Yankee fans, you have seen Clint Frazier in pinstripes for the last time.  With the addition of Edwin Encarnacion, someone had to go and you could not see Frazier getting any at bats now.  Combine that with Giancarlo Stanton returning on Tuesday and then Judge probably next weekend, well, his time is up.

Although Frazier is a liability in the outfield, he was great with RISP and the Yankees will miss his bat in the line up.  It also looks like Urshela will see his at bats sharply reduced even though he was also terrific with RISP for the first half of the season.

SU gets it.  Stanton is the $30 million man and Judge is their best player of course.  SU is surprised that the Yankees didn’t decide to bring Stanton back on Monday – a day early – as he went 0 for 4 last night with 3 strikeouts – clearly in mid-season form and why wait another day?  OK, OK, I know – I am too harsh.  He was only 0 for 4 today with 2 strikeouts so not quite there yet.

Yankee fans will quickly need to transition from a team that hits with RISP (the Yankees led the League up til now) to the 2018 version which is lots of strikeouts, lots of home runs and lots of flailing against the top pitchers.  We will quickly get a taste of that this week with the Rays and Astros coming to town.

Clint Frazier will now be packaged in a trade for a top tier starting pitcher.  That is a no doubter.  SU does not get the Encarnacion trade as more offense is not the issue here.  But he was gettable and it’s possible that Cashman obtained him to block one of the other contenders in the AL to get him.  Or not.

The Yankees will be putting a Fantasy type line up out there every game soon enough but you can forget about the hits to the opposite field and the timely hitting with RISP.  Those days are gone now.

Am I being too tough on Stanton?  Will he be an upgrade?

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OK, OK, now that SU has trashed him, he will go out and hit 2 home runs today.  But come on – look at these stats with the Yankees:

.151; 1 HR and 4 RBIs in 53 at bats.

And he is playing with his 3rd team this year.  He can also no longer run at all.  SU does not care about the analytics that say he is hitting the ball harder than what his average shows.  Must be the same guys that feel Brett Gardner will hit higher than .238 this year.  The team has done well this season playing hitters that put the ball in play.  They sent down Thairo Estrada but he has been good at the plate.  Until Judge returns (and I guess Stanton), SU says play the guys that hit – not the over-the-hill gang.  And don’t just keep a guy on the roster because he used to be good and because your analytics people feel this is the right move.  As a footnote, they transferred Troy Tulowitzki to the 60-day injured list – better known as the Jacoby Ellsbury injured list.  Who would have ever thought he would get hurt?

Return of Didi is great – they desperately need the left-handed bats.  At this point, get Judge, Severino and Betances back, and you are good to go.  Stanton will just limit the at bats for the players who have carried them the first two months – Voit, LeMahieu.

Am I right?

Brian Cashman is moving ever so closer to having to make a move to shore up the Yankees’ starting rotation.  The good news is that the team has over-achieved for 2 months and has won 8-9 series in a row.  SU has no complaints and this team is thoroughly enjoyable to watch.  But Houston is the team to beat in the AL and if your goal is to win the World Series, then you have to upgrade the starting pitching.  SU’s perspective:

• German has been great but the last few starts you are starting to see the rest of the League catch up.  His ERA is 2 runs higher when Sanchez is behind the plate (no doubt the entire staff is 2 runs higher as well).  SU says have Romine be his catcher the rest of the season.  This is a no-brainer.
• Severino is the wild card.  SU says you can’t count on him.  The Yankees’ training staff has been wrong all year on everyone.  They need to assume he will need surgery and find another starter.  SU believes that Keuchel is on the downside of his career or Houston would have re-signed him.  It will be tempting to sign him for 1 year but it’s a risk and no doubt a lot of money.
• While SU prefers the prospects, watching Clint Frazier play the outfield is just too scary.  I have no problem with him wanting to avoid the walls with all of his concussions.  I get that.  But why does he have so much trouble with anything hit his way?  He is also a very streaky hitter.  The smart move is to package Frazier, Bird and a higher end prospect for a middle aged starter who is in the top quartile in baseball.  Not sure who that is.  Pretty sure it’s not Madison Baumgartner.  They have plenty of analytics people.  Find that guy.
• Didi coming back next weekend is huge.  They desperately need another left-handed bat in the line up and he is a great presence in the clubhouse.  Certain guys will sit here and there but that’s ok.  Judge’s return will likely spell the end of Frazier.  Stanton’s return will likely spell the end of good karma.
• In case you were wondering, SU was on record back during the winter that the Red Sox pitchers would be all screwed up this year by having the starters pitch in between starts in the playoffs.  Their starting rotation is a mess.  Is the world championship worth it?  Most would say yes.  David Cone did.
• Batting Aaron Hicks 3rd, 4th, 2nd, makes no sense to me.  Put him 7th until he gets hot again.  Why the extra pressure?  He has one extra base hit since he returned.

