May 11th, 2021: Judge, Torres, Cessa, Catchers, Voit, Prospects

UPDATE: Here's my bi-weekly Yankees post at CBS.

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The Yankees were a Chad Green meltdown away from an 8-1 homestand. I guess they were also a Jonathan Loaisiga meltdown away from a 9-0 homestand, but eh, the Yankees had the lead when Green blew it. The game was only tied when Loaisiga blew it. Well, whatever. The important thing is the Yankees went 7-2 on the homestand, and are 11-5 in their last 16 games. Pretty good. The Yankees are on pace to go 86-76 with 128 games remaining. Here are today’s thoughts.

1. Weekend observations. Y’all eager to trade for Max Scherzer yet? I don’t think any of you have to be talked into it, though Saturday’s 14-strikeout game made a convincing case if anyone was on the fence. Always fun to steal a win when the opposing starter does that. Let’s get to a few thoughts on the last few games.

Judge’s slump

Aaron Judge is 2-for-24 (.083) with 14 strikeouts in his last seven games, and at one point he struck out in seven consecutive at-bats. The slump has dragged his batting line down to .245/.352/.473 (134 wRC+), which is still really good, though it’s below what we’ve come to expect from Judge. That the Yankees went 5-2 in those seven games is a minor miracle.

“I’ve been terrible at the plate. A little over aggressive, especially with Houston coming in and then facing the Nationals, really trying to do just kind of too much at the plate,” Judge told Brendan Kuty over the weekend. “The mistakes I’m getting, I’m not really putting them in play, either fouling them off or missing them ... I got off my plan and try to make things happen when they weren’t there instead of just taking my walks.”

I don’t have much to say about Judge’s slump other than I’m not too worried at this point. It’s a bad week -- Judge was sitting on a .291/.396/.581 (174 wRC+) line as recently as May 1st -- and guys are going to have bad weeks, and he’s still hitting the snot out of the ball when he connects (97 mph average exit velocity). We’ve seen Judge slump like this before.

My only concern is the lingering “lower leg stuff” (Aaron Boone’s words over the weekend) Judge has dealt with pretty much all season. He’s not 100% physically and anytime a player is dealing with a nagging issue, there’s a chance it’s contributing to a slump. I’m not ready to say that yet. I think it’s just a regular ol’ slump right now. It’s no fun to sit through, but it happens.

“It’s been terrible, but I continue to make adjustments,” Judge told Kuty. “I’m continuing to put work in in the cage, I talk with (hitting coach Marcus Thames) every day, watching video. It’ll turn around. Usually, that’s how you start hitting streaks, with a little blooper (like Saturday’s), a little dinker. So, hopefully we’re on the right track.”

Gleyber’s home run

Gleyber Torres hit a home run! Here’s the video evidence. It was his first regular season dinger in 171 plate appearances (he hit two last postseason and five in Spring Training). Here are the most plate appearances without a homer this season going into Sunday:

1. David Fletcher, Angels: 147
2. Adam Frazier, Pirates: 142
3. Yandy Diaz, Rays: 133
4. Gleyber Torres, Yankees: 133
5. Myles Straw, Astros: 121

Fletcher, Frazier, and Straw are not power hitters and Diaz hits too many ground balls (career 56.0%) to turn his impressive exit velocity (career 90.9 mph) into home runs. Elvis Andrus, Nick Madrigal, Nicky Lopez, and Victor Robles are next up on that list and none of them are power hitters. Not even close. Most of those names aren’t surprising.

Then there’s Torres. He hit 38 home runs two years ago and 62 home runs total during his age 21-22 seasons, then needed 31 games to hit his first this year. RAB alum Katie Sharp notes the last Yankees regular to start the season with 31 straight homerless games was Bernie Williams in 1998. Bernie went on to have the best year of his career that season (.339/.422/.575 and 158 wRC+), so maybe that’s a good sign for Torres.

