Girardi in 1998
• 2026: Wells starts with whoever at backup

I don’t believe the Yankees are all that worried about how Rortvedt fits long-term. If he improves at the plate and forces them to worry about him, great, but I don’t think he keeps them up at night given his career-long lack of offense (and scouting reports that don’t exactly hint at more offense to come). It’s Trevino and Higashioka now, ideally with a transition to Wells in the near future.

This is an important season for Rortvedt, who will have to show something at the plate to avoid a career as an up-and-down guy. Catchers with good defense will keep getting chances, but you kinda have to hit at some point. His options clock may not align perfectly with Higashioka’s free agency the way Higashioka’s did with Romine, but that’s nothing that can’t be worked through. For now, the catcher situation is Trevino and Higashioka with Wells looming. It would be swell if the lefty hitting Rortvedt forced his way into the conversation this summer.

3. Five prospects worth knowing. Spring Training is underway and there is no better time of year to watch prospects. I published my annual Top 30 Prospects List last week and five of my top six prospects, and 12 of my top 30 prospects, will be in big league camp this year, either as 40-man roster players or non-roster invitees. It’ll be a good spring for prospect watching.

In addition to my Top 30 list, I also ran my Not Top 30 Prospects last week, and also looked at the four prospects who fell out of this year’s Top 30 for whatever reason. Now I want to wrap up my annual prospect jaunt by highlighting five prospects who are worth knowing even though I don’t consider them among the system’s best. They’re prospects I feel like writing about, basically, so let’s get into ‘em.

RHP Angel Benitez

Date of Birth: Sept. 10th, 2003 (age 19)
Acquired: Signed July 2021 out of the Dominican Republic ($120,000 bonus)
2022 Stats: 1.06 ERA (2.22 FIP), 35.8 K%, 10.4 BB% (17 IP at Rk)
Projected 2023 Level: N/A (Tommy John surgery rehab)

Signed as a slightly older international amateur free agent, Benitez had a growth spurt two years ago, and the Yankees were able to sign him because they were one of the few teams with bonus pool space remaining that summer. Benitez is listed at 6-foot-7 and 204 lbs., and he’s lanky with a long wingspan and large hands that swallow up a baseball.

With the growth spurt came velocity. Benitez sat 94-96 mph last summer and touched 97 mph, and his fastball cuts. His changeup has a chance to be excellent. Benitez chokes it back in that big palm of his and really deadens it. He’s learning a slider, and he’s an extremely uncomfortable at-bat for righties because he has a low arm slot and takes a massive stride toward the plate.

Alas and alack, Benitez’s Dominican Summer League debut season lasted only five starts. He felt something in his elbow last July and they tried to rehab the injury, but rehab didn’t work and he had Tommy John surgery sometime in September or October. Benitez will miss the entire 2023 season. Without that, he would have been one of my Not Top 30 Prospects, but since he won’t pitch this year, I left him out. Benitez is very raw, but the upside is enormous.

The Yankees have a few other tall DSL pitchers worth mentioning. RHP Carlos Lagrange (listed at 6-foot-7 and 195 lbs.) allowed only 10 hits and struck out 49 in 33 innings last year. There’s not much to him other than his heater, though he’s topped out at 100 mph, and he repeats his delivery shockingly well for a kid this young (19) and that tall (video). It usually takes a while for kids this size to get coordinated and figure out their mechanics, but Lagrange has done it already.

LHP Henry Lalane (listed at 6-foot-7 and 211 lbs.) was born in the Bronx and spent most of his childhood in the Dominican Republic. He’s in the mid-90s with a good curveball (video). Lalane and Lagrange should pitch in the rookie Florida Complex League this year. Between these two and Benitez, one of these 6-foot-7 dudes will work out, right? I hope so. Would be a blast.

3B Andres Chaparro

Date of Birth: May 4th, 1999 (age 23)
Acquired: Signed July 2015 out of the Dominican Republic ($215,000 bonus)
2022 Stats: .296/.370/.592 (158 wRC+), 20 HR, 4 SB, 8.6 BB%, 19.9 K% (292 PA in Rk, A-, AA)
Projected 2023 Level: Triple-A

Chaparro is internet famous and he’s hit all throughout his career, even after making the High-A to Double-A jump last season. That's considered the second biggest jump in baseball, behind only Triple-A to MLB. Chaparro has real juice in his bat (118 mph max exit velocity last year) and he’s never swung and missed excessively. He’s also said to be an A+ clubhouse guy.