Bottom line: Yankee fans cannot complain about anything this season given all the injuries.  However, like last year, they have a shot of winning it all but need to now start fine-tuning the roster for the post-season.  What moves would you make?

Clearly, others have been reading SU on a regular basis.  Note this article from NJ.com after SU had published earlier in the day:

https://www.nj.com/yankees/2019/05/mlb-rumors-heres-when-ex-yankees-manager-joe-girardi-could-replace-mets-mickey-callaway.html

And this in yesterday’s New York Post from an interview that Girardi did with the imperious one, Mike Francesa:

https://nypost.com/2019/05/21/joe-girardi-watching-mets-chaos-unfold-with-intrigue/

SU is a big Girardi fan and he would do well in Flushing with the Mets.  No doubt he can even learn to do the big hugs and soothing words for Robinson Cano to get him to run to first base 4 times a day.  SU is surprised no-one has picked him up to date but he is no doubt being selective.

SU is worried that Boone is going to tire out German on the Yankees.  Right now, he is their best pitcher and I am sure he has never pitched this many innings in a season.  They need to watch this closely – can’t afford to lose this guy.  SU says the athletic training staff should study this carefully and then do the opposite to give them a fighting chance of German not going on the IL.

Great exchange between John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman last night discussing the Orioles’ injured DH, Mark Trumbo.  Sterling said that the days of the big home run hitting DH are numbered in baseball as teams want more versatile players.  SU says the obvious contrast is with Giancarlo Stanton on the Yankees who is going to turn into that guy very soon.  But he will still be paid $30 million a year for the next 10 years.  Is he the last of the Mohicans?  A dying breed?  We will see if Sterling draws that conclusion for a player who is very much like Trumbo.

SU apologizes for the absence of recent posts – working way, way too hard these days.  But SU has been keeping up with the latest developments and has this to share with you this morning:

• The Mets are now discovering the beauty of Robinson Cano.  News flash: he does not hustle.  Even when he was younger, he didn’t hustle.  He is just not going to bust it down the line to first base.  It’s more of an issue when he’s not hitting which would be now.  The GM blasted him apparently and the manager spoke with him.  For Callaway, it’s not good news as he is already on the hot seat.  SU prediction:  Cano will start to hit now – he usually takes a while to heat up and Callaway will get fired.  He will be replaced by Joe Girardi who knows how to handle a guy like Cano.  You heard it here first.
• As we know, Tiger Woods did not make the cut for the PGA Championship.  Many were surprised but Woods’ comments were interesting.  He basically admitted that at age 43 and with several back surgeries behind him, he just doesn’t know anymore how his body will react each day and for each tournament.  SU says that is clearly a factor.  But don’t lose sight of where Woods was the week before when he received a special award at the White House from the President.   As the book title says, “Everything Trump Touches Dies.”  Coincidence?  Time will tell.  SU is a big Tiger fan and hopes that was just a blip.
• The Yankees keep moving along with their line up of replacement players.  Down 6-1 last night, they clawed their way back and Gary Sanchez actually hit a home run with men on base.  SU must admit: I was sure he would strike out there.  He had a couple of hits with RISP in that game and has started to produce with basically no protection in the line up.  SU must give him props there.  Didi will return in June which is huge.  Andujar mercifully took the surgery option and can get ready for next season.  They will still need another starter unless Severino can return.
• SU is not a big fan of the “Opener” approach to pitching that Tampa Bay uses.  Why do you assume that every reliever that you roll out there is going to be on that day?  SU is not sure that this can work for every team as no-one has that many relievers that are all top flight.  Certainly the Yankees don’t right now beyond their core guys.
• The YES Network doesn’t show the shifts all the time but when they do, especially late in games with RISP, it is really frustrating.  How teams don’t teach hitters to hit a ground ball to the opposite field is a joke.  The Yankees’ replacement players will do it but you know once the big boppers return, that will stop.  Stanton is already rehabbing now – oh boy!  Should be interesting when he returns.
• SU has been watching the Michigan search for a new coach.  The reality is that there aren’t appropriate big name coaches out there right now for this job.  SU says put one of the assistant coaches in charge for a year or two and maintain the culture and approach.  It’s not glamorous but it is smart.  Prediction: nope.
• Check out the men’s side for the upcoming French Open.  Nadal is the clear favorite, of course, but there are several players who just might take him out this year including Djokovic, Thiem, and Tsitsipas.  The men’s game is as good and deep now as at any time that I can recall.
• Finally, here’s hoping for a Bucks- Warriors finals.  SU says the Bucks will win that one if Durant can’t return which I don’t think he can do.  Calf injuries are lingering and you don’t want to come back too soon.  I will say this: Golden State has not lost since Durant got hurt and is showing how good they are even without him.  This will only solidify his decision to leave town this off-season and look for his next challenge.  SU predicts he will be in NY – but it may just be Brooklyn over the Knicks.