One home run does not a season make, but Gleyber was becoming visibly frustrated with his lack of power (he’d look exasperated after a long fly out, etc.), and there was relief on his face in the dugout after the homer. How could there not be? With any luck, the floodgates will open now and Torres will go on a dinger streak, though this does worry me a bit:

• 2018: 322 ft. average fly ball distance
• 2019: 330 ft.
• 2020: 291 ft.
• 2021: 279 ft.

Eh, not great. Surely the new deadened baseball is playing a part in that, though the ball was lively last year and Gleyber’s average fly ball distance still dropped nearly 40 feet. I don’t think you go from 38 homers one year to four homers in your next 74 regular season games simply because the ball changed. Something else is going on here.

Torres continues to improve his plate discipline and contact skills. His 18.2% strikeout rate is well below the 24.1% league average, he’s walking plenty (12.4%), and he’s not chasing out of the zone (20.5%). Those are all good, encouraging signs for a developing young hitter. He’s just not driving the ball like he did in his past. His average exit velocity is down nearly 4 mph.

Gleyber is still doing enough offensively to help the Yankees (he’s hitting .296 with a .406 OBP with runners in scoring position, for example) but your offensive output will be limited if you don’t hit for power. Torres is far from the only guy in the lineup underperforming, but his lack of power dates back to last year, and it’s worrisome. Hopefully Sunday’s homer gets him going.

“A little bit of a relief to get that out of the way,” Aaron Boone told Greg Joyce about Gleyber’s home run. “Gleyber’s confident, even when he’s struggling. The reality is he has been getting a lot of big hits for us and holding his own, he just hasn’t really clicked hitting for power yet. And that’ll come. But it was really good to see him get a really good swing off, a no-doubter to left where he’s behind the ball, gets his A-swing in. Hopefully just onward and upward now.”

Cessa’s velocity

Friday night we experienced the “Michael Kay and Paul O’Neill notice Luis Cessa throws a lot of sliders” revelation in real time. It really snuck up on them, huh?

If MLB ever moves the mound back, Cessa’s in trouble. He throws basically nothing but 58-foot sliders these days. Push the mound back and he may never get a pitch to the plate. Cessa’s 44.7% zone rate is 12th lowest among the 212 pitchers with at least 100 innings since 2019, and he’s walked nearly as many batters this year (11 in 15 innings) as he did in 2018 (13 in 44.2 innings).

Cessa was having a solid season up until Friday’s meltdown (two earned runs and 17 strikeouts in his first 13.1 innings), though the walks are way up (career high by far 16.7%), and his velocity has been down noticeably these last few weeks. This ain’t good:

From 2018-20, Cessa was quite good (and occasionally great) by long man standards, throwing 147.1 innings with a 4.34 ERA (4.37 FIP). That was when he threw 94-96 mph and touched 98 though. For whatever reason Cessa’s in the low-90s now, and when hitters don’t have to respect the velocity, it makes spitting on sliders out of the zone that much easier, hence all the walks.

Cessa is the seventh man in an eight-man bullpen (the last spot is the revolving door spot) and his success or failure is not going to make or break the season. There is definitely value in a good long man, however. He can spare the rest of the bullpen in blowouts and give the offense a chance to get back in the game when the starter doesn’t have it.

Although he’s been solid aside from Friday’s meltdown, I’m not sure Cessa with low-90s velocity can do what he did the last few years. The missing velocity matters. If necessary, the Yankees could plug King in as a long man, but they’d rather have Cessa be effective with King in reserve. Hopefully the velocity loss is just a blip. If not, it may be the end of the line.

Personal catchers galore

Something unusual happened Sunday: Gary Sanchez caught Domingo German. Very quietly, the Yankees employed full-time personal catchers the last two and a half weeks. These were the pitcher-catcher tandems the last three times through the rotation prior to Sunday (dates back to the Cleveland series):

• Gerrit Cole: 3 starts (all with Kyle Higashioka)
• Corey Kluber: 3 starts (all with Higashioka)
• Domingo German: 3 starts (all with Higashioka)
• Jordan Montgomery: 3 starts (all with Sanchez)
• Jameson Taillon: 3 starts (all with Sanchez)

Prior to Sunday, Sanchez had not caught German since April 10th, the start before he was sent to the alternate site. He hasn’t caught Cole since Opening Day or Kluber since April 21st (four starts ago). Higashioka has not caught a single Montgomery or Taillon start this year. For a guy who once said he’d “stay away” from personal catchers, Boone seems into personal catchers.

