02/12/20: THE BRONX BOMBERS STORMED THE GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER FIELD IN “THE BIG GUAVA” TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA. THE YANKEES WERE LED BY THEIR MANAGER COMING INTO HIS THIRD YEAR OF ACTION, AARON BOONE. BOONE BECAME THE FIRST MANAGER IN MLB HISTORY TO HAVE OVER 100 WINS IN EACH OF HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS.
AARON BOONE WAS FOLLOWED BY YANKEES’ ACE GERRIT COLE. COLE LOOKED SHARP THIS MORNING… HE WAS LOCKED IN AND THROWING SOME HEAT!
ACCORDING TO NJ.COM’S ARTICLE ON THE YANKEES START TO SPRING TRAINING, MANAGER AARON BOONE COMMENTED, “EVERY PITCH HE MAKES, WHAT IT’S DOING, WHAT IT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, HIS MECHANICS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH IT… HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS SPECIAL…”
THE YANKEES HAVE FOCUSED A LOT ON STARTING RHP MASAHIRO TANAKA WHO ENTERS HIS SEVENTH YEAR OF MAJOR LEAGUE PLAY. TANAKA WAS A KEY PLAYER IN THE POSTSEASON RUN FOR THE YANKEES DURING THE 2019 SEASON. THE CLUB NEEDS TANAKA TO COME UP BIG THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RECENT UNFORTUNATE NEWS ABOUT PAXTON’S EXPECTED ABSENCE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS OF THE SEASON. ALONG WITH GERRIT COLE AND LUIS SEVERINO, MASAHIRO TANAKA IS GOING TO HAVE TO LEAD THIS BALL CLUB WITH CONSISTENT SUCCESS.
WHILE THE NEWS ON PAXTON’S RECENT INJURY WAS A BLOW FOR THE BOMBERS, THE YANKEES PREPARED THEMSELVES FOR ANY SITUATIONS THAT WOULD ARISE SIMILAR TO THIS… MANY YANKEES FANS WERE ON BOARD WITH TRADING AWAY THE 37-YEAR-OLD LEFT-HANDER J.A. HAPP FOR MORE TALENT OR CASH CONSIDERATIONS. HOWEVER, THE OFFICE’S MOVE TO KEEP HAPP ON THE ROSTER TURNED OUT TO BE BENEFICIAL…
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ONE PLAYER WHO ARRIVED EARLY THIS YEAR TO SPRING TRAINING WAS 2018 A.L. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RUNNER UP, MIGUEL ANDUJAR. ANDUJAR BURST ON THE SCENE WHEN HE DEBUTED IN EARLY APRIL OF THE 2018 SEASON… HOWEVER AN INJURY FOLLOWING HIS FANTASTIC SEASON WOULD LEAVE HIM ON THE BENCH FOR ALMOST ALL OF THE 2019 SEASON. UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, WHILE HE WAS ABSENT, THE YANKEES LOCKED DOWN GIO URSHELA AS THEIR STARTING THIRD BASEMEN. THIS LEAVES ANDUJAR TO HAVE TO SHARE THIRD BASE AS WELL AS BECOME FAMILIAR WITH OTHER POSITIONS ON THE DIAMOND. ANDUJAR SHOWED WITH HIS PRACTICE IN THE OUTFIELD HOW HE CAN BE A UTILITY PLAYER TO THE CLUB IF THEY NEED HIM.
ONE PLAYER THAT IS IN NEED OF A BREAKOUT SEASON IN 2020 IS YANKEES OUTFIELDER/DH GIANCARLO STATON. STANTON, 30, HAS NOT MATCHED UP TO THE SUCCESS THAT WAS EXPECTED OF HIM COMING OFF OF HIS MVP YEAR WITH THE MARLINS IN 2017. HE HAS STRUGGLED WITH INJURIES, SPECIFICALLY ONES LAST SEASON THAT KEPT HIM ON THE BENCH FOR 144 REGULAR SEASON GAMES.
HE DID RETURN FOR THE PLAYOFFS HOWEVER FOUND LITTLE SUCCESS THERE EITHER BEFORE RE-INJURING HIMSELF IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES AGAINST THE ASTROS. GM BRIAN CASHMAN STILL BELIEVES THAT THEIR DECISION TO SIGN STANTON WAS A GOOD ONE, BUT AS FANS WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF HE CAN STAY HEALTHY AND BE THE STAR THAT WE ALL WANT HIM TO BE.
THE YANKEES ARE NOT THE ONLY BALL CLUB SHOWING UP FOR SPRING TRAINING… THE HOUSTON ASTROS HAVE BEEN THE SPOTLIGHT OF ATTENTION OVER THE WINTER WITH CONSTANT NEWS BEING ABOUT THEIR CHEATING SCANDAL. DURING THE YEARS OF THEIR CHEATING, THE KNOCKED THE YANKEES OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS AND KILLED THEIR DREAMS OF MAKING IT TO THE WORLD SERIES ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THEY CHEATED IN REGULAR SEASON GAMES, POSTSEASON GAMES, AND EVEN DURING THE WORLD SERIES IN 2017 AS WELL AS 2019. WHILE THE TEAM HAS BEEN REPRIMANDED, NONE OF THE PLAYERS HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH ANYTHING BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, CAUSING ANGER FROM REPORTERS AND FANS… THE YANKEES WILL HAVE TO BATTLE THEM IN MULTIPLE SERIES IN THE UPCOMING SEASON, BUT HAVE REVENGE ON THEIR SIDE THAT WILL DRIVE THEM TO PLAY VERY COMPETITIVELY.
THE YANKEES DECIDED NOT TO RESIGN PITCHING COACH LARRY ROTHSCHILD OVER THIS PAST OFFSEASON. THEY SIGNED MATT BLAKE FROM THE CLEVELAND INDIANS’ PITCHING STAFF TO REPLACE HIM. BLAKE IS APPARENTLY AHEAD OF HIS TIME AND WAS PICKED UP BY THE YANKEES WITH THE HOPES OF HELPING CONTINUE THE GROWTH OF THEIR NEW ACE, GERRIT COLE.