Ugh.  This is a punch to the gut for SU.  The Pistons were wining and dining Beilein last year but he passed at that time or it may been mutual.  But now it’s been reported that he is taking a 5-year deal with Cleveland which given their current roster is a total rebuild.  It has to be that at his age (which I think is 67 years old), he is tempted to see if his style can fit in the NBA – especially as the style of play has become more up and down the court for many of the better teams.

Is this a good move?  Not for SU.  Michigan basketball had become my favorite sports viewing activity.  I suspect that they will promote someone on the current staff or maybe bring in a recent alumnus who will play the game the same way – at least in the short term.  But there is no guarantee long term and they may take on a style that is like most other teams.  But he was there a long time and SU is thankful for that.  My only hope now is that he might bring in some of his former players to the team – and that would be worth watching for SU.

The Yankees took 2 of 3 in Tampa Bay – very impressive.  Gary Sanchez up to 7 errors for the season including a stint on the injured list.  He may be going for a historically bad year defensively.  I don’t know what the ERAs are of the pitchers when he is behind the plate but you can tell the pitchers prefer throwing to Austin Romine vs. him.  But he hits the occasional 450-foot home run so there is that.  A classic #7 hitter and he can compete for that spot in the line up with Giancarlo Stanton who has the same all or nothing approach.  The big problem for the Yankees, and it’s coming soon, is what to do with Urshela who has no more options.  They can’t send him down to the minors.  SU says send Andujar down to get his confidence back.  He is hitting under .130 now and no doubt feeling pressure from Urshela’s success.  Hicks will be back soon which means they will demote someone but some other roster moves are coming.  It will be very interesting.

Did you know that Brett Gardner is 1 for 26 with RISP this year?  It came out on a recent broadcast.  Clint Frazier deserves to play ahead of him – watch out for that once Hicks is back this week.

Finally, Novak Djokovic won the Madrid Open this weekend and is primed now for the French Open.  I know SU is one of the 7 people who watch the Tennis Channel but the men’s tour is outstanding right now with a crop of younger players starting to win.  Worth a look.

SU has been doing a lot of thinking and has some questions for the intergalactic subscriber base:

• Who knew that horses do not like running in puddles and will jump to avoid them in the biggest race of the year?
• Given how the use of analytics is exploding across all sports, how does that apply in horse racing?  For example, after the running of the Derby, does the trainer for Maximum Security sit down with the horse to go over data?  It seems likes the jockey has a limited degree of control out there.  How does this work? And how do you train the horse not to jump over puddles in the future?
• Now that Brian Cashman has learned that Severino will not be ready, at the earliest, until after the All-Star Break, does he wish he had back the $30 million a year (for the next 10 years) sunk into Giancarlo Stanton?  Might that money be useful to sign some starting pitchers for a team that is ready to win now?
• In 2019, is there a more useless statistic in baseball than reporting on how many wins you have against teams with winning records?  If you look at the standings, so many teams are within a few games of .500.  For the Yankees, who cares about the opponents?  In 2 weeks, those teams below .500 will be above it, and vice versa.  SU says wins are wins – get over it.
• Is Aaron Boone a great manager?  Or does he have so few healthy players to put in the line-up, anyone reading this right now could do it just as well?
• Does anyone agree with SU that the next injury for the Yankees will be to one of their trainers or strength and conditioning coaches?  Surely, they are being stretched to the limit and a pulled muscle or rotator cuff injury are just around the corner.
• Are you watching the NBA playoffs?  If not, you should be.  The games are intense and the absence of LeBron is a real opportunity for a lot of teams.  Good stuff.

OK, there you go.  Food for thought.  Feel free to weigh in on any of these incredibly insightful questions.

SU is not like one of the tens of thousands of fans lining the streets of Nashville last night to watch the NFL draft.  But I did tune in for the Giants’ first round picks – I was curious to see if they would pick Eli’s successor.  And, it turns out they did.  But tell me: who is Daniel Jones from Duke?  And is he a legit #6 pick in the first round?  SU says the Giants either are incredibly shrewd talent evaluators and have found the next Eli Manning given the endorsements from Eli’s former coach, or this is just another move that will set the team back for years to come.