Sunday shows the Yankees aren’t completely married to these personal catchers (it was a day game after a day game, so Higashioka easily could’ve caught German), and I suppose this may all be one giant coincidence, but I dunno. They’ve done personal catchers several times over the years (remember Sonny Gray and Austin Romine?), and this is the natural next step.

I have personal catcher fatigue and I hope this was just a three-week coincidence and not a set plan. Every pitcher should be able to work with every catcher, and pigeonholing yourself into so many set batteries will create headaches when there are injuries or performance issues. One personal catcher situation per staff is enough for me.

Pitchouts!

The Yankees are making pitchouts cool again. They pitched out twice on the homestand (this one and this one) and have pitched out three times this season overall (here’s the other). Only the Angels have pitched out more this year (they have four), and 23 teams haven’t pitched out a single time. Here are the Yankees’ pitchout totals over the last few years:

• 2021: 3 (in first 34 games)
• 2020: 0 (in a 60-game season)
• 2019: 2
• 2018: 1
• 2017: 2
• 2016: 3
• 2012-15: 6.8 pitchouts per year
• 2008-11: 29.3 pitchouts per year

Ben Lindbergh wrote about the death of the pitchout in 2016. They’re disappearing because teams have determined they aren’t successful often enough to justify giving away a ball, and giving the hitter count leverage. Plus stolen bases are trending down, so teams don’t have to pitchout as often to combat them.

The Yankees have picked their spots very well this year (two of the three pitchouts resulted in a caught stealing) though I don’t think this is the start of a trend. I need to see more before I consider this anything more than a coincidence. Finishing the year with, say, 5-10 pitchouts would fall firmly in the range of random variation. Still, it’s a thing I noticed, and it’s cool two of the three pitchouts worked. That’s a good success rate.

2. Voit’s return. Luke Voit’s return is imminent -- Miguel Andujar was sent down after Sunday’s game and there’s only one possible reason for that -- and holy crap, thank goodness. Yankees first basemen have hit .150/.250/.244 (45 wRC+) in 144 plate appearances this season and that is impossibly bad.

“He obviously is an impact hitter, an impact bat, and just adds a little bit more length and a little bit more heaviness to our lineup, so it’ll be good to get him back,” Aaron Boone told Betelhem Ashame. “I feel like he’s in a good spot physically. He’s been able to rack up a lot of live at-bats here this week, so we’re looking forward to getting him back for sure.”

Voit went 7-for-18 (.385) with two doubles and three homers in five Triple-A rehab games and he’s running well enough post-knee surgery that he scored from second on a single Sunday (video). I’m not sure the Yankees will play him all three games on the turf in Tampa this week, but just getting him back in the lineup will be welcome. The offense, it’s not so good.

• .222 AVG (25th in MLB)
• .320 OBP (6th)
• .381 SLG (21st)
• 102 wRC+ (11th)
• 4.06 runs per game (23rd)

The sport is in a truly sad state of affairs when .222/.320/.381 is roughly league average (MLB is hitting .234/.311/.391 overall this year). Every team is having a hard time scoring, not only the Yankees, but the fact is an average-ish offense 34 games into the season is a disappointment for the Yankees. “I know there’s more in there for us,” Boone told Ashame and yep.

The Yankees won two games on infield dribblers during the homestand plus one game because they were gifted a free runner at second in extra innings. Their 46 home runs are tied for third in baseball, but 32 of the 46 are solo homers (70%), well above the 58% league average. (They have 10 two-run homers, two three-run homers, and two grand slams). Yuck.

