August 24th, 2021: Voit, Cortes, Wade, Gallo, Britton, Prospects

Last night’s game was only the third time in baseball history that two teams met while riding 9+ game winning streaks. The Phillies and Pirates did it on Sept. 7th, 1901, and the Nationals and St. Louis Maroons did it on Sept. 13th, 1884. The Yankees prevailed and tonight they’ll try for their first 11-game winning streak since Sept. 1985. Never would’ve guessed it’s been that long. The Yankees are on pace to go 95-67 with 36 games remaining. To today’s thoughts.

1. Weekend observations. Whenever the Yankees are having a hard time, a series with the Twins rights the ship. And whenever they’re on a hot streak, a series with the Twins turns it into a very hot streak. I’ve been writing about the Yankees’ singular ownership of Minnesota more than 14 years now and I’m out of words to describe it, so I made this instead:

The Yankees are 109-38 with a +237 run differential against the Twins since 2002 following this weekend’s series, postseason included. That’s a 120-win pace in a 162-game season. It’s close to two decades of total domination. Eventually the tide will turn and the Twins will dominate the Yankees. It probably won’t happen until there are expansion teams on Jupiter, but it’ll happen.

Until then, I’m going to enjoy the Twins being a patsy and wonder what the Yankees could do in the AL Central. Did you know they have a better record (73-52) than the White Sox (72-54), and the same record as the Astros? Now imagine the Yankees with Chicago’s cupcake schedule. Anyway, here are a few thoughts on the last few games.

Voit back with a vengeance

How quickly things have gone from “where does Luke Voit fit?” to “there’s no way the Yankees can take Luke Voit out of the lineup,” eh? In his last eight games Voit is 13-for-26 with three doubles and three home runs, and he’s driven in 13 runs. He was very outspoken about deserving to play and he’s more than backed it up. 2018-20 Voit is back.

“I would say my timing is everything,” Voit told Randy Miller over the weekend. “My shoulder level was a little bit different. I was getting too back in my back shoulder and I was drifting a lot to where I was missing balls and rolling over. When I hit the ball on the ground I’m usually out, so I have to try to get the ball in the air … I’m working on stuff and everything is starting to click.”

Anecdotally, it looks like Voit is simply more under control at the plate. When he first came back (from all three injured list stints), he was swinging through a lot of fastballs and a lot of hanging sliders. He looked like a guy trying to make up for all the lost time with one big swing, and that’s no way to hit. Voit is more settled in down and in control. That’s really all it is, I think.

Anthony Rizzo has been sneaky bad lately (5-for-37 since the Marlins series with the COVID-19 absence mixed in) but he’ll be fine (last night was the first time I thought he looked a bit overmatched at the plate though). Rizzo is still an asset defensively and good players have bad 10-game stretches all the time. Voit won’t replace Rizzo at first base nor should he. The goal is to get both guys into the lineup. It’s not Rizzo or Voit, it’s Rizzo and Voit.

Voit sat last Wednesday, in Rizzo’s first game back, then he started the next three games (one at first base and two at DH with Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield and Aaron Judge in center). That is the best (only, really) way to distribute playing time and I hope the Yankees stick with it once they escape the National League park tonight and get the DH spot back*.

* I have to think Voit will start at first base tonight. I know he pinch-hit last night and would likely pinch-hit again tonight, but that’s not enough. The Yankees had a rainout Sunday and have another off-day tomorrow. Tough to stay locked in when you spend four straight days out of the starting lineup. Rizzo can pinch-hit and take over for defense late.

This weekend’s four-game series in Oakland is really important. The Athletics are three games behind the Yankees for the first Wild Card spot and one game behind the Red Sox for the second Wild Card spot. They’re going to bring it this weekend and the Yankees have to put their best foot forward. That means Voit and Rizzo in the lineup all four games.

The Yankees weren’t wrong to explore the trade market for Voit (there’s no harm in listening) but trading him just to trade him would’ve been silly. When he’s right, he mashes, and it’s about time the Yankees have too many good hitters for two few lineup spots. The lineup with Voit healthy and productive is so dangerous. This is the best the offense has been all year.

