Quick Yankee Notes

I can't blame him.  Monty was a key cog in their drive to a World Series title, plus the Rangers gave him a longer leash on the mound and more run support.  I'd want to stay there too. 

Joel Sherman: In a helpful decision to create pitching depth this year, the Yankees have learned that pitching prospect Yoendrys Gomez qualified for a fourth option. Will allow the NYY to move him between minors and MLB if they desire.

Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza and right-handers Luis Gil and Yoendrys Gomez are each eligible for a fourth option year in 2024, according to a report from Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

The New York Yankees are expected to hire Pat Roessler as an assistant hitting coach, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
Roessler, who will join Casey Dykes as assistants under Rowson, is certainly familiar with New York city.
He was the New York Mets’ hitting coach in 2018 and previously served as their assistant hitting coach from 2015-17. Prior to that, Roessler was the Yankees’ director of player development from 2005-14. At that time, he crossed paths with new Yankees hitting coach James Rowson when Rowson was the club’s minor-league hitting coordinator.

Is Will Warren ready for the Yankees rotation?
nyyunderground.com/is-will-warren-ready-for-the-yankees-rotation/
Will Warren is the number 3 prospect in the Yankees system. The 24-year-old righty was drafted out of Southeastern Louisiana University in the 8th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. Warren was sent to high-A to start his 2022 season. That is an aggressive assignment for any pitcher coming out of the draft, and Warren excelled. He only made eight starts in High-A, pitching to a 3.60 ERA. After his 8th start, the Yankees were so impressed with Warren they bumped him to AA. That is an incredibly aggressive promotion for any pitcher, much less a former 8th-round pick who could have been more touted coming out of college.

Between 2022 and 2023, Warren put up a respectable line between pitching in Somerset and getting called up in May 2023 to the Yankees Triple-A team, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders. He threw 123.1 innings between the Double and Triple-A. In 21 games with the Railriders, Warren put up quite an impressive line. He posted a 7-4 record with a 3.61 ERA. In 5 appearances in September, Warren pitched his way to International League Pitcher of the Month. He completely dominated the International League by posting a 1-0 record with an ERA of 0.67 in 5 appearances. Three of those appearances were starts.

Warren is touted as one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects with one of the highest ceilings, stuff-wise around. Warren finished 2023 with the top stuff+ rankings in AAA. Warren has a six-pitch mix. He has a 4-seam fastball ranging from 95 to 98 with elite spin rates that give it that late riding