One man probably won’t fix the offense but I am very willing to find out. Going from the current first base production to Voit should be a massive upgrade. It’s the single biggest upgrade the Yankees can make without making a trade at this point, really. Plop Voit right into the cleanup spot behind Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge and let the big boys eat.

(Why the Yankees continue to keep Mike Ford on the roster over Andujar, I will never understand, but I’ve come to expect it at this point.)

3. Minor league thoughts. Minor league baseball is back and it was a very good first week for the Yankees. The four affiliates combined to go 18-6 (High-A Hudson Valley went 3-3 and everyone else went 5-1) and they outscored their opponents 189-112. Wins and losses are not the priority in the minors, though you want your prospects to get used to winning, and to expect it. Here are a few thoughts on the first week of the minor league season.

Deivi’s control

Deivi Garcia’s control this year, or lack thereof, is becoming a thing. Garcia walked a career high seven batters in 3.1 innings in his first Triple-A start last week. That’s after walking three in four innings in his MLB start and eight batters in 14 innings in Spring Training. All told, Garcia has walked 18 of 94 batters faced in 2021, or 19.1%. Eek.

“He struggled with his command. He struggled with first pitch strikes. He was probably rushing,” Aaron Boone told Dan Martin. “It’s not a great first (Triple-A) outing for him in the season. He’s usually pretty good at making adjustments, especially when we identify some things.”

Wildness has come and gone throughout Garcia’s career. He had a 9.6% walk rate in rookie ball in 2017, a 6.8% walk rate between Single-A and Double-A in 2018, an 11.1% walk rate between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, and then a 4.1% walk rate in MLB in 2020. The Yankees moved Deivi to the first base side of the rubber last year and that seemed to help his control, though no such luck early this year (he’s still on the first base side).

Garcia is still so very young (he’s only six months older than Kumar Rocker, the possible No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft) and he’s not a finished product. He’s already shown the ability to make adjustments throughout his career, so give him some time and I think Deivi will get his control ironed out. It’s not like most 21-year-olds are known for their strike throwing, you know?

That said, Garcia’s early season control issues are a problem because he's next up on the rotation depth chart. I suppose the Yankees could plug Mike King into the rotation if necessary, plus veteran Mike Montgomery is in Triple-A as an emergency option. Deivi with control is the best option though. With him diminished, it cuts into the pitching depth.

I don’t think the Yankees would have given Garcia that spot start in Baltimore if they were overly concerned about his control. For now, I see a bad Triple-A start and a Spring Training that fits the narrative. I’ll need to see more before going into panic mode, though Garcia’s lack of control in the early going does have my attention. This is a thing to watch.

Florial’s start

Five games into his first Double-A season, Estevan Florial has hit half as many home runs as he hit in 74 games in his second High-A season in 2019. He’s gone deep four times in Somerset’s first five games (some video) and is 7-for-22 (.318) overall, with two doubles. Florial has struck out six times and walked thrice. Nice first week for him.

“He’s a beloved guy in that room and has a lot of people in the organization and players that are really pulling for him and know what his ceiling is, know how good he can be, know what the tools suggest,” Boone told Greg Joyce over the weekend. “One of the big issues for Flo is just the interruption in seasons that he’s had from some freak injuries. Also COVID hitting last year, not being able to have a normal season.”

At 23, Florial is still a year younger than the average Double-A Northeast player (I hate these stupid new league names). He was able to spend time at the alternate site facing pitchers with premium stuff (Luis Gil, Luis Medina, etc.) and some guys with big league time (Tyler Lyons, etc.) last year. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was the best Florial and the Yankees could do.

I caution you not to read too much into one great week (or one bad week either). This happens every single year with a few prospects (top prospects or otherwise), and it’s often just that, a hot week, and not a sign a breakout is on the horizon. Still, Florial having a great first week is better than the alternative. He’s a talented kid. I hope he starts to put it together this year.