“He’s playing great,” Aaron Boone told Betelhem Ashame yesterday. “I think the biggest thing is he’s healthy, and we know what kind of hitter he is when he’s healthy. And he’s obviously gotten some big hits for us. In what was a very good week for us, he was right in the middle of a lot of that.”

Nasty Nestor in your area

Try hard enough and you can find parallels between the current season and your favorite seasons of yesteryear. The 2021 Yankees erased a big deficit to catch the Red Sox like the 1978 Yankees. They traded for a first baseman despite already having a good first baseman like the 1996 Yankees. They authoritatively swept the Red Sox in August like the 2009 Yankees.

My favorite 2021 Yankees parallel is Nestor Cortes and 1998 Orlando Hernandez. Cortes is basically the lefty El Duque as a funkballer who changes arm angles and his delivery and all that. Nestor doesn’t have the same exaggerated leg kick -- would it surprise you if he broke that out at some point? -- but he is nothing if not fun. He and El Duque are cut from the same cloth.

(Like El Duque, Cortes was born in Cuba. He and his family moved to Miami when his father won a visa lottery in 1994. “Obviously, any Cuban-born player would love to be like Orlando Hernandez. But he had to figure out a way to get outs. So I feel like we come from the same side, and I think it’s special,” Cortes told Gary Phillips in 2019.)

Also, Cortes and El Duque each got their opportunity because someone else suffered a dopey off-the-field injury. El Duque famously got his shot because David Cone got bit in the hand by his mother’s dog. Cortes moved into the rotation full-time because Mike King smushed his finger between two weights while working out. Not quite getting bit by a dog, but close enough.

In his latest gem, Cortes set career highs in innings (seven) and pitches (104) while tying his career high in strikeouts (seven). Yeah, it was the Twins and they stink, but the start before that Cortes also struck out seven, that time in six innings against the high-powered White Sox. Seven starts into his season, Nasty Nestor has a 2.70 ERA (4.02 FIP). He’s been a godsend.

“He's been great,” Boone told Mark Feinsand after Friday’s game. “I don't know if I necessarily envisioned him being the cornerstone right now in our rotation the way he's pitching, but you know we kind of fell in love with him in ’19. Just with who he is, the way he competes, and the kind of different look he gives you than most of the people you see. I think the difference between ‘19 and now is that he's a better pitcher. Better delivery, better command, crisper stuff.”

The added velocity and new shape on his curveball -- “In Spring Training, I wanted something sweepier, something bigger. The Yankees pitching staff helped me out to try to create this pitch,” Cortes told Ken Davidoff about his curve -- have made a huge difference for Cortes, who was a fringe big leaguer prior to this season. 2021 Cortes is not the same as pre-2021 Cortes.

Nestor also pitches with big league swagger and confidence. He’s still throwing only 90-91 mph even with the added velocity, but he is fearless. You can’t quantify it but you can see it. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts with Cortes. The stuff has improved, his control has always been good, and he has great moxie and pitching know-how. He’s so easy to root for.

Domingo German had a setback last week (he had renewed shoulder soreness after a bullpen session) and Luis Severino the week before that. Corey Kluber is on a rehab assignment now, otherwise the Yankees don’t have any rotation help coming. Cortes is in the rotation to stay and he deserves to stay, even when Kluber returns. We can worry about the postseason rotation when the time comes. For now, the best regular season rotation includes Nestor, hands down.

“Having some success now, it feels good to actually start games and put your team in a good position to win,” Cortes told Feinsand. “I'll take what I can get as long as I'm up here and we're winning games.”

Wade’s hot streak

In his last 18 games dating back to the trade deadline, Tyler Wade is 17-for-40 (.425) with six stolen bases and nearly as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (10). He’s started games at three positions (shortstop, third base, left field) and subbed in at a fourth (center field). It is the best stretch of Wade’s career and it’s come at a good time with Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela hurt.

“It’s opportunity. I’m more confident being in the lineup more often and being able to get into the flow of the game,” Wade told Lou DiPietro over the weekend when asked about his hot streak. “I love (stealing bases). It’s a different part of the game than we’re used to playing, but it’s been fun.”

