TAMPA—The most common phrase here at Legends Field is “they are the Yankees again.” Which they are. They’re coming off 91 wins and a post-season in which they knocked off the American League’s best team and defending champions, Cleveland, got all the way to the seventh game of the ALCS before losing to the eventual world champion Astros and created the greatest stir of the post-season by acquiring Giancarlo Stanton to build the Bronx version of the Twin Towers with Aaron Judge, then moved to bring Aaron Boone in for his first managerial job, in the House that George built.
Yet as pitchers and catchers gently completed their sixth day and the remaining positional players arrived to take their physicals, there was no sense that these Yankees are facing a must win season. Granted we’ve already seen a minor trash-tweetalk Yankee-Astro controversy between Christopher Russo and Justin Verlander, the Yankees know how good the Indians are likely to be and what might have happened last October had Corey Kluber been healthy. They know the Red Sox still won the East in a year when David Price was hurt, most of their highly skilled young players had downturns and the team spent much of the season as if they were being held in detention and are waiting to see if J.D. Martinez turns up in Fort Myers now that Eric Hosmer has signed with the Padres for a guarantee of little more than $100M.
Stanton is not going to be called “Mr. May.” If Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar struggles in late March, there will be no “we’ve seen enough of Torres” or “Andujar spit the bit.” Boone is Brian Cashman’s hire, and if anyone is worried about his handling of the media, remember, when Aaron was eight years old he did live shots for the legendary Stu Nahan of KTLA from Anaheim.
In his Sunday press conference, Boone fielded more questions about Jacoby and the outfield-DH alignment of Stanton, Judge, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier than anything else. “If Jacoby is healthy, we’ll have a really good player,” said Boone. “Things will work there way out.” Stanton and Judge hit 59 and 52 homers, and are here without the ARod drama—as magnificent a player as he was—or straws to stir the drinks. Stanton and Judge might as well be related, gigantic, modest, thoughtful, respectful.
At the start of the 2017 season, Judge was considered a brick in the wall of young talent Cashman had carefully assembled without obsession with moments. Many thought at the end of spring training that he might go back to triple-A, but ended up MVP runner-up. A year later, one thing that was very clear from Boone that this building is still a work in progress.
There were no questions about a pillow deal for unsigned free agent Mike Moustakas, no speculation about a trade for Manny Machado. Cashman worked hard to get the Yankees beneath the luxury tax threshold, and Boone’s infield discussion was how it fits around Didi Gregorius with Greg Bird at first and possibility of 21 year old Gleybar Torres at second and Miguel Andujar at third. “It will be fun to see how they progress this spring,” Boone said. The Yankees believe Andujar will hit, be it 2018 or 2019. Injuries limited Torres to 55 games in the minors, but Cashman lieutenants say Torres “has an incredibly slow heartbeat, really sees the game and an be a star.” When the Cubs traded him for Aroldis Chapman, they thought he’d be a 30-35 homer guy in Yankee Stadium because of his rightcenterfield power. And they’re not even certain Torres is their best prospect. They think that may be 21-year old centerfielder Estevan Florial, a youngster with every tool any center fielder could want, although he likely will open the season in the Florida State League.
There will be no deal for Florial or Torres. They could have Gerrit Cole, who is on the verge of his career exploding. Enough said.
The one area where one might suspect is the starting pitching. But, understand, while Severino, Sonny Gray, Tanaka, Jordan Montgomery and C.C. Sabathia doesn’t take ones breath away, appreciate that Severino and Tanaka were the only threw enough innings for them to qualify for the earned run title. They can develop. They can trade for a Julio Teheran, or the like. Hey, their starters were in the top four in ERA last season.
But this is a team built in modern baseball bullpen terms. Chapman is closer. Fine. In a matchup era, most of the bullpen gets hitters out from from sides of the plate. In a strikeout era, look at the Innings Pitch/Walk/Strikeout ratios:
David Robertson 35/12/51, Chad Green 67/16/100, Dellin Betances 59.2/44/100, Chapman 50.1/20/69, Tommy Kahnle 26.2/10/36, Adam Warren 57.1/15/54, Chasen Shreve 45.1/15/54. “These are guys who can be used in any situation at any point in games,” says Boone. “We have to carefully monitor their usage so they’re fresh right into September and hopefully October. The stuff and the depth the Yankees have assembled is really something.”
September, October. Yes, these are the Yankees, and again they look to the fall, but so do the fans in Cleveland, Boston, Houston, Washington and Los Angeles, and in every case save Houston and possibly Dodger Stadium, there is an urgency because of impending free agencies and closing windows. The Astros are at baseball millennial. The Dodgers, like the Astros and Yankees, are building for the haul into the 2020s.
It’s fascinating to see, and it is fun. “There is a comradery among the young players here that is exciting,” says Bird, who fouled a ball off his foot last spring and missed much of the season. Other than Ellsbury and Gardner, there may not be a regular over 30.
Things happen between Washington’s Birthday and November. If Kluber had been fully healthy, the Indians might have won their first first series since 1948. If Kenley Jansen hadn’t given up a game-tying, ninth inning homer to Marwin Gonzalez in Game Two of the World Series, the Dodgers probably would have won their first ring since the Reagan Administration.
So when one hears “the Yankees are the Yankees again,” it isn’t a prediction that they will win it all. But they are back, without drama or jealousy or villains.
And the manager knows about tough questions. Back when he was doing that live shot for Stu Nahan in the second biggest market in the country, his first interview was with Tim DeCinces, whose father Doug played for the Angels. “What do you think happened on that error your father made last night?” Boone asked DeCinces.
Thirty two years later, Boone is answering questions about Jacoby Ellsbury.