Why then is Chaparro not in my Top 30 (or on any Yankees prospect list for that matter)? Because his game is limited and there’s still skepticism about his bat at the next level. Chaparro is a third baseman in that he can stand at third base, though he’s viewed as a future first baseman or DH. He’s also a plodder who is a negative on the bases more than a zero.

I’ve mentioned this before but the comp I got on Chaparro was Renato Núñez. He’s a big strong right-handed hitter who pulls everything and will hit a mistake fastball 450 feet, but non-fastballs give him trouble, and he has a few cold zones advanced pitchers may be able to exploit. Chaparro has done nothing but prove doubters wrong thus far. The doubters still exist though.

Chaparro was not picked in the Rule 5 Draft this winter even though there were some bad teams that needed a corner bat (I thought the Athletics would take him). If he hits in Triple-A this summer, he’ll get a big league opportunity somewhere, even if it’s not in the Bronx. For now, Chaparro is kinda like a righty Mike Ford. There are enough limitations that he may be a Quad-A guy.

3B Tyler Hardman

Date of Birth: Jan. 27th, 1999 (age 24)
Acquired: 2021 5th round, No. 153 overall ($200,000 bonus)
2022 Stats: .255/.320/.464 (109 wRC+), 22 HR, 14 SB, 8.6 BB%, 30.7 K% (463 PA at A+, AA)
Projected 2023 Level: Double-A

Hardman is the epitome of a “you should be aware of him even though he’s not that great of a prospect” prospect. He has serious thump in his bat and is capable of clubbing long homers and putting up big exit velocities, plus he can play a capable third base. The Yankees put him at third after he spent most of his college career at first, and Hardman’s handled it well.

The rest of Hardman’s game is lacking. He has approach and swing-and-miss concerns, which showed up in his strikeout rate (30.7%), swinging strike rate (14.0%), and in-zone whiff rate (nearly 30%) last year. His .262/.329/.479 (115 wRC+) line with 30.4% strikeouts in 447 plate appearances with High-A Hudson Valley wasn’t particularly impressive. Hardman was a four-year starter at Oklahoma and old for the level. You’d expect a guy with that pedigree to crush High-A.

Hardman will move up to Double-A Somerset this year (he went 1-for-15 with six strikeouts there late last year) and we should have a pretty good idea of what he is at this time next year. I think his upside is along the lines of Patrick Wisdom. A righty strikeout prone dinger mashin’ corner infielder on a non-contender. If he cuts down on the whiffs, there’s the potential to be more, but that ain't easy.

LHP Matt Krook

Date of Birth: Oct. 21st, 1994 (age 28)
Acquired: Minor league Rule 5 Draft pick from Rays (Dec. 10th, 2020)
2022 Stats: 4.09 ERA (4.81 FIP), 25.7 K%, 12.1 BB%, 14.3 SwStr% (138.2 IP in AAA)
Projected 2023 Level: Triple-A and MLB

You won’t find many (any?) 28-year-olds on a top however many prospects lists, though I gave Krook consideration for the Top 30 on the basis that he’s much more likely to provide big league value than most players in the Top 30. He’s MLB-ready, he’s a lefty, and he’s been a consistent generator of whiffs and grounders. Last year 56 pitchers threw at least 100 innings in Triple-A. Here’s where Krook ranked among those 56 pitchers:

• 25.7% strikeouts (8th best)
• 14.3% swinging strikes (2nd best)
• 55.7% grounders (2nd best)

The downside is Krook’s walk rate, which has always been elevated and is the reason he is likely to settle into a bullpen role rather than continue to start. Still, strikeouts and grounders, plus the ability to really jam up lefties and get weak contact, will play out of the bullpen.

Krook is a sinker/slider guy (video) who seems like a perfect candidate for the “just throw it down the middle” approach. J.J. Cooper (subs. req’d) recently wrote about this with regard to the Rays, though the Orioles and Astros have done it as well. Basically, the catcher sets up in the middle of the plate, and rather than try to hit the corners, the pitcher aims for the big part of the zone and lets his natural movement do the rest. Tyler Glasnow is among those to cut his walk rate significantly this way.