The hot streak has raised Wade’s season batting line to .278/.355/.343 (97 wRC+), so roughly league average. He has no power -- even his doubles tend to be well-placed hustle doubles and not shots into the gap (like this) -- but that’s not his game anyway. Wade is all about speed, defense, putting the bat on the ball, and taking the occasional walk. Expecting homers is unreasonable.

Anecdotally, it seems Wade is really emphasizing the opposite field, and simply chopping down on the ball and hitting it on the ground toward the left side (like this and this). That’s smart! He’s very fast and that allows him to use his legs. Wade’s spray chart in his last 18 games backs up the eye test and shows he is using the opposite side of the field often:

Also, nine of Wade’s 17 hits during his hot streak have come in two-strike counts. He’s hitting .278 in two-strike counts this season! The league average is .165. That won’t last, and Wade is definitely enjoying some BABIP luck, but hey, the hits are falling in. They’ve happened and they have helped the Yankees win games. Can’t complain about it.

Wade is never going to be a starter for the Yankees. He’s just not good enough, and the best thing for him would be a trade to a rebuilding team that plays him everyday. For now, Wade is (finally) rewarding the Yankees for sticking with him so long. He’s getting regular playing time and producing, something he’d never done at any other point in his career, and he’s doing it at a time when the Yankees have been thinned by injuries.

"His work has been really good," Boone told Kristie Ackert during the Kansas City series. "Whether it's on the defensive side, making sure he's getting reps as much as he can in different spots. Obviously the hitting part of things, being engaged in the game and being ready for different situations, you know, whatever running situations might come up he's just been ready and it's really good to see him come and get an opportunity and play really well and help us win ball games."

Resting Gallo

Hurricane Henri passed through New York the last two days and, prior to Saturday’s game, Boone acknowledged Sunday afternoon’s game was likely to be postponed. “It doesn’t look good, so as of right now it looks like it would be pretty surprising (if we play Sunday). But we’ll see how the next 24 hours unfold,” he told Ackert.

Despite the weather forecast and despite the apparent knowledge that Sunday’s game would be postponed, Boone and the Yankees went ahead and sat Joey Gallo on Saturday anyway. That was his prescribed rest day and they stuck with it even though they knew they were unlikely to play Sunday. The Yankees whooped the Twins anyway, so they didn’t miss Gallo, but still.

Boone doesn’t come up with the rest schedule on his own. It’s a collaborative effort and we’ve seen over the years that the Yankees are steadfast with it and don’t deviate. Saturday seemed like one of those games where they should’ve changed up the plan. Once it was clear Sunday would get rained out, get Gallo in the lineup Saturday, you know?

The Yankees are in crunch time right now. They’ve played very well the last few weeks but they don’t have a postseason spot locked down, and until they do, they should ease up on the rest a bit. That includes using relievers back-to-back-to-back days. Within reason, of course. Be smart about it, but back-to-back days shouldn’t automatically mean a no-go the third day.

Ultimately, sitting Gallo on Saturday didn’t matter because the Yankees beat the Twins anyway. Going forward though, I hope the Yankees are a little more flexible with their rest plan in similar situations. Gallo should have played Saturday, and the Yankees winning anyway doesn’t change my mind. It’s okay to call an audible on the rest plan when the weather allows.

Sunday’s postponement

Sunday’s game was postponed not long after Saturday’s game ended and it was the right call. It rained in New York from Saturday night through Monday morning. The game will be made up Monday, Sept. 13th, and the Yankees will now play 20 games in 20 days from Sept. 3rd to 22nd. That many consecutive games late in the season will be a grind.

Given the forecast, I thought MLB should have postponed Sunday’s game ahead of time and had the Yankees and Twins play a doubleheader Saturday. They’ve done this before and it’s not an unreasonable request. In 2019, the league postponed a Rays-Orioles game on Sept. 4th and had them play a doubleheader on Sept. 3rd to avoid Hurricane Dorian.

The Yankees would not have liked a short notice doubleheader Saturday for ticket sales reasons, but too bad. A doubleheader Saturday would have allowed the Yankees to avoid a 20 games in 20 days stretch next month, and not forced the Twins to make a one-day trip to New York in the middle of a homestand (they have a doubleheader the day after the makeup game too). It also would have helped avoid any travel headaches.