Hauver leading Tampa’s offense

The Low-A Tampa Tarpons have scored 78 runs in six games this year. 78 runs in six games! Their runs scored by game: 11, 19, 10, 25, 12, 1. They used up Sunday’s runs earlier in the week, I guess. Offense has been up around the minors in the early going, though Tampa has taken it to an extreme. 78 runs in six games after scoring 532 runs in 135 games in 2019.

Leading the way for the Tarpons has been Trevor Hauver, my No. 25 prospect and last year’s third round pick. He currently leads the minors with six home runs and has gone deep in each of his first five pro games. Hauver is hitting .556/.654/.1.611 (351 wRC+) in the super early going and it landed him in the top spot on Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet (subs. req’d):

The Arizona State product, whom the Yankees drafted with their (second) pick in 2020, has knocked the tar out of the baseball through the team’s first six games, including a minors-best six home runs. Hauver profiles as an offensive player, whether it be at second base or in the outfield, and could be in for a very quick move to High-A Hudson Valley if this kind of production (or anything close to it) keeps up.

The Tarpons opened the season at home at George M. Steinbrenner Field and that means we have Statcast data on Hauver’s home runs. Here’s what we have:

• No. 1: 87.6 mph four-seamer and 103.5 mph exit velocity
• No. 2: 94.2 mph sinker and 101.9 mph exit velocity
• No. 3: 71.3 mph curveball and 103.5 mph exit velocity
• No. 4: 89.7 mph four-seamer and 103.1 mph exit velocity
• No. 5: 90.3 mph four-seamer and 88.1 mph exit velocity
• No. 6: 82.9 mph changeup and 106.8 mph exit velocity

Mostly mediocre fastballs, though Hauver did go deep on a changeup and a curveball. He’s put 14 balls in play this year and his average exit velocity is 97.2 mph, and he’s had eight balls over 100 mph, and five over 103 mph. Hauver has topped out at 107.7 mph, which is pretty damn impressive for a kid in Low-A in his first week as a pro ballplayer.

The bad news: Hauver faced really weak competition. Tampa faced Dunedin last week and the Blue Jays have only two pitchers from MLB.com’s top 30 prospects list at that level, and they’re ranked No. 21 and No. 25. Not exactly premium competition, but you can only play who’s on the schedule, and Hauver crushed just about everyone who’s been on the mound.

At 22, Hauver is a little old for Low-A Southeast (groan), and a guy who played three years at a major college program beating up on younger pitchers is to be expected. If this continues (this won’t continue, but you know what I mean), I imagine the Yankees will bump Hauver up to High-A Hudson Valley quickly. Players need to be challenged to get better.

Miscellany

Nice first week for the Yankees’ two most recent first round picks. 2019 first rounder Anthony Volpe went 7-for-22 (.318) with four doubles, a triple, seven walks, and four strikeouts in five games. He’s hit a few balls over 100 mph too. 2020 first rounder Austin Wells went 5-for-22 (.227), though four of the five hits went for extra bases (three doubles and a homer), and he has nearly as many walks (5) as strikeouts (6) through five games … Luis Medina has done Luis Medina things in his first two starts: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 15 K. A few too many walks, but otherwise unhittable … 2017 second rounder Matt Sauer’s return from Tommy John surgery has gone okay: 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 11 K. Statcast says his fastball averaged 94.7 mph in both starts, and he’s topped out at 96.1 mph. 21 misses on 47 swings is pretty great (44.7%) … Not sure what’s up with 2018 first rounder Anthony Seigler, but he’s on the High-A injured list and has yet to play in a game. He’s played only 54 games in 3+ years due to injuries and the pandemic.

4. 2021 draft prospect: Wright State 2B Tyler Black. The 2021 MLB Draft will take place during the All-Star break and J.J. Cooper (subs. req’d) reports MLB has informed teams the draft will be 20 rounds, the minimum number allowed under last year’s March agreement. The Yankees hold the No. 20 pick. Here is our 2021 draft prospect coverage archive.