Many teams seemed to be scared off by Haskins from Ohio State as he dropped to the 15th pick despite great stats this year in his only full year of playing in college.  The Arizona Cardinals need to move Rosen now but he was pretty bad in his rookie season last year.  It appears to be a head-scratching move but SU is prepared to be enlightened.

Meanwhile, Yankee fans have to be enjoying how this team of youngsters is competing for the last week and a half.  They have long at bats, hit to the opposite field, hit in situations to get guys across or in, and even steal bases.  SU looked it up and it’s called “baseball.”  But, alas, the stars are ready to return soon no doubt.  Gary Sanchez has given them 5 strikeouts in 2 games, a passed ball (of course!) and mindless at bats in his first 2 games back.  I know he has potential, and as Michael Kay said last night is seen as a “40-home run guy.”  And you can put him back to back with Giancarlo Stanton and they both will end up with 40 home runs and 81 rbis and 175 strikeouts.

Clearly, the Yankees are better with Didi back, Judge back, Hicks back, Andujar back.  But for SU, Tulo, Sanchez, Stanton – just take your time with the rehab.  No one misses the wild swings on the sliders low and away, and your thoughtful at bats.  I mean, who would try and get you out with that pitch?  I know Romine is not an everyday catcher but you can tell the Yankee pitchers would prefer to throw to him.  If the team needs another starter, SU votes to move Sanchez.

Btw, the Yankees’ bullpen is leaking this year.  Chad Green needs a few weeks in the minors and no one is a sure thing.  But SU likes the spirit and the fight right now – even Tyler Wade is stepping up.  The contrast between the high strikeout, high home run line-up and this style is striking, and Cashman needs to find the right mix going forward as the season unfolds.

If you happen to watch the Yankees of late, it is striking how the current line up of fill-in players seem to all look to hit to the opposite field.  This is truly amazing.  Clearly, if you are a superstar earning more than $25 million a year, you can ignore the batting coaches and just go out hunting for your home runs.  It seems that the youngsters, who mostly make the MLB minimum, actually listen.  SU is very excited to see this.

Btw, give the Yankees credit.  There is no hanging their heads and complaining about all the injuries.  It’s “next man up” and you go with who is available.  While they may not be the 1927 Yankees, they put the ball in play and go with the pitch.  SU says this is so much more entertaining!  Note to Giancarlo Stanton: take your time and make sure your bicep is just right before returning.  SU will enjoy the little guys playing in your place and putting the ball in play.

Meanwhile, you can say the Yankees are having some bad luck, but in this era of sabremetrics and the most expensive strength and conditioning advice and research, available, clearly the Yankees need to change their approach.  This is well beyond bad luck.  This has to be the wrong type of training and strength/conditioning.  Too much weight lifting?  Not enough stretching with all of the calf injuries?  Are the players too muscular?  Time for a major reassessment by the team.

The Judge oblique injury is a killer.  SU says this is likely a 2-month injury and we will see if the Generational One can step in fill the void.  It’s interesting to read that Judge is seen as the one player that they can’t replace.  If you make $30 million a year, how are you not that guy??

You seriously cannot make this stuff up.  Greg Bird is now on the Injured List with a plantar fascia tear.  Clearly, he got this from Jacoby Ellsbury in spring training down in Tampa.  Everyone is worried about the measles outbreak but the Yankees have their own set of health issues.  SU says this will be the end of Bird’s tenure with the team.  They called up Mike Ford who has been tearing it up at Scranton and it’s time for the Bird era to end in NY.  He has blown every chance and this year in particular.

SU says that the Yankees will soon be in the market for a new Head Trainer and a new Strength and Conditioning coach.  What is going on this year?  And did you see that David Robertson is now on the IL with the Phillies?  That makes Chapman, Betances, Kahnle and Robertson from last year’s bullpen all having issues over the past 12 months.  Cashman never felt that Girardi was enough of a communicator but he knew how to manage the bullpen.  Whatever Boone did last year is having some carryover in 2019.  If the Yankees struggle all year, the Boone era may be short-lived.

The Yankees have been unwatchable all season but you have to figure better times are ahead.  However, no buzz with the Red Sox in town – for either team.  The Mets meanwhile have a circular line up and put the ball in play.  They are worth a look.

Did did you see that Golden State blew a 31-point lead last night at home?  The Clippers scored 85 points in the 2nd half.  Crazy.  And the Sixers had 51 points in the 3rd quarter against Brooklyn.  While SU really enjoys the fast pace and high scoring, just a little bit of defense might not be a bad idea.