I’m not sure what the Yankees would have done with their pitching -- Luis Gil would’ve been on short rest Saturday and the Yankees don’t want to call up Deivi Garcia (he started for Triple-A Scranton on Saturday) -- but I imagine they would have gone with a bullpen game. With the off-day Sunday and two seven-inning games, it would’ve been fine.

Mostly, I just think MLB could have avoided a lot of inconvenience for both the Yankees and Twins had they called Sunday’s game early and played a doubleheader Saturday. The Yankees have it easy on the travel side (the makeup game comes at the end of a 10-game homestand when you include a “road” series against the Mets), but still, 20 games in 20 days. Blah.

2. Britton injured again. For the third time this season, Zack Britton has been placed on the injured list. He missed Spring Training and the start of the regular season after having a bone spur removed from his elbow, then he went down with a hamstring issue in June, and now he’s out with an elbow sprain. Britton was placed on the injured list yesterday.

“Now we’re in the process of getting a number of opinions to make sure everyone is on the same page about next steps and everything,” Aaron Boone told Paul Newberry yesterday. “We’ll probably know more over the next few days in that regard.”

Britton had his best velocity of the season last Wednesday (it was probably his best outing of the season period), then his velocity was down noticeably Wednesday. I thought maybe that was the result of pitching back-to-back days, but nope, his elbow is acting up.

At no point this season has Britton looked right and it was easy to blame it on the injuries and the lack of a proper build up. He missed Spring Training, then made five minor league rehab appearances before rejoining the Yankees in June, and the team didn’t send him on a rehab assignment after the hamstring. The result: 18.1 IP, 17 H, 14 R, 14 BB, 16 K. Yeesh.

When he’s right, Britton is still among the best relievers in the game, but he hasn’t been right all year. Before the injury the case could be made he was only the fourth best lefty in the bullpen behind Aroldis Chapman, Wandy Peralta, and Joely Rodriguez. The Yankees won’t miss the 2021 version of Britton. Every inning was an adventure and he wasn’t reliable.

The Yankees may not miss 2021 Britton, though the injury makes it less likely we see pre-2021 Britton at any point this year, and that’s a problem. An effective Britton is a game-changing late inning reliever, and getting him on track was the priority these last six weeks. The more great arms in the bullpen, the better, and now the Yankees are potentially short one. It stinks.

With Britton out, the Yankees really need Aroldis Chapman to get his act together and lock down the ninth inning. Yes, they could plug Jonathan Loaisiga in at closer (I’m sure he’d be great at it), but that would leave them more vulnerable in the middle innings. How different does last night’s game look if Loaisiga is held back to close? Interchangeable relievers are great. Having a shutdown closer and the bullpen falling into place behind him is better.

Hopefully Britton’s elbow issue isn’t serious and he can make it back soon. And hey, maybe the elbow is what ailed him all along, and he’ll come back as the pre-2021 version of himself once it calms down. That would be cool. I’m not gonna hold my breath given his season to date though. This has been a completely lost season for Britton.

“I know how hard he’s worked to get back, and the last couple of outings, feeling like he was building some good momentum, so I know he’s frustrated,” Boone told Newberry. “I’m just feeling for him and all he’s been through this year.”

3. Minor league thoughts. Last week MLB.com released their updated top 100 prospects list and shortstop Anthony Volpe checked in at No. 15. No. 15! Volpe is clearly a top 100 prospect at this point, though I didn’t expect to see him that high on any list. Jasson Dominguez checks in at No. 17 and Oswald Peraza at No. 64. Three top 100 prospects seems right.

Also, Baseball America (subs. req’d) published their updated farm system rankings last week, and the Yankees come in at No. 19. They were No. 18 before the season. “The Yankees have had a large number of prospects take steps forward in 2021, led by SS Anthony Volpe. Several of those breakout prospects were then dealt away at the trade deadline,” says the write-up.

Considering how much talent the Yankees have traded away this season (six of my preseason top 30 prospects) and how badly Deivi Garcia has regressed (and Clarke Schmidt getting hurt again), dropping just one spot in the farm system rankings is pretty good. Here are a few thoughts on some goings on in the farm systems.

