March 19th, 2021: Urshela, Loaisiga, YES Network, Mailbag

Two shameless self-promotion links: I contributed to our Top 25 Under 25 post at CBS (it includes a prominent Yankee), and also put together a post looking at the best player by age, from 18 all the way through 42. There are a few Yankees in there. Here is the Grapefruit League television broadcast schedule and here are today’s thoughts.

1. Yankee Stadium attendance. Real quick note before we get to the baseball: Governor Cuomo announced earlier this week that Yankee Stadium and Citi Field can reopen with 20% capacity starting Opening Day. That’s about 10,000 fans in the Bronx. “As the COVID rates continue to improve, capacity rates will continue to increase," Cuomo said.

“The entire Yankees organization -- and especially our players on the field -- feed off the energy that our loyal and dedicated fans bring to Yankee Stadium,” Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “Our fans have made our home a preeminent worldwide attraction, and their excitement is the catalyst for the championship goals we set every season. We are thrilled to be able to have them back in 2021 and promise them the highest standards for health and safety this season and beyond.”

Here is the press release with the full details. Fans have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to be admitted, and there will be mask and social distancing requirements and all that. Those of you in New York City can find vaccine appointments right here. Keep trying if there are no open slots because people cancel. I woke up one morning, checked on my phone while still laying in bed, and managed to get an appointment for that morning.

2. Gio at shortstop. Spring Training is the time to try things and Gio Urshela started Tuesday’s game at shortstop. He’s played the position in the past -- Urshela played 20 games and 150 innings at short between MLB and Triple-A in 2018, both career highs -- so this is more about getting reacquainted with an old position than learning a new position. (Tuesday’s game was not televised, and reports indicate Gio only had to make two routine plays.)

"You never know how the season unfolds. Injuries happen," Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch. "I don't feel like this is something drastic we're doing with Gio. I think it's very easy for him to slide over and play short and keep that option open. At any point of the year, if we get in a situation, we'd just feel a little more comfortable that he's been there and done it."

It has been three years since Urshela started a game at shortstop but he has played short -- I mean physically stand in the shortstop’s general area -- the last two years as part of the shift. When the Yankees shift, they put Gleyber Torres on the second base side of the bag, and keep Urshela on the shortstop side. Here’s shortstop Gio in action (video link):

Nice play! Here is Urshela turning more routine plays while positioned at shortstop as part of the shift. Boone and the Yankees talked about possibly moving Gio around the infield last spring, but the pandemic happened and they never got a chance to do it. They stuck him in left field for an inning in 2019 (remember this?). Playing short is a piece of cake compared to that.

"It's something he's pretty comfortable doing. Same side of the field with shifts and all," Boone told Hoch. "It's something that I felt like I wanted to do this spring, just in case we ever get in a pinch or we're in a situation where we need to move him over there for a day."

If you believe the defensive stats, Gio’s biggest shortcoming at third base is ranging to either side, and range is kinda important for a shortstop! It’s also not the end of the world if you have a range deficient shortstop for a few innings. The Yankees can put Urshela at short during a Gerrit Cole start because Cole starts tend to feature lots of strikeouts and fly balls.

Can Gio play shortstop here and there? Sure. Could he play there three or four days in a row if Torres goes down with a minor injury? That’s probably pushing it, and I don’t think the Yankees are doing this because they want to get Tyler Wade off the roster. This is more about simply having the option to put Urshela at short, and making sure he’s done it in the not-too-distant past.

In theory, Urshela being an option at shortstop opens the door for Derek Dietrich (or a healthy Miguel Andujar) to make the Opening Day roster in place of Wade. Gio can be the backup shortstop, freeing up third base playing time for others. Should Torres get hurt and miss a few days, the Yankees could always make a roster move to bring Wade back, right?

It’s never that simple, unfortunately. For example, what if Gleyber’s hypothetical injury does not require an injured list stint? That’s one of those things the Yankees can worry about when the time comes. If Urshela being an option at short opens up playing time for Andujar, I am all for it. Let’s do that. If they're doing this to open playing time for Dietrich, I’m less enthused.

I don’t think there's anything more to this than “it’s Spring Training, so let’s get Gio a little work at short just in case.” I don’t think this is a Brett Gardner in right field situation or that the Yankees hatched a plan that could reshape the roster, and put it into action two weeks before the season begins. I think Urshela at short is an emergency only thing.

The Yankees have offense to spare and can justify going defense over offense on the bench (Wade over Dietrich, Mike Tauchman over Jay Bruce). I’m not saying I agree with it, I’m just saying they can justify it. There are only 13 days remaining in Spring Training. Now’s the time to try things like Urshela at short.