Black has an interesting background. His father, Rod Black, is a longtime Canadian sports broadcaster who spent a few years calling Blue Jays games and the World Series for CTV (now Sportsnet). Tyler was a standout hockey player as a kid in Toronto, though he eventually gave up hockey (and football) to focus on baseball full-time.

At 20, Black is one of the youngest college juniors in the draft (he turns 21 in July), and he was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year after hitting .353/.469/.600 with 38 walks and 18 strikeouts in 2019. His 13 pre-pandemic games didn’t go well last year (.230/.340/.370), but he’s back at it this spring, hitting .387/.500/.650 with 29 walks and 20 strikeouts in 36 games.

There’s not much video of Black out there, but here he is doubling against potential No. 1 pick Kumar Rocker on Opening Day, and here he is bat-flipping a homer. Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranks Black as the 99th best prospect in the draft. MLB.com has him a bit lower at 131st overall. Here’s a chunk of their scouting report:

Black masterfully controls the strike zone from the left side of the plate, making regular hard contact while drawing plenty of walks. He has enough bat speed, strength and leverage in his 6-foot-2 frame to produce 15 homers on an annual basis … While he possesses average speed, Black has the instincts to steal and take extra bases when given the opportunity … His arm is merely average (after labrum surgery last May) so he fits better at second, where his quickness and hands are assets with turning the double play.

Black’s scouting report is very similar to Brandon Lowe’s coming out of college, right down to not turning 21 until July of his draft year (Lowe was a draft-eligible sophomore and Black is a junior). Lowe was a big time contact and plate discipline guy with enough skill to play the middle infield, and there were hints at power potential, which the Rays helped him unlock.

Prospects like Black are all the rage these days as teams focus on plate discipline and hitting ability, and hope the power will come with swing adjustments (and variation in the ball). The Yankees have gotten in on the act with guys like Austin Wells and Trevor Hauver, and even further back with Nick Solak and Canaan Smith. Black is cut from the same cloth.

The Yankees hold the No. 55 and No. 92 picks and, despite the rankings, my hunch is Black won’t be there at No. 92. His profile is increasingly popular and I think he’ll come off the board earlier than the rankings suggest. Black isn’t a true first round prospect, but if the Yankees want him and his lefty bat, it’s probably second round or bust.

5. Remembering a random Yankee: Brian Bruney. By request, this week’s random Yankee is one of the countless hard-throwing relievers who passed through the Bronx in the late 2000s, and he was an extra in Kindergarten Cop as a kid. Here’s the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

At his Oregon high school, Bruney threw three no-hitters and hit over .500, and he was the only high school pitcher current Nationals GM Mike Rizzo selected in his first two years as Arizona’s scouting director. The Diamondbacks selected Bruney in the 12th round in 2000 and they put him in the bullpen immediately. That’s unusual. Most high schoolers are given a chance to start.

Bruney’s breakout came in 2002, when he struck out 68 batters and pitched to a 1.93 ERA in 60.2 innings, and reached Double-A. He split 2003 between Double-A and Triple-A (2.70 ERA in 63 innings), dominated at Triple-A early in 2004 (1.18 ERA in 38 innings), and earned his first MLB call-up that May.

The D’Backs were horrible in 2004 (51-111 horrible) and Bruney spent most of the summer in the bullpen, throwing 31.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and a 4.31 ERA. That didn’t just land him a spot in the 2005 Opening Day bullpen. It landed him the closer’s job less than a month into the season. Bruney’s 2005 was pretty amazing:

• 12 saves in 16 opportunities
• 39 runs (38 earned) in 46 innings (7.43 ERA)
• 51 strikeouts and 35 walks (1.46 K/BB)
• .299/.421/.481 opponent’s batting line

An injury essentially ended Bruney’s season in late July. He opened 2006 in Triple-A but didn’t last long. The D’Backs designated Bruney for assignment on May 20th, after he surrendered 12 runs in only 2.2 Triple-A innings. Arizona released him a few days later, then the Yankees gave him a minor league contract on July 1st.