Sweeney’s debut

Trey Sweeney, this year’s first round pick, made his pro debut with a three-game tune-up in the Florida Complex League last month. He moved up to Low-A Tampa and is hitting .205/.354/.487 (127 wRC+) in 11 games with the Tarpons. Sweeney has more extra base hits (one double, two triples, two homers) than singles (three), and nearly as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (12).

Here is Sweeney’s first home run. He still has the big leg kick and pre-swing bat waggle that led to questions about whether he’ll be able to handle pro caliber fastballs, but I’m not surprised the Yankees haven’t changed anything yet. This seems like a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Let Sweeney do what’s comfortable and what’s worked, and only change it once necessary.

For what it’s worth, Sweeney’s exit velocity has been shockingly poor (81.7 mph average with a 108.7 mph max), though it’s only 26 batted balls, so I’m not sweating it. His chase rate is strong (27.3%) and he’s not swinging and missing excessively (10.4%), and that’s important. The hard contact will come eventually. Don’t judge anyone on their first 48 pro plate appearances.

Having Sweeney finish the season in Low-A leads me to believe the Yankees plan to send him to High-A Hudson Valley to begin next season. If that happens, he would be the first first round college hitter they sent to High-A in his first full pro season since Eric Jagielo in 2014 (Aaron Judge, Kyle Holder, and Austin Wells all started in Low-A). We’ll see. For now, Sweeney is getting his feet wet in Low-A, and showing good plate discipline and extra-base ability.

Sands breaking out

The theme of the season in the farm season has been fringe prospects coming back from the lost minor league season as greatly improved players and the best versions of themselves. Hoy Jun Park did it. So did Oswaldo Cabrera, Diego Castillo, Janson Junk, and Glenn Otto. The Yankees recognized the value of found money and traded all those guys except Cabrera.

Third baseman turned catcher Donny Sands belongs in that group as well. The 25-year-old former eighth round pick never played above High-A prior to this season and he spent last year at home. His numbers:

Sands has split this season between Double-A and Triple-A, so the massive power increase has come at the highest levels he’s ever played. He’s also achieved that power increase without a big uptick in strikeouts. In fact, Sands is striking out less in Double-A and Triple-A than he ever did at the lower levels, and he’s doing it while hitting for more power than ever. Here’s video.

Thanks to his breakout season and also the trade deadline exodus, Sands snuck into the back half of MLB.com’s midseason top 30 Yankees prospects list (and Baseball America’s too). Here’s a piece of their scouting report:

Sands still stands out most with his pure hitting ability, displaying quick hands and a smooth right-handed swing. After his stroke was geared more for line-drive contact in the past, he's now tapping into his strength by driving the ball more consistently in the air … After years of hard work and battling through injuries, he has made himself into a capable receiver whose arm plays as average behind the plate. He projects as an offensive-minded backup

I poked around and haven’t been able to find out whether Sands’ power increase has come with a corresponding uptick in exit velocity. We have to remember they were using the 2020 MLB ball in Triple-A to at least begin the season, and also the competition has been watered down quite a bit by the injury spike and COVID*. There are some caveats to Sands’ breakout.

* Look at the RailRiders. Earlier this month their pitching staff was loaded with Double-A and even a few High-A fill-ins because the Yankees needed so many guys in the big leagues.

That said, a catcher suddenly hitting for this much power and doing it with a better than league average strikeout rate demands attention. Catchers are often late bloomers and Sands didn’t even make the transition behind the plate until 2016. He was drafted in 2015 and he played third base during his pro debut that year. The Yankees turned him into a catcher only five years ago.

Sands was understandably passed over in the last three Rule 5 Drafts. He will become a minor league free agent after this season, and MLB.com’s scouting report says Sands has “drawn trade interest from other clubs this summer,” so he wouldn’t have much trouble finding work this offseason. Cheap young catchers are always in demand, especially if they have power.

There are a few similarities between Sands and Kyle Higashioka. Like Higashioka, Sands had injuries earlier in his career and is a power-over-hit late bloomer who didn’t have his breakout year until the year he was eligible for minor league free agency. Sands is not the defender Higashioka is, but as the No. 2 or No. 3 guy on the catching depth chart, this profile can work.