"Whenever Boonie needs to use me, I'll be there playing shortstop," Urshela told Hoch. "I've played second base in the past before. I've played first a couple of times, so I'll be ready to play any position when they need me."

3. Loaisiga hype. Jonathan Loaisiga is a popular man these days. The Yankees and Aaron Boone have talked him up all spring (to be fair, they always talk up Loaisiga) as have a few folks outside the organization. For example, Brendan Kuty spoke to a scout who said the Yankees should give Loaisiga big innings this year because “he’s nasty.”

Also, Baseball America (subs. req’d) recently polled scouts about players who are impressing this spring, and Loaisiga is among them. Here’s what the scout said:

“I saw him at instructs right when he came back from injury (a few years ago) and thought he was going to be a solid big league reliever. Now I think he may squeeze into an all-star at some point. He’s showing three plus pitches right now. The fastball, not only is it velocity, he’s got some extra life to it at the end. The curveball is a 55 on some days but when he has it, it can go to a 70. His changeup is a 60 and all this spring that’s been pretty consistent for him. The control may be a little bit too erratic, but I do like it. If he can stay healthy he’s going to be a huge multi-inning weapon for them.”

Loaisiga, who turned only 26 in November (I thought he was older for some reason), has been good while working multiple innings this spring (8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K). Baseball Reference says he’s faced very favorable competition though (basically rookie ball kids), so don’t read too much into the numbers. Still, pitching well is better than pitching poorly.

The Yankees have used Loaisiga as a swingman the last three years. He made four starts and five relief appearances in 2018, four starts and nine relief appearances in 2019, and three starts and nine relief appearances in 2020. Two of the three starts last year came in doubleheaders, and the other came when Masahiro Tanaka was still recovering from the line drive he took to the head in Summer Camp.

The raw stuff is obvious. Loaisiga sits mid-to-upper-90s with a high spin fastball, mid-80s with a high spin breaking ball, and he has a firm upper-80s changeup. It’s a starter’s arsenal. Loaisiga doesn’t have a starter’s command though (he throws his fastball to one side of the plate) …

… and he definitely doesn’t have a starter’s durability. He’s been on the injured list every year of his career. The bullpen is the best place for him and, at this point, I would like to see him as a true short reliever. Let him air it out as a one-inning guy. At a minimum, the numbers say the Yankees should limit Loaisiga to one turn through the lineup.

• 1st time thru lineup: .251/.336/.411 (.323 wOBA) with 26.2 K% and 10.1 BB%
• Thereafter: .286/.363/.557 (.383 wOBA) with 27.5 K% and 10.0 BB%

“He's been a guy that has had varying degrees of success these last few years, but that we feel really good about,” Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch. “With the length that he can give you in the pen, that role becomes really important. He’s a dynamic pitcher with great stuff and the ability to fill up the strike zone.”

Zack Britton’s injury pushes Chad Green, Darren O’Day, and Justin Wilson into setup roles and creates an opening in the middle innings, and Loaisiga would seem to be a candidate to fill that role. He has the stuff, and I think it’s time to throw him into the deep end of the pool. The Yankees will stick with him as a multi-inning guy though, because that’s what they need.

“I think with Lo, there’s the added importance this year, coming off of the shortened season, with starters that we want to make sure we’re protecting,” Boone told Ken Davidoff. “The length that he can give you in the pen to sync up with guys on a certain day where we don’t have a full pitch count or whatever. That role becomes really important.”

The versatile multi-inning reliever role is not easy. Green and Adam Warren have made it look easy the last few years, but it’s not. Maybe now that this will be Year 4 of that swingman role, Loaisiga will know what to expect, and is better equipped to handle it? He’s pretty inexperienced for his age given all the injuries (and the pandemic). Only 256.2 career innings (majors and minors) through age 25.

Things can click at any moment for pitchers with Loaisiga’s stuff and this is an important year for him. He’s a year away from arbitration and still doesn’t have a clear cut big league role. This is the year to carve out a niche. If Loaisiga’s performance as a swingman again has big peaks and valleys, I think it’ll be time to put him in short relief permanently.

“I’ve always been pretty open in telling them that I’m here to pitch and help in any way possible,” Loaisiga told Hoch. “That could be multiple innings, that could be middle relief, it could be starting. To me, it’s just being available and putting myself in a position where I can help, regardless of what that may be.”

4. Future YES Network broadcasters. Which current Yankee is most likely to land in the YES Network booth once his playing career is over? Not which current Yankee would be best in the television booth, which current Yankee will actually end up in the booth? The Michael Kay/John Sterling reunion the other day had me thinking about this for some reason.

Gerrit Cole jumps to mind because he’s a good talker and passionate about the game, and good at breaking things down. His star power would make him attractive to networks. Cole’s also filthy stinkin’ rich and may want to spend his retirement doing rich guy stuff, not sitting in a broadcast booth however many times a year. I’d bet against him broadcasting locally. Maybe he'll replace John Smoltz on national broadcasts.

Brett Gardner is a longtime Yankee and he’s funny and has a lot of good stories, all of which plays well in the booth. That said, during a recent R2C2 appearance Gardner all but confirmed he plans on disappearing to his farm in South Carolina after he’s done playing. That’s the American dream right there. That’s what I’d do. We’ll see Gardner on Old Timers’ Day and maybe as a Spring Training guest instructor (partly so he can go fishing in Florida), and that’s it.

Aaron Judge is aggressively boring. Great player, but he is a cliche machine, and I’m not sure that will play well in the broadcast booth. DJ LeMahieu doesn’t have the personality for it. Can’t see him wanting to do television. Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit are possible candidates -- Hicks following the Ken Singleton “switch-hitter who gets on base a ton becomes a great broadcaster” path would be cool -- and Voit has the potential to let curses slip, and that’s always fun.

These are my top three candidates: Zack Britton, Kyle Higashioka, and Mike King. Britton can be very funny and he’s a great talker, and he can break the game down in ways that are easy to understand. He’s also very involved with the union and can speak about that side of the business too, and he has the star power that will appeal to networks.

Higashioka and King are both sneaky funny and personable. They enjoy talking baseball and they don’t take themselves too seriously, which is an underrated broadcaster trait. Higashioka chronicled his shutdown experience last year, so he’s eager to share what he knows. King is a big analytics guy, similar to David Cone. Maybe he’ll become a coach rather than a broadcaster?

My deep sleeper: Luis Cessa. His English is good and it’ll be even better by time he’s done playing (calling an entire game in your second language is different than giving a quick interview, of course), and he’s interested in broadcasting. I know this because Cessa served as an analyst for FOX Sports Latin America during the 2016 World Series. Maybe a network back home in Mexico hires him rather than the YES Network, but I can see Cessa in the booth one day.

Force me to pick one and I’ll go with Higashioka over Britton. Both seem to enjoy talking about the game and I think both would be very good in the broadcast booth, but Britton will have made close to $100M in player contracts (if not more) when it’s all said and done, making it less likely he stays in the game to earn a living when he’s gone playing. Higashioka hits the sweet spot of smart, funny, talkative, and likely to stay in the game in some capacity long-term.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. Couple new injuries this week. Kyle Higashioka was scratched from Tuesday’s game with side soreness (he missed a month with a right oblique strain last year), though he was back in the gym Wednesday, and the hope is he’ll be able to play Saturday. It’s really easy to turn a minor side muscle injury (if it is a muscle injury) into a major side muscle injury. Giving Higashioka an extra day or two would be a-okay with me, especially given the current catching depth chart (Rob Brantly and uh). Adam Warren has been shut down with a sore shoulder, which explains why he was among the first round of cuts. He’s hurt and not going to pitch, so send him out and let him rehab in an appropriate place. Hopefully Warren will be up and running fairly soon. Miguel Andujar has resumed taking ground balls, which ain’t much. The injury is to his right wrist, which he doesn’t need to field ground balls. I guess it’s better than nothing … Opening Day is 13 days away and the Yankees have the rotation lined up. Gerrit Cole pitched Tuesday and is on track to start Opening Day with an extra day of rest. Corey Kluber threw a simulated game during the off-day Thursday and is on track to start the second regular season game with an extra day of rest. Jameson Taillon lines up to pitch later today, and that puts him on track to start the third regular season game with an extra day of rest. Makes sense, and we’re close enough to the season now that who pitches when confirms it. There’s enough lead time remaining that the Yankees can line up Deivi Garcia, Domingo German, and Jordan Montgomery for the fourth and fifth regular season games in any order and with however much rest they want … And finally, Dan Szymborski has a good look at what teams paid for projected wins during the pandemic offseason. Long story short, teams paid considerably less for wins in the upcoming season than in years past, though they paid more for future wins (Year 2 and beyond of a multi-year deal) and also paid more for each additional win (they paid more for the second win than the first, more for the third more than the second, so on and so forth). In the past, the cost of a win was linear. Not so much nowadays, and I think that makes sense seeing how roster spots are a finite resource, and there are only so many places to add wins.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Andrew asks: Do you think that Jasson Dominguez is already untouchable in trade talks? If not, what progress would he have to make this season to become untouchable? Is there a scenario in which you would trade him?

To quote Brian Cashman, no player is untouchable, but some players are more touchable than others. I can’t imagine the Yankees, with their World Series window as open as it’s going to get and Dominguez being as far away as he is (and just losing a year of development to the pandemic), consider Dominguez untouchable. Doesn’t mean they’ll give him away, but he’s not off-limits.

For example, Cleveland is about to enter (or has already entered) a down cycle, and if they’re out of it at the deadline and say they’re willing to discuss Shane Bieber and his dirt cheap three and a half years of control, but only if Dominguez headlines the trade package, can the Yankees really say no? I don’t think they can. That’s the kind of player it’ll take, I think.

Dominguez is ultra-talented and everyone expects him to become a star. Fernando Tatis Jr. was in the same position a few years ago and he instantly became a face of the franchise type. Kevin Maitan was in the same position too, and he’s a bust. All signs pointed to Jorge Soler being a future superstar and he’s fine. Not great, not terrible, just an okay big leaguer.

It’s fair to say Dominguez carries less risk than most 18-year-olds because he is so talented, but he’s still very risky because he is only 18, and because he did just lose a year to the pandemic. A dominant pro debut this year similar to Vlad Guerrero Jr. in 2016 (.316/.409/.480 with 10.7% strikeouts and 12.6% walks in rookie ball) probably makes Dominguez untouchable. Until then, he’s available for a difference-making big leaguer(s).

Brian asks: Unlike you I wouldn’t mind seeing the rules to prevent the shift make their way to MLB.  True or false -  the Yankees would benefit from such rules because they historically benefit from lefty bats due to Yankee Stadium’s dimensions and the shift is more damaging to left handed hitters?

True. The Yankees have a righty heavy lineup at the moment but that is temporary, and soon enough the pendulum will swing the other way and the lineup will be loaded with lefties. Banning the shift would be a permanent change and it disproportionately hurts lefties. The short porch pushes the Yankees toward lefty hitters, so anything that helps lefties helps the Yankees.

There is mounting evidence the shift is overused, particularly against righties, and I’m generally not a fan of limiting what teams can do tactically. Let the game evolve and give hitters a chance to adjust. Banning the shift would ostensibly help the Yankees, but, for the greater good of the sport, I am against it. Let teams innovate and encourage players to broaden their skill set.

Jordan asks: Which current/very recent Yankees are candidates to have their uniform number retired? Sabathia should be a no-brainer, and I feel like Gardner should as well, but I'm struggling to come up with others.

CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez are no-brainers for me. A-Rod is in an awkward position because of his admitted performance-enhancing drug use, but it would be hypocritical to proudly fly the 2009 World Series banner while blacklisting the guy who carried you through October. A-Rod is an all-time great Yankee and No. 13 should be retired. (The Yankees have not reissued No. 13 since A-Rod’s forced retirement).

Also, it’s time to do something with No. 21. This is ridiculous. Paul O’Neill retired 20 -- 20! -- years ago now. Either retire it or reissue it. LaTroy Hawkins got booed for wearing No. 21 in 2008, and if the fans aren’t going to be happy about it being reissued, then just retire it. What has keeping in limbo so long accomplished? This is silly. Make a decision already.

Brett Gardner is short of number retirement or even Monument Park plaque status, I think. If he wins another World Series ring or two, sure, give him a plaque. I mean, Tino Martinez has a plaque. If Tino has a plaque, give Gardner one too. Gardner could finish this year as high as 14th (maaaaybe 12th) on the franchise’s all-time position player WAR leaderboard.

I can see scenarios in which Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, and Gleyber Torres have their numbers retired. Giancarlo Stanton could enter that mix with a few big years and World Series rings. First things first though. The Yankees should do something with No. 21, honor Sabathia and A-Rod, and also dedicate monuments for Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. Kinda crazy they haven’t done that last part yet.

Mike asks: Will the use of 18” square bags in Triple-A result in the distance from home to first base being 89’ 9” instead of the traditional 90’? That might not be a trivial difference.  Additionally, when 7 inning double-headers are played in the majors, will 7 inning perfect games and no-hitters carry a Roger Maris asterisk (*) in the record books?

Yes, the larger bases will reduce the distance between bases. Going from 15-inch bases to 18-inch bases means it will be 89 feet and 9 inches between home and first, and third and home, and 89 feet and 6 inches between first and second, and second and third. In addition to increased safety, MLB hopes the shorter distances will promote stolen bases and more action.

As for seven-inning no-hitters or perfect games, they will not be recognized by MLB. The Elias Sports Bureau, MLB’s official statistician, says at least nine innings must be played for a perfect game or no-hitter to be deemed official. If a seven-inning game goes to extras and they play nine innings, then yes, it would go into the record books, no asterisk required.

I should note Elias says the automatic runner at second base in extra innings does not count as breaking up a perfect game because that runner is not a batter who reached base safely. Back in 2018, the Tampa Tarpons lost a game 1-0 because of the automatic runner despite allowing no hits and no walks (an extra innings error ended the perfect game bid). Deivi Garcia started that game and retired all 21 batters he faced.

Paul asks: By my count, the Yankees have 7+ guys who could get some mvp votes (Judge, Stanton, Sanchez, Torres, DJLM, Voit, Cole). Maybe even Kluber or Chapman. Heck, Clint could do it! What's the most #of players on a single team to get MVP votes in a single year and how much are the Yankees going to break that record?

Y’all got your money’s worth out of me this week. I looked this up manually (because I have no idea how to do it otherwise), which meant scrolling through 89 years worth of MVP voting. Since the BBWAA took over the award in 1931. It took some time.

Five teammates getting MVP votes happens every few years. The Braves did it last season with Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Max Fried, Marcell Ozuna, and Dansby Swanson. Six players on one team getting MVP votes happens once or twice a decade nowadays. The 2009 Yankees did it with Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira (the 2012 Braves did it more recently).

Not surprisingly, the largest MVP classes came way back in the day, when there were fewer teams and player movement was restricted. Also, advanced stats and a changing of the guard in the voting ranks has led to more random down-ballot votes for great players on bad teams, like Xander Bogaerts and the 2020 Red Sox. Votes like that never happened in the past.

34 teams have had seven players get MVP votes in the same season. It happened three times from 1980-2020 (1984 Cubs, 2003 Marlins, 2006 Yankees) after the Yankees did it three times all by themselves from 1976-78. 23 teams have had eight players get MVP votes, most recently the 2003 Braves. Before them, you have to go back to the 1975 Athletics.

Seven teams had nine players receive an MVP vote in the same season, none of them recent. Here’s the list:

• 1971 Orioles: Don Buford, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Davey Johnson, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, Mery Rettenmund, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson
• 1953 Yankees: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Eddie Lopat, Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Allie Reynolds, Phil Rizzuto, Gene Woodling
• 1952 Yankees: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Joe Collins, Mickey Mantle, Vic Raschi, Allie Reynolds, Phil Rizzuto, Johnny Sain, Gene Woodling
• 1952 Dodgers: Joe Black, Roy Campanella, Billy Cox, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Preacher Roe, George Shuba, Duke Snider
• 1950 Phillies: Del Ennis, Granny Hamner, Willie Jones, Jon Konstanty, Andy Seminick, Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, Dick Sisler, Eddie Waitkus
• 1944 Cardinals: Mort Cooper, Walker Cooper, Johnny Hopp, Whitey Kurowski, Max Lanier, Marty Marion, Stan Musial, Ray Sanders, Ted Wilks
• 1942 Cardinals: Johnny Beazley, Jimmy Brown, Mort Cooper, Walker Cooper, Whitey Kurowski, Marty Marion, Terry Moore, Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter

Turns out there’s a pretty good correlation between having a lot of great players (or a lot of players having great seasons) and winning a lot of games. The 1942 and 1944 Cardinals and 1952-53 Yankees won the World Series. The other three teams lost the World Series.

One team in baseball history has had double-digit players get MVP votes. The 1998 Yankees? Nope. They only had four players get MVP votes, if you can believe that (Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill, David Wells, Bernie Williams). The 116-win Mariners in 2001? Nope. They had five MVP vote-getters. Big Red Machine? 1961 Yankees? 1950s Yankees? Nope, nope, and nope.

It was the 1941 Cardinals, a team that won 97 games but finished in second place. They had 12 (!) MVP vote-getters. Half the damn team got MVP votes. The 12: Jimmy Brown, Mort Cooper, Creepy Crespi, Estel Crabtree, Johnny Hopp, Gus Mancuso, Marty Marion, Johnny Mize, Terry Moore, Enos Slaughter, Lon Warneke, and Ernie White. Mize and Slaughter are Hall of Famers, and Cooper and Marion were named MVP in 1942 and 1944, respectively.

Squint your eyes and you can see the 2021 Yankees with seven MVP vote-getters (Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit). All seven have received MVP votes in the past, as have Zack Britton, Aroldis Chapman, Aaron Hicks, and Corey Kluber. Five MVP vote-getters is doable. Maybe six. Seven is tough because so many down-ballot votes go to random players on bad teams these days.

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