“I think it’s a big misconception everyone has, because you don’t release a 24-year-old who throws hard like I do,” Bruney told Tyler Kepner that year. “I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten that question, even from teammates: ‘What did you do to get released?’ If I did something, I don’t know. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

Bruney, then 24, pitched well enough with Triple-A Columbus, striking out 22 batters in 14.1 innings with a 3.14 ERA. He struck out six of the 14 batters he faced during a quick two-game big league cameo in mid-August, then came up for good later in the month. Bruney stuck out 25 batters and allowed two runs (0.87 ERA) in 20.2 innings as a Yankee in 2006.

By the end of the season Bruney had taken over as then-manager Joe Torre’s seventh inning guy, and he allowed one run in 2.2 postseason innings. He pitched three times in the four-game ALDS loss to the Tigers. The Yankees were drawn to Bruney’s power arm and it looked like they had found a keeper in the young right-hander plucked off the scrap heap.

“I think they saw right there that I had good character (because I reported the next day after being sent down),” Bruney told Kepner after joining the Yankees for good late in the season. “I wanted to get down there as fast as I could and get back as fast as I could. I’m very excited to be here, and hopefully, I’ll be here for a while.”

That strong finish to 2006 earned Bruney a spot in the 2007 Opening Day bullpen. He started well in a middle relief role, taking a 2.22 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 24.1 innings into June. The wheels came off after that. In 15.1 innings in June and July, Bruney walked 16 and struck out only four, and was tagged for 10 runs (nine earned).

The Yankees sent Bruney to Triple-A in August for a quick tune-up, and when he returned as a Sept. call-up, he allowed eight runs in four mop-up innings. He walked six and struck out six. Bruney finished 2007 with a 4.68 ERA and nearly as many walks (37) as strikeouts (39) in 50 big league innings. Opponents hit .243/.370/.387 against him.

Despite the fade late in 2007, Bruney made the Opening Day bullpen in 2008, and he started the season well. Bruney allowed two runs in his first 11.1 innings with 12 strikeouts and six walks, which was still a few too many, but more tolerable than his 2007 walk rate. On April 22nd, Bruney tore ligaments in his foot when he slipped covering first base, and needed surgery.

“His stuff was very good, his slider was outstanding, his changeup was good, and he was throwing hard,” then-manager Joe Girardi told Joshua Robinson about Bruney’s injury. “He was a big part of our bullpen before that dreaded day in Chicago.”

Bruney made a quick recovery and rejoined the Yankees in August. He picked up right where he left off earlier in the season too, allowing only two runs in 23 innings down the stretch. Bruney struck out 21 and walked 10, and had a 1.83 ERA in 34.1 innings overall in 2008. He was still only 26, and Girardi had enough faith in Bruney that he used him as the eighth inning guy early in 2009.

“Stuff-wise, I was there on time, but mentally I had a lot of growing up to do,” Bruney told Kepner that Spring Training, adding he shed 40 pounds over the winter. “A lot of understanding baseball, period, and understanding what your job is. It’s not to strike out two or three guys an inning and see how hard you can throw.”

After striking out 12 batters in his first eight innings in 2009, Bruney went down with a flexor strain in late April. He returned in May (video), suffered a setback, then returned for good in mid June. Bruney’s absence prompted the Yankees to move Phil Hughes into the bullpen, and also cleared a roster spot for Mark Melancon to make his MLB debut.

“They finally sat me down and told me I can’t be John Wayne and I can’t try to tough it out,” Bruney told Kepner about the injury. “It’s a good thing we had that talk, because I don’t think I would have been completely honest. I want to get back and help the team, but I’m no good if I’m not healthy.”

Soon after rejoining the Yankees, Bruney made headlines when he criticized Mets then-closer Francisco Rodriguez for his over the top celebrations, calling it a “tired act.” That was the series Luis Castillo dropped the ball and allowed the tying and winning runs to score with Rodriguez on the mound (the very necessary video).

"Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that. I have, but in high school. It couldn't happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing,” Bruney told the Associated Press.