The Yankees put Krook on the 40-man roster to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent in November. At minimum, Krook will be a shuttle reliever this season, but seeing how the Yankees only have four lefties on the 40-man (Krook, Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodón, Wandy Peralta), there’s a chance to carve out a more permanent role. The strikeout and ground ball ability could prove to be pretty darn useful, as long as Krook doesn’t beat himself with walks.

RHP Justin Lange

Date of Birth: Sept. 11th, 2001 (age 21)
Acquired: Luke Voit trade with the Padres (March 18th, 2022)
2022 Stats: 6.44 ERA (4.62 FIP), 29.7 K%, 17.4 BB% (36.1 IP in Rk)
Projected 2023 Level: Low-A, I guess?

Once upon a time the Padres gave Lange a $2M bonus as the No. 34 pick in the 2020 draft. San Diego rather aggressively sent him to their alternate site after that, though they had to shut him down with a shoulder issue soon thereafter. Lange then missed time with a knee injury in 2021, so 2022 was his first healthy season since before the pandemic.

And, as the stats tell you, it did not go all well. Lange was very wild (wild even by rookie ball standards) and he’s a big kid (listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 lbs.) who falls out of sync with his delivery frequently. He’s also up to 99 mph with a razor blade slider, so yeah, there’s plenty of ability here. There are a lot of developmental hurdles to clear, but there’s real arm talent.

Walking nearly one out of every five batters in rookie ball isn’t where you expect the No. 34 pick in the draft to be two and a half years later, but the Yankees didn’t draft Lange there. They got him for a player who didn’t have a role and was non-tendered nine months later. Lange is a long-term project and his first year in the system didn’t go well. He still has plenty of time to get on the right track though.

4. Rapid fire thoughts. MLB plans to more stringently enforce balks and the rarely seen “illegal pitch” rule this year, league executive Morgan Sword told Zach Buchanan (subs. req’d). The pitch clock stops when the pitcher begins his motion, so the pitcher must come to a complete stop at some point, and some guys never really do it. Kevin Gausman bouncing on his front foot was MLB’s example (video). A balk advances all runners one base and an illegal pitch is essentially a balk with no one on base. The penalty there is an automatic ball (I don’t ever remember seeing an illegal pitch called). Nestor Cortes’ funkiness and Johnny Cueto’s shimmies are legal because they happen after the pitcher comes set and lifts his leg to begin his delivery, according to Sword. Enforcing balks and illegal pitches will be on the umpires, and when you leave enforcement up to the umps, they get lax, like the foreign substance checks (871 pitchers appeared in an MLB game last year and somehow not a single one got caught with sticky stuff, and you have to be pretty naive to think foreign substances are out of the game entirely). It wouldn’t shock me if we see a bunch of balks and illegal pitches called in the short-term, then umpires get lazy and this stops being a thing a few weeks into the season … According to Neil Best, the YES Network will have Michael Kay and David Cone call 11 of their 13 Grapefruit League broadcasts remotely to save money (the other two broadcasts will be on site, and Meredith Marakovits will be in Tampa all spring). The broadcast suffers greatly when it's remote, but you know what? I won’t lose sleep over it in Spring Training. I only half pay attention to those games anyway. Best says all regular season games will be called in person and that’s the most important thing. I reserve the right to get angry if regular season YES Network broadcasts go remote. For Spring Training? Meh, I can't get worked up over it … And finally, here’s a very cool thing: MLB.tv will now include minor league games. You’ll get all Triple-A Scranton and Double-A Somerset games, High-A Hudson Valley home games and some road games, and some Low-A Tampa road games in addition to thousands of other minor league games. That’s as of last year. It’s possible new teams will be added this year, but I dunno. It’s MLB and I’m worried they’ll screw this up somehow, most likely by adding new features to the video player that make it clunky, but hey, minor league games with MLB.tv. That’s neat.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Kyle asks: If, let's say, Peraza has a tough go in ST, and IKF is the SS on opening day (I know) - would the Yankees make Peraza the backup? Or if he does go back to AAA, who is the backup?

