Opening day is here! Very excited, albeit I’ll have to gamecast from work. Forgot to take myself off the schedule for today. Tanaka on the bump. Let the long ride begin
Opening day is here! Very excited, albeit I’ll have to gamecast from work. Forgot to take myself off the schedule for today. Tanaka on the bump. Let the long ride begin
Hal sucks
Hicks has two cortisone injections and while he’s feeling better, he has been limited to non baseball activities. He should start swinging the stick soon and will need probably a week to get his bat up to speed. He’ll likely head back to the majors at the earliest, mid April
Per Jack Curry, here is today's lineup:
1. Brett Gardner CF
2. Aaron Judge RF
3. Gian Stanton LF
4. Luke Voit DH
5. Miguel Andujar 3B
6. Gary Sanchez C
7. Greg Bird 1B
8. Gleyber Torres 2B
9. Troy Tulo SS
I'm a bit surprised that they moved Andujar ahead of Sanchez, but I agree with it. At least until Sanchez shows that he can mash again.
The interesting thing about this Yankee squad is our depth. We are down Hicks, yet we may not drop an inch in offensive output. Boone had said we wouldn't carry both Voit and Bird, but with Hicks on the shelf, that's exactly what we are doing. Bird is an intriguing case. He came up in 2015 when Tex was injured and popped 11HR in 46 games. He missed 2016 with a shoulder injury. He ended up with os trigonum surgery following a foul ball of his foot, which wrecked the beginning of his 2017. He had a complication from that surgery wreck the beginning of his 2018 and he just wasn't in synch after that. This is the first season where he has made it through ST with only minor bumps and bruises. If he is healthy, he can hit. He showed it in the spring OPS'ing over 1.100. Granted, spring numbers aren't everything, but the Hicks injury allows Bird to stay in the lineup and battle Voit for the position. If both hit well, there is a chance they force Gardner to 4th OFer
Hal sucks
I’m still surprised at the contract. Length was too long, but the AAV was below market. Maybe that was the point. Save up to $3-$5 mil in AAV for when the Yanks get pricey
Bird, if healthy, is a good hitter. He has never proven to stay healthy. He's a reasonable plan B for the lineup. I expect Hicks to be back before our west coast swing in late April.
Hal sucks
Tanaka with good location in inning 1. Running 91-92 as is his typical. The orioles lineup is abysmal.
I literally haven't heard of 1/2 the Orioles lineup, and the guys I've heard of are people like Chris Davis who just suck. What the hell is that roster?