The Castillo drop was a Friday night. Before batting practice that Sunday, Bruney and K-Rod exchanged words on the field and had to be separated (video). “I was probably 10 feet away and I just saw K-Rod pointing and raising his voice, and I just came over and grabbed him and I said 'C'mon, let’s go in.' He was upset I guess,” former Mets righty Mike Pelfrey told the Associated Press.

A rough July (seven runs in 5.1 innings) landed Bruney outside the Circle of Trust™, and he worked as a middle reliever much of the second half. On Sept. 19th, Bruney became the second Yankee ever to wear No. 99 (Charlie Keller wore it in 1958). He gave up No. 33 to Nick Swisher before the season, and didn’t like No. 38, his new number, so he changed it again in the middle of September.

“It’s not about what’s on the back (of the jersey), it’s what’s on the front,” Bruney told Bryan Hoch, adding he was surprised the number change received as much attention as it did. (Keller, Bruney, and Aaron Judge are the only Yankees to ever wear No. 99.)

Bruney finished 2009 with a 3.92 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 39 innings. He also walked 23. The Yankees did not carry Bruney on their ALDS or ALCS rosters, though they added him for the World Series (he replaced third catcher Francisco Cervelli). In his lone World Series appearance, the Phillies tagged him for two runs in Game 1. Bruney retired one of the four batters he faced.

The emergence of the younger (and cheaper) David Robertson made Bruney expendable after 2009. On Dec. 7th, the Yankees sent Bruney to the Nationals for the No. 1 pick in the Rule 5 Draft (technically he was traded for a player to be named later). The Yankees instructed Washington to take outfielder Jamie Hoffman in the Rule 5 Draft later that week, then Hoffman was sent to New York as the player to be named*.

“I’m okay with it. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity,” Bruney told George King after the trade. “I will get the opportunity to pitch late in the game and maybe close. It’s a lot easier going with a World Series ring coming … Obviously going from the Yankees to the Nationals, I don’t think the opportunity to win a World Series will be as good. But it’s still baseball.”

In parts of four seasons with the Yankees, Bruney had a 3.25 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate in 144 innings. He did a little of everything, including high-leverage duty and mop-up work. Bruney threw in the upper-90s back when that was rare, though injuries and strike-throwing issues held him back. He looked amazing one day and unrosterable the next.

Bruney was a disaster with the Nationals in 2010 (18 runs in 17.2 innings), then he spent 2011 and 2012 going up and down with the White Sox (15 runs in 20.1 big league innings). Chicago released him after 2012 and he never pitched again, not at any level. The internet tells me Bruney, who banked about $4M as a player, now works at a timeshare company in Oregon.

* Hoffman didn’t make the Opening Day roster in 2010 and was returned to the Dodgers at the end of Spring Training. He had cups of coffee with Los Angeles in 2009 and 2011.

6. Rapid fire thoughts. Thanks in part to a de-juiced baseball that has turned a bunch of home runs into fly outs and upped spin and strikeout rates, MLB is averaging a no-hitter a week in the early going this season (Madison Bumgarner, John Means, Wade Miley, Joe Musgrove, Carlos Rodon in five weeks). Also, Jay Jaffe found pitchers are taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning about twice as often this year as they did from 2015-20. The Yankees have not had a no-hitter since David Cone’s perfect game in 1999 and boy, if there was a year and ever a pitcher to do it, it’s Gerrit Cole this year. Maybe he’ll run into the Orioles or some other crummy team on a day he has it all working (too bad he can’t face the Yankees, eh?). The Yankees are overdue for a no-hitter … And finally, buried deep in ESPN’s State of Baseball piece (subs. req’d), Kiley McDaniel says the next Collective Bargaining Agreement will include the “expected addition of trading draft picks.” I don’t know if that’s McDaniel reporting or speculating, but I would be for it. Make picks tradable and give teams more assets to move, and encourage transactions. This is the entertainment business and trades are entertainment. Trading picks is long overdue. I hope it happens.

(Send your requests for Tuesday's random Yankee series and questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com.)