I think the Yankees should add Sands to the 40-man roster after the season to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent (and avoid the Rule 5 Draft since he would still be eligible if he re-signs on a minor league deal). At worst, Sands is your up-and-down No. 3 catcher during his three minor league options years, like Higashioka from 2017-19. You always need a guy like that.

At best, Sands could factor into the catching picture once Gary Sanchez becomes a free agent after next season. Maybe Sands is the next Mitch Garver or Austin Nola, that guy who didn’t jump onto the radar until age 28 or 29. If the Yankees believe the power increase is real, then keeping Sands is a no-brainer. An average-ish defensive catcher with power and low strikeout rates is worth a roster spot.

(For what it’s worth, Sands is a big makeup and leadership guy. Hitting coordinator Dillon Lawson told Brendan Kuty (subs. req’d) that Sands helps “increasing buy-in” from other players in the system. Also, he’s bilingual, which helps running the pitching staff.)

Waldichuk’s invisiball

Lefty and 2019 fifth rounder Ken Waldichuk was a sleeper prospect coming into the season and he’s made good on that label, pitching to a 2.53 ERA (3.44 FIP) with 38.9% strikeouts between High-A and Double-A. Waldichuk has been very fly ball prone (37.2% grounders) and that’s led to 10 homers in 58.1 Double-A innings. That’s a bit of an issue. The rest is pretty good.

Waldichuk will play the entire season at 23 and he has an unusual profile because so much of his success is tied up in deception. His 92-96 mph fastball is an “invisiball,” meaning he hides it exceptionally well during his delivery, and the pitch appears to get on hitters quickly because it has high spin efficiency. Here’s the “invisiball” in action (video via Mike Ashmore):

Even with that big arm swing, it’s difficult to track the ball during Waldichuk’s delivery. It just kinda appears out of thin air. Here’s the relevant “invisiball” deception, slowed down so us regular folks can actually see it (GIF link):

From the right-handed batter’s box, the hitter is unable to see the ball behind Waldichuk’s head, and it’s tucked behind his elbow in the second to last frame there. It’s not until the ball is at the release point that the hitter can pick it up out of Waldichuk’s hand, and picking it up so late leads to hitters looking like they’re trying to catch up to 100 mph when he’s throwing low-to-mid-90s.

In addition to the “invisiball” fastball, Waldichuk also throws both a curveball and a slider, though they tend to bleed together and resemble one slurvy pitch. He also has an improving changeup. And, obviously, the deception in Waldichuk’s delivery helps everything play up. Hitters just don’t see the ball well against him, and that more than the stuff has led to the near 40% strikeout rate.

Waldichuk walks a few too many (11.1% this year) and the homers are a red flag, though he’s only pitched 11 games in Double-A. Give him time to settle in and adjust. Ultimately, the ability to limit walks and dingers will determine whether he remains a starter long-term. Either way, I think Waldichuk is the most fascinating pitcher in the system. He’s so unique.

Way’s slider (and walks)

Righty Beck Way, last year’s fourth round pick, was billed as a command pitcher with good but not great velocity (low-to-mid-90s) and the makings of good secondary pitches at the time of the draft. “Way just might be the perfect little ball of pitching clay for (the Yankees’) development folks,” I wrote when I ranked him the No. 20 prospect in the system before the season.

Way, 22, is 14 starts (and one relief appearance) into his pro career with Low-A Tampa, and he owns a 2.68 ERA (4.28 FIP) in 47 innings. The strikeout (27.7%) and especially the ground ball (62.3%) rates are good. The walk rate (14.9%), not so much. Why is the supposed command pitcher walking so many batters? It’s all about the slider.

In an effort to develop a reliable secondary pitch, the Yankees have Way throwing nearly 50% sliders this season, and the pitch characteristics are good: 2,489 rpm average spin rate with better than average horizontal and vertical break. Here’s some video. The slider moves a lot. So, we have a pitcher who:

• Throws his slider roughly half the time (47% to be exact).
• Gets a ton of movement on said slider.
• Is still trying to develop feel for the pitch.

Add all that together and you have a recipe for a supposed command guy with a high walk rate. Way doesn’t have a handle on the slider yet and doesn’t throw many strikes with it. He’s run his fastball (it’s a sinker, not a four-seamer) up to 97.9 mph, which is better velocity than what Way was said to have prior to draft last year. Maybe that’s contributing to the walks too.