In that case I would expect the Yankees to send Oswald Peraza back to Triple-A so he can play regularly. They could use Oswaldo Cabrera as the backup shortstop, or carry Wilmer Difo as the last guy on the bench. They have the 40-man roster flexibility (Scott Effross, Luis Gil, and Frankie Montas are all 60-day injured list candidates) to add Difo. Anthony Volpe could win the shortstop job too, though I assume he’s heading back to Triple-A for at least a few weeks. Cabrera seems like the obvious backup shortstop should Peraza flop (or someone get hurt). He could play short for a game here and there, or even for 2-3 weeks to cover for an injured list stint. Oswaldo’s Plan B basically everywhere except catcher and center field.

Steve asks: Ever since Mike King really broke out last year and turned his slider into a plus pitch and added some velocity (96.5 mph avg FB) I've been wondering how he'd look as a starter. Even if he lost a tick on his FB, he'd have two plus pitches in his sinker/slider and two other solid pitches in his FB/CH. He keeps the ball in the park and induces lots of soft contact. I'm a big fan of Clarke Schmidt, but wouldn't now be the time to start him and see how he looks? There might be room enough for both Schmidt and King to start the season. He's cerebral enough that I think they could improve one of his other pitches and he's started his entire life. With Montas out for who knows how long and Cortes on the shelf for a bit, do you think it's worth it to try and start him again? Or do you think they should just keep him in his current role, especially coming off of elbow surgery?

I don’t think starting King is a crazy idea. To me, Chad Green was clearly a reliever. He was a one-pitch guy, maybe a 1.5-pitch guy if you’re feeling generous, who didn’t have enough to turn over a lineup multiple times. King leaned heavily on his sinker and slider last year, though he did throw his changeup roughly 10% of the time, plus he used a four-seamer regularly. Unlike Green, King has a starter’s repertoire, and is thus a better candidate to move back into the rotation. Here are King’s career splits:

• as SP: 6.52 ERA (4.49 FIP), 19.8 K%, 11.5 BB%, 41.7 GB% in 38.2 IP
• as RP: 2.85 ERA (2.96 FIP), 28.2 K%, 7.1 BB%, 45.9 GB% in 104.1 IP

The splits are ugly, but a) it’s only 38.2 innings as a starter, and b) there is something to be said for learning how to get outs at the MLB level as a reliever, and using that experience to transition back to the rotation. I mean, teams have developed starters by first using them first as relievers for decades. I believe Luis Severino became the starter he is now (when healthy) in part because he had success as a reliever in 2016, and figured some things out. Perhaps King’s success last year can aid his move back into a starting role.

The question is what kinda starter are you getting with King. Is he just a league average innings guy? Is he legitimately above-average, even if he’s held to two times through the lineup? Go back 15-20 years and an average starter was considered to be worth more than a great reliever. Now though, I’m not so sure. The game is so bullpen-centric and King is dynamic in relief. He managed +2.18 win probability added last year despite his season ending on July 22nd. That was a top 50 mark in baseball and on par with starters like Cristian Javier (+2.14), Joe Musgrove (+2.14), and Logan Webb (+2.12). Getting 3-6 of the most important outs in the game is super valuable.

I don’t think the Yankees have any plans to give King another shot in the rotation, especially not so soon after his elbow fracture, but I am open to the idea. Next year would be the time to try it. King spent this offseason rehabbing. Next offseason you can send him home and tell him to come to camp ready to start, and he can adjust his offseason workouts. I don’t think this is a crazy idea, and if it doesn’t work, you can always slide King back into the bullpen. We know he can dominate in relief. Why not see whether this more experienced version of King can be an effective starter?

Steve asks: Juan Soto has to be the next guy the Yankees go full court press after, like Cole right? Ohtani is too expensive and has too much injury risk I think. At that point, Giancarlo/DJLM/Torres/Hicks will just have 2-3 years left on their deals and Donaldson/Rizzo/ will have expired. Soto is the perfect guy for this lineup and at 26 years old he'll be the perfect guy to add to all the kids they're bringing up in the next few years to stabilize the lineup. The only hangup is that Soto will probably cost around 400M and he's an offense only player. The Yankees haven't had an elite LHB since Cano 10 years ago. If Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez are legit, they can rotate everyone around and keep everyone healthy.

