RAB Thoughts

Thoughts after Game 3 of the 2024 ALDS

The Yankees have two chances to win one game to advance to their fourth ALCS in the last eight years. A late-inning homer and more excellent bullpen work...

Thoughts before Game 3 of the 2024 ALDS

The Yankees will finally play another baseball game tonight. Between the Wild Card Series bye and all the ALDS off-days, they’ve played two games in the last nine days. This is me complaining as a fan who wants to watch the Yankees play baseball...

Thoughts after Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS

I gotta tell ya, if I’m the Royals, I’m feeling pretty good about escaping Yankee Stadium with a split after Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-10 in Games 1 ...

Thoughts after Game 1 and before Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it was a win, and there are no bonus points for style. The Yankees beat the Royals 6-5 in Game 1 of the ALDS and are t...

Thoughts before Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS

I said it Friday and it’s worth repeating: The Yankees may never have a better chance to win the World Series in the Gerrit Cole/Aaron Judge era than they do this year. The Royals and either the Guardians or Tigers stand between them and the pen...

October 4th, 2024: ALDS Roster, X-Factors, Mailbag

Last week I answered a mailbag question about both te...

Poll: The Yankees’ ALDS opponent

The best-of-three Wild Card Series gets underway Tuesday and the Yankees will be interested observers. They’ll spend the week sleeping in their own bed...

September 30th, 2024: No. 1 Seed, Rizzo, Judge, Soto, Awards

Longtime RAB readers and hardcore prospect watchers may remember catcher Gustavo Campero. He spent a few years in the Yankees’ system and had a big rookie ball debut in 2017 (.292/.444/.521 and 174 wRC+), but the bat stalled, and the Yankees cut...

September 27th, 2024: AL East, Judge, Domínguez, Mailbag

MY BAD: Sorry everyone, I accidentally scheduled this post for 6pm ET instead of 6am ET. That's why it was late today. My mistake.

ORIGINAL POST: The Dominican Winter League is indeed coming to Yan...

Quick thoughts after Nestor Cortes heads for an MRI on his elbow

UPDATE: The Yankees placed Cortes on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain, they announced this afternoon. Poteet was called...

September 24th, 2024: AL East, Judge, Cole, Torres, Wells, Cousins, Beeter

It’s official: There will not be a 100-win team this year. First time since 2014. The Dodgers and Phillies both took their 63rd loss over the weekend to clinch it (the Yankees lost their 63rd game last weekend, the Rafael Devers intentional walk...

September 20th, 2024: Postseason, Soto, Holmes, Volpe, Mailbag

Surprise: Alex Cora was not disciplined for admitting the Red Sox threw at Aaron Judge last weekend. I guess his comment was vague enough – “We had our shot in the sixth inning and it didn't happen” – to escape punishment. “We got too mu...

September 17th, 2024: Judge, Stroman, Cole, Pitching Staff, Soto

Important mailbag follow-up: I answered a mailbag question about splash hits at Oracle Park before the Yankees visited San Francisco earlier this se...

September 13th, 2024: Domínguez, Wells, LeMahieu, Judge, Mailbag

Earlier this week Marcus Stroman was named the Yankees’ nominee for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes players for their charitable work and community involvement. Among other things, 2024-09-13 10:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post

September 9th, 2024: Gil, Schmidt, Cortes, Weaver, Judge, Arizona Fall League

It’s time for the annual post: Saturday afternoon the Yankees won their 82nd game and clinched their 32nd consecutive winning season. They haven’t had a losing season since going 76-86 in 1992. This is the second longest streak of winning seas...

September 6th, 2024: Holmes, Rodón, Torres, Gil, Schmidt, Mailbag

For the third time this season, Aaron Judge was named AL Player of the Month. He slashed .389/.530/.856 (268 wRC+) with 12 homers in...

September 2nd, 2024: Wells, Stroman, Warren, Domínguez

For the first time since 2019, the Yankees entered September with the best record in the American League. The last two and a half months haven’t been the prettiest, I know, but the Yankees are 79-58 with a +121 run differential. They’re one up...

August 30th, 2024: Nationals Series, Injury Updates, Mailbag

Jazz Chisholm Jr. slugged a solo home run in the eighth inning Monday (video) and, in the grand sch...

August 26th, 2024: Judge, Soto, Stanton, Torres, Tonkin, Prospects

Old Timers’ Day was Saturday and, depending who you ask, the players either want an Old Timers’ Game (CC Sabathia) or say they can’t do it because eve...

August 23rd, 2024: Judge, Soto, Gil, LeMahieu, Verdugo, Mailbag

The folks at Pitch Profiler had a fun list the other day. They measured the most “feared” hitters by comparing the difference between Stuff+ when a ...

August 19th, 2024: Tigers Series, Bullpen, Soto, Volpe

I need to correct something I posted earlier this month. I misread the postseason schedule and there is an off-day between Games 4 and 5 ...

August 16th, 2024: Judge, Soto, Wells, Warren, Peraza, Mailbag

Old Timers’ Day is next Saturday, Aug. 24th, and Alex Rodriguez will be there. The Yank...

Really quick thoughts after Jazz Chisholm Jr. suffers a UCL injury

Jazz Chisholm Jr. suffered a UCL injury in his left elbow on that play at the plate Monday night (2024-08-13 22:31:31 +0000 UTC View Post

August 13th, 2024: White Sox, Cole, Weaver, Bullpen, August Trade & Waiver Targets

It’s kinda remarkable there are no powerhouse teams this year, isn’t it? No team is on pace to win more than 96 games. Excluding 2020, there have been at least three 100-win teams every year since 2016, and at least one 98-win team every year ...

August 9th, 2024: Angels Series, Mailbag

I was hard up for CBS content the other day so I turned something I mentioned in Tuesday’s post – Juan Soto is on pace for a top five offensiv...

August 6th, 2024: Volpe, Judge, Leiter, Torres, Prospects, 2024 Draft

Got a few (free) links to pass along. First, Michael Baumann wrote about the historic greatness of the Aaron Judge...

August 2nd, 2024: Chisholm, Warren, Bullpen, Flaherty, Mailbag

Could you imagine giving up a grand slam to DJ LeMahieu? Or losing to Road Nestor Cortes? Or letting Clay Holmes nail down a save? Phillies fraud status:...

Thoughts following the 2024 trade deadline

The trade deadline came and went Tuesday and it was a quantity over quality deadline league-wide. Lots and lots of trades, but the biggest name to change...

July 29th, 2024: Chisholm, Judge, Wells, Trade Deadline Rumors

UPDATE: My note about Marcus Stroman's player option in the Miscellany section is wrong. The player option is tied to his innings in 2025, not 2024. The usually reliable 2024-07-29 10:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post

Quick thoughts after the Yankees trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

UPDATE: The Yankees have announced the trade and it is as reported: Chisholm for Serna and the two Ramirezes. No word on when Jazz ...