All things considered, Way’s pro debut has been pretty boring. He’s pitching well but not truly dominating, and he’s succeeding with ground balls more than strikeouts. Behind the scenes though, Way and the Yankees are hard at work developing his slider. It is a point of emphasis this year, so much so that he’s throwing it close to half the time. It’s a clear priority.

4. Remembering a random Yankee: Travis Ishikawa. This week’s random Yankee came by request and is a player who had one of the shortest stints in pinstripes in recent memory. Here’s the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

Born and raised in Seattle, Ishikawa was a consensus second or third round talent in 2002, but he slipped to the Giants in the 21st round of the draft because he was strongly committed to Oregon State. San Francisco paid him a $950,000 bonus, at the time an unprecedented sum for a player picked that late in the draft.

Ishikawa made good on that investment (he hit .282/.387/.532 with 22 home runs as a 21-year-old in High-A during his breakout year in 2005) and Baseball America ranked him among the Giants' top 17 prospects every year from 2003-09. He made his MLB debut as an injury replacement in April 2006 but didn’t get an extended opportunity until 2009.

That season Ishikawa started 88 games at first base and hit .261/.321/.387 with nine homers in 363 plate appearances as a platoon player. He was a bench guy during San Francisco’s World Series run in 2010, and in 2011, he lost his first base platoon job (and 40-man roster spot) to Brandon Belt. Ishikawa played 54 Triple-A games around a shoulder injury that year.

The Giants non-tendered Ishikawa after the season and he hooked on with the Brewers, and hit .257/.329/.428 with four homers as a seldom-used bench bat in 2012. Ishikawa was again non-tendered after the season, and this time he signed with the Orioles. He opened 2013 in Triple-A, mashed to the tune of .316/.413/.525 in 49 games, then was called up in mid June.

Ishikawa appeared in only six games with the Orioles, going 2-for-17 (.118) with eight strikeouts. On June 29th, Baltimore designated him for assignment to clear a roster spot for Jair Jurrjens. Eight days later the Yankees claimed him on waivers. Mark Teixeira had season-ending wrist surgery a few days earlier and Lyle Overbay was getting exposed with more playing time.

"When I heard it was this great organization, I didn't believe it at first. I had a missed call from the Orioles, and then my agent texted me 'I just heard you got claimed by the Yankees.' I didn't believe him at first. I had to call him up, 'Are you serious?'” Ishikawa told Christian Red after joining the team. “Caught a red-eye flight and got in this morning. Took a little nap and shaved my goatee and here I am."

Ishikawa, then 29, joined the Yankees on July 8th and started that night at first base, hitting sixth. “He shouldn’t be surprised if he reads the papers around here or follows the box scores. You get here, you play,” then-manager Joe Girardi told Zach Schonbrun. Here is that night’s starting lineup against the Royals at Yankee Stadium:

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. LF Zoilo Almonte
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Vernon Wells
6. 1B Travis Ishikawa
7. SS Luis Cruz
8. 3B Alberto Gonzalez
9. C Austin Romine

Yeesh. Ishikawa struck out on four pitches in his first at-bat as a Yankee (video). Jeremy Guthrie got him in the second inning. Ishikawa then struck out on three pitches three innings later in his second (and ultimately final) at-bat as a Yankee (video). Overbay pinch-hit for Ishikawa against Guthrie in the seventh inning and hit a solo home run.

Ishikawa spent the next two games on the bench behind Overbay. On July 11th, Derek Jeter returned following offseason ankle surgery, and Ishikawa was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot. Three days later Ishikawa cleared waivers and elected free agency, and eventually he signed a minor league contract with the White Sox.

“A first class organization. They treated me great for the few days I was there,” Ishikawa told George King in Oct. 2014. “I remember the clubhouse being really big and I got lost there the first day. I didn’t get a chance to meet everybody. I would have liked to. It was midseason and we were all trying to prepare for games with guys in their routines and things like that. I enjoyed my time there, it was a lot of fun.”