You would think so, right? The Yankees have passed on so many prime-aged star free agents the last few years (Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, etc.) and every one of those decisions proved to be a mistake pretty much immediately. Will they learn from those mistakes or repeat them? Soto is a generational hitter – his .242/.401/.452 (142 wRC+) line last season qualifies as a down year – and I don’t know why the Yankees would pass that up.

A lot can and will change in the two years between now and Soto’s free agency, but, right now, the only acceptable reason to pass on him is gearing up for a pursuit of Munetaka Murakami the following offseason. Murakami is a year younger than Soto, he’s a powerful left-handed hitter, and he plays what figures to be a greater position of need (third base). We know Murakami will be posted after 2025, a year after Soto becomes a free agent.

Even then, I’d rather have Soto. Would you rather have the proven star MLB or the guy who could be a star as long as his transition to a new league and a country goes well (and you have to wait an additional year to sign, further chipping away at Aaron Judge’s prime)? Take the sure thing. Let’s worry about Soto when the time comes. He’s awesome and I hope the Yankees sign him, but two years is an eternity in baseball. Let’s reevaluate things come 2024.

Doug asks: With the balanced schedule for 2023 are there any teams that the Yankees don't usually play that you're looking forward to seeing?

Every team plays every other team at least once with the new schedule. For interleague play, rivals (Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox, etc.) play four games and all other matchups are one three-game series that alternates home and road each year. The Giants will be in Yankee Stadium on Opening Day this year, then sometime next year the Yankees will go to San Francisco.

Now that we no longer have to watch pitchers try to hit, I most enjoy the Yankees going on the road for interleague series, just to see them play in parks they don’t usually visit. I watch a ton of games in Dodger Stadium every year, but the Yankees only went there once every six years with the old schedule. Now they’ll go every other year. I like it and am looking forward to it.

Not including the annual trip to Citi Field, the Yankees have seven road interleague series this season. Here are the three I have circled on my calendar:

June 2-4 at Dodgers: It’s always an event when these two teams play. They are the two most popular, most high profile teams in the sport, and there’s a ton of history (Yankees-Dodgers is the most common World Series matchup ever, etc.). The Yankees last visited Dodger Stadium in 2019, during Players Weekend (remember Players Weekend?). They beat Clayton Kershaw and peak Hyun-Jin Ryu. Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam. That was a fun weekend.

July 14-16 at Rockies: The last time the Yankees visited Denver, Ike Davis played first base. That was in 2016. Aaron Judge has never played in Coors Field. I now present to you the longest home runs in the Statcast Era (since 2015):

1. Nomar Mazara: 505 feet in Texas (video) (not sure I buy 505 feet)
2. C.J. Cron: 504 feet in Coors Field (video)
3. Giancarlo Stanton: 504 feet in Coors Field (video)
4. Christian Yelich: 499 feet in Coors Field (video)
5. Jesús Sánchez: 496 feet in Coors Field (video)

I am sensing a pattern. Judge (and Stanton) in Coors Field on a nice hot weekend in the middle of summer. It’s the first series after the All-Star break. That will be appointment viewing.

Aug. 14-16 at Braves: Let’s start with the obligatory “World Series preview?” comment. It could be. I mean, I could say the same about the Dodgers series, though Atlanta looks really strong. Now that that’s out of the way, I'll note the Yankees and Braves have history, and I don’t mean long ago history either, like the Yankees and Dodgers. The Yankees and Braves met in the World Series (twice) in my lifetime. I’m looking forward to this series mostly because it will be two very good teams, and two very good teams usually makes for very good baseball.

The Yankees will also visit Cincinnati (May 19-21), St. Louis (June 30 to July 2), Miami (Aug. 11-13), and Pittsburgh (Sept. 15-17) this season. They went to St. Louis and Pittsburgh just last year, and I dunno, Miami and Cincinnati are whatever. I have a hard time getting amped up to see the Marlins, and Great American Ball Park is not on my “must see” list. The Dodgers, Rockies, and Braves series are the interleague series I’m most looking forward to this summer.

(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.)