RAB Thoughts

Thoughts following the 2022 trade deadline

A replacement starter, not an additional starter. (Getty)

The trade deadline has come and gone and everything the Yankees did was smart and sens...

August 1st, 2022: Judge, Trade Deadline, Injury Updates

Two impressive streaks came to an end Sunday. Ron Marinaccio went 56 batters between allowing a hit, the third most ever behind Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (71 in 1977) and former Yankee Doc Gooden (57 in 1996). Also, Clay Holmes went 178 batte...

July 28th, 2022: Trade Rumors, Stanton, Mailbag

The Yankees have gone from a 116-win pace to 6-10 in their last 15 games and 15-15 in their last 29 games. 10 of those 15 losses have been by no more than two runs, so they’re in just about every game, but all those comebacks the Yankees were mo...

Quick thoughts after the Yankees acquire Andrew Benintendi

Please be more Damon than Ellsbury. (Getty)

Trade season has arrived and the Yankees have landed a badly needed lefty outfield bat, 2022-07-28 05:27:53 +0000 UTC View Post

July 25th, 2022: King, Judge, Astros, German, Abreu, Bullpen Trade Targets, Gallo, Prospects, International Draft

The trade deadline is a week away and the rumor mill should heat up soon now that MLB and the MLBPA failed to reach an international draft agreement, and the qualifying offer system will remain (more on that later). Trade rumors are coming. Now he...

July 21st, 2022: Second Half Preview, All-Star Game, Mailbag

The All-Star break is over and the Yankees begin the rest of their season Thursday. The trade deadline is less than two weeks ago too. Fun fun fun. Here is m...

Thoughts following the 2022 Draft

Thumbs up for this year’s first round pick. (Vanderbilt)

The three-day 2022 MLB draft is complete and 616 picks were made across 20 rounds. 2022-07-20 12:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post

July 19th, 2022: Midseason Review, Soto, Castillo, Futures Game

The 2022 draft began Sunday night and the Yankees selected Vanderbilt slugger Spencer Jones with their first round pick. Here’s my pre-draft profile. <...

July 15th, 2022: Severino, Holmes, Hicks, King, Loaisiga, Trade Chatter, Rosario, 2022 Draft, Mailbag

PSA: Next week’s post schedule will be a little wonky because the draft begins Sunday and it’s the All-Star break. I’m thinking a first half review-y post Tuesday, a single dedicated draft post Wednesday, and then a second half preview-y pos...

July 11th, 2022: Carpenter, Montgomery, Loaisiga, Trade Targets, All-Stars

The four-city, 10-game, 11-day road trip is finally over. The Yankees went 5-5 during their longest road trip of the season and I’d say it was closer to being an 6-4 trip than a 4-6 trip. Feels like the Yankees haven’t been home in a month. I�...

July 8th, 2022: Judge, Donaldson, Hicks, Gonzalez, Cole, All-Stars, Rodriguez, Mailbag

On this date in 2000, the Yankees and Mets played baseball’s first two-stadium doubleheader since 1903. The Yankees won the day game 4-2 at Shea Stadium and the night game 4-2 at Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera saved both games. 2022-07-08 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post

July 5th, 2022: Halfway Point, Chapman, Judge, Marinaccio, Sears, Banuelos, Blake, Torres, Wendle, Prospects

Monday was the Yankees’ first Fourth of July of

July 1st, 2022: Rotation, Sears, Banuelos, Catchers, Gallo, Mailbag

The Yankees played five games against the Astros in the last week and did not take a single at-bat while holding a lead. They’re gonna need some other team to beat Houston in the ALDS, because not they’re beating them in the ALCS. Kidding! Or ...

June 28th, 2022: Judge, Astros, Castillo, Montas, Warren, Gil, Happ

Self-promotion: I was asked to write a thing at CBS explaining why th...

June 24th, 2022: Judge, Stanton, Cortes, Trevino, Injuries, Abreu, Mailbag

UPDATE: I woke up and felt like writing a bit more, so I added stuff throughout the Weekday Thoughts section. I also fixed a typo in the Trevino section. He's been great, but not +21.9 WAR great.

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Folks, I have a ...

June 21st, 2022: Judge, Cole, Taillon, Volpe, Prospects, Benintendi

The 50-17 start is not just one of the best starts in Yankees history, it’s one of the best starts in baseball history period. The 2022 Yankees are the 11th team to win at least 50 of their first 67 games, and they’re only the third team to do...

June 17th, 2022: Pitching, Holmes, Cole, Pirates, Mailbag

The Yankees are 47-16 (this is tied for the third fourth best 63-game start in franchise history) and they have a 10-game lead in the AL East. The Mets have the second best re...

June 13th, 2022: Offense, Carpenter, Montgomery, Catchers, Hicks, Futures Game

The Yankees begin a 20 games in 20 days stretch Tuesday and it’ll be a tough one: 13 of the 20 games are against the Astros, Blue Jays, and Rays, including the first 12. If you haven’t noticed, the rest of the AL East has gotten on track the l...

June 10th, 2022: Twins, Rotation, Cortes, Carpenter, Bullpen Trade Targets, Mailbag

MLB released the 2022 All-Star ballot earlier this week, if you care about such things. Gotta think Aaron Judge will be voted in as a starter for the fourth time (2017, 20...

June 6th, 2022: Rotation, Judge, King, Banuelos, Andujar, Britton, German, Bauers

It’s reunion week. The Yankees first head to Minnesota for three games against Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela, and the Twins (Sonny Gray is on the injured list), then they return home for three games against Clint Frazier, David Robertson, and the Cu...

June 3rd, 2022: Outfield, Taillon, Carpenter, Cordero, Trade Chips, Mailbag

At 36-15, the Yankees are off to the eighth best start in franchise history, and their best since the 1998 team started 38-13. The Yankees went to the World Series every previous year they started this well and won it four times. Granted, most of ...

May 30th, 2022: Taillon, LeMahieu, Gallo, Greene, Prospects

The 23 games in 22 days stretch is over and the Yankees went 15-8. I would’ve happily signed up for that going into those 22 days. The Yankees split four games in Tampa this weekend with like 3.5 Major League hitters in their lineup, which is a ...

May 27th, 2022: Carpenter, Trevino, Sears, Torres, Stanton, Bullpen, Mailbag

The Yankees have wrapped up the “easy” part of their early season schedule. Thursday night’s win in Tampa was the first game of a 29-game stretch in which the Yankees will play the Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Twins, and Rays a combined 23 tim...

May 24th, 2022: Donaldson, Offense, Bullpen, Green, Gil

Roger Angell, the greatest ballwriter to ever live, passed away Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 101. If you’re only going to read one thing today, 2022-05-24 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post

May 20th, 2022: Locastro, Green, Britton, Gil, Rortvedt, Mailbag

UPDATE: I goofed on some of the math in the mailbag question about the improved base running. They're small changes that don't change anything in the big picture, though the numbers are correct now. My bad.

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As mu...

May 17th, 2022: Cole, Donaldson, Gallo, Homers, Chapman, Schmidt, Prospects

The Yankees have won 26 of their first 35 games for only the sixth time in franchise history. They previously did it in 1926 (26-9), 1928 (28-7), 1939 (28-7), 1951 (26-9), and 1998 (26-9), and they won the World Series in every one of those years ...

May 13th, 2022: Judge, Gil, Holmes, Hicks, Loaisiga, Severino, Torres, Mailbag

At 23-8, the Yankees are tied for the fifth best 31-game start in franchise history, behind 1928 (25-6), 1939 (25-6), 1958 (25-6), and 1998 (24-7), and tied with 1923, 1950, and 2003. The Yankees went to the World Series in every single one of tho...

May 10th, 2022: Cortes, King, Offense, Cole, Pitching, Prospects

The impromptu All-Star break is over and the Yankees are two days into this 23 games in 22 days stretch. So far, so good, even if the offense makes you want to pull your hair out. The Yankees are 7-1-1 in their nine series this year. Keep winning ...

Quick thoughts after back-to-back rainouts vs. Rangers

UPDATE (3:55pm ET): Clarke Schmidt is starting the second game of Triple-A Scranton's doubleheader today (2022-05-07 15:07:17 +0000 UTC View Post

May 5th, 2022: Pitching, Infield Defense, Chase Rate, Catching, Mailbag

Pretty incredible the Yankees are sitting on a +49 run differential a month into the season. Only the Dodgers (+57) are better, and the Angels (+27) are a distant second in the American League. It’s still early enough that run differential is on...