Ishikawa is one of only 40 position players to play exactly one game as a Yankee. Hoy Jun Park did it this year, Dustin Fowler did it in 2017, Ishikawa did it in 2013, and before him Scott Seabol did it in 2001. Ishikawa is also the only non-pitcher ever to get multiple plate appearances as a Yankee, and strike out in every one of ‘em.

(Chad Green is the all-time leader in plate appearances among players who’ve struck out every time they’ve batted as a Yankee. Green is 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in his career.)

Ishikawa spent the rest of 2013 in Triple-A with the ChiSox. He signed a minor league deal with the Pirates over the winter, got released in April, then hooked back on with the Giants. Ishikawa was called up in late July when Belt got hurt, and he went 20-for-73 (.274) in platoon duty. He hit a pennant-clinching walk-off home run in Game 5 of the NLCS that year. Here’s video.

“It hasn’t sunk in,” Ishikawa told Hank Schulman after the game. His wife, Rochelle, said: “He talked about quitting (before getting called up). I told him, 'We’ll figure it out if you decide to do that.’ I wanted to make sure he did it because he wanted to.”

The Giants went on to beat the Royals in the World Series (Ishikawa went 3-for-13 in the Fall Classic and did not play in Game 7) and the NLCS-clinching homer earned Ishikawa a roster spot in 2015. It didn’t go well. He went 0-for-5 with San Francisco, then was lost on waivers to the Pirates. Ishikawa hit .206/.306/.302 in 44 games that season.

After spending 2016 in Triple-A with the Giants and White Sox, Ishikawa hung up his spikes at age 33. He retired as a career .255/.321/.391 (90 OPS+) hitter with 23 home runs in 1,050 MLB plate appearances, and he banked a little more than $2.4M in player contracts. Ishikawa rejoined the Giants as a minor league hitting coach in 2018 and remains in the organization to this day.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. Gio Urshela will play another minor league rehab game with Double-A Somerset tonight, and if that goes well, he could rejoin the team Thursday in Oakland. I assume Jonathan Davis will be sent down to clear a roster spot since Andrew Velazquez and Tyler Wade provide outfield coverage. Those two are playing well enough that the Yankees might just stick with them at short and keep Gio at third (Rougned Odor is hitting .149/.250/.257 (38 wRC+) in August, though he hit that homer that didn’t count Saturday). Whatever the Yankees do on the infield, it’ll be good to get Gio back. Now prepare for the inevitable “he’s ruining their chemistry!” takes … Gerrit Cole vs. Josh Donaldson with the bases loaded and two outs in a one-run game Saturday was the first time I thought to myself, “okay, the new two-strike siren is pretty cool.” Here’s the strikeout pitch. The siren will rock the house in high leverage spots come October. I’m onboard with it now … The 2022 Triple-A schedule was announced last week (here’s Scranton’s) and I bring this up only to note the “Monday off-day and a six-game series each week” format is here to stay. MLB went with that format this year to reduce travel during the pandemic, and they’re sticking with it. I think it’s smart. It’s just a better schedule, and I know players love it. They use the same schedule in Japan and I could see it coming to MLB at some point. Maybe stagger the off-days between Monday and Thursday so the league doesn’t shut down one day each week? But one guaranteed off-day a week with two three-game series (or one four-game series and one-two game series) is the future of baseball, I believe. I don’t know when, but eventually … And finally, YES Network broadcasters may be going out on the road soon. Andrew Marchand spoke to YES Network head honcho John Filippelli, who said they may send broadcasters to road games against the Mets (duh), Red Sox, and Blue Jays next month. Right now all road games are called remotely and the broadcast suffers because the crew is watching on a monitor and can’t see the action in front of them. Filippelli also said “I think the days of us going to Seattle, fly everybody coast to coast at a tremendous expense that we have to incur for a game that starts at 10:30 at night, is over.” That confirms remote broadcasts are about cutting costs at this point, not safety during the pandemic. So dumb. I hate it. I hate it and I guess I’m going to have to get used to it. It’s a shame the team-owned YES Network is cheaping out and compromising the quality of their broadcasts. (In related news, Maury Brown reports YES Network television and streaming numbers are through the roof since the trade deadline. The numbers now are better than they were in 2019, the last 162-game season.)

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