March 2, 2014, Dunedin, Fla. — Lefthander Vidal Nuno was on the mound as the Bombers took their modest two-game winning streak to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays Sunday afternoon, a carbon copy of Saturday, but just a few degrees warmer. And Nuno was pretty much what Yankee fans remembered from 2013: not a lot of straight pitches, lots of strikes, doesn’t throw too hard. Continue reading
Category Archives: Spring Training
Pitching Is Catching
Tampa, Fla., March 1, 2014 — Everything went off as advertised at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday. The place was packed with Yankee fans, Phillie fans, fans of all stripes. The weather delivered a perfect day, dazzling sunshine with temps in the mid-70s. And the Big Three of the Yankee rotation stifled the visiting batters for six frames. Continue reading
Hooters Home Run
Lakewood, Fla., February 28, 2014 — Thirteen hours after leaving our hotel Friday, we returned having witnessed a very entertaining Yankees 7-4 over the Tigers and a true yawner at Champions Field in Disney, where visiting Houston posted a 7-5 win over the Braves. I’m embarrassed to say it was quite cool at the night game to anyone living in the Midwest or Northeast, and will tread lightly (with those poor souls in mind) describing the brilliantly prefect conditions at game 1 in Lakewood. Suffice it to say that it was sunny and 45 degrees warmer than in New York, 53 digits over the reading in Detroit, when reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer threw ball one to Jacoby Ellsbury. Continue reading
Crazy Eights
Tampa, Fla., February 27, 2014 — It was another “one bad inning” day in Tampa on Thursday, but a good time was had by all nonetheless. Wednesday forecasts guaranteed some rain, but we awoke to a cool, partly cloudy day where sun shone on George M. Steinbrenner Field for much of the day. The only rain was what the Pirates laid on the Yankees once free agent signee Robert Coello took the mound in the eighth. Continue reading
Chasing History
Bradenton, Fla., February 26, 2014 — The season of 2014 Yankee Spring games, at least the ones against major league opposition, got off to a good start on Wednesday with a game vs. the Pirates in Bradenton. That the team scored two runs in both the first and second innings signifies this, but it doesn’t really describe it. New leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury reached base three straight times, and scored twice. And the offense at the catching position the Yanks are unveiling this year had a good debut, as lefty-hitting backstop Brian McCann hit the third pitch he saw for a sharp rbi single, tellingly a bit to the left of second base. Continue reading
A Right of Spring
Washington, D.C., March 29, 2013 — The Yankees played, and won, their penultimate 2013 Spring Training game a couple of hundred miles south of the Big Apple Friday, but considerably north of where they participated in a difficult camp, dominated by injuries, errors, generally light hitting, and a plethora of game losses. But if the results of this contest are any guide, this team is removed from the one that played its first game one month ago by a lot more than mileage. Continue reading
Therrific Thirteen
Spring Training, Week 1, 2013 – Got in late Saturday after finally witnessing a win in Tampa, and vegged much of the day, but I wanted to share some positive impressions on players in camp that we saw from February 26 through March 2. Following a 1-4 stretch during which the Yanks continuously threw the ball away, I thought I might have some trouble filling a baker’s dozen, but as it turns out I’m afraid I’m leaving some worthy candidates out, like Jose Ramirez, Tyler Austin, and Mark Montgomery.
Hats off, too, to Chris Stewart, who has struggled to block the plate, and made a bad throw, but his two-run home run and subsequent peg to nail Tigers rookie league shortstop Brandon Loy trying to steal Saturday contributed more than any other factor to get us a win. Our list of 13 covers three vets pretty much guaranteed significant 2013 innings, four vets battling over extra spots, and six kids, some of with a rep coming in, some not.
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Mouse over or touch the images in the slideshow to read my assessment of players we saw in the first week of spring training.
Honorable mention would include a mix of youth and experience as well. Among the vets, both Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira have looked solid at the plate and exceptional in the field, and Ivan Nova and David Robertson have pitched well; youth has served well too, with Adam Warren making two solid starts. Melky Mesa continues to flash a variety of skills, but showed a tendency to strike out in big spots. Overall, I present a glowing look at what we can expect from a team that lost seven straight, and four out of five, with 11 errors, while I was there.
Spring Training Spring Training
With an unprecedentedly large Spring Training roster, the Yankees have assigned 13 numbers to two different players, in each case, one pitcher and one position player. No. 96 at third base, Addison Maruszak, had an up-and-down day, but No. 96 on the mound, Vidal Nuno, is the gold star prospect so far.
A Too Pristine Day
David Phelps looked season-ready over three innings. In 39 pitches he struck out two while allowing a walk and a hit, but no runs.
Yankees Throw One Away
Gardner confers with Rob Thomson after his three-run second-inning triple. Brett’s daredevil head-first slides into bases are a concern, particularly following on his injury-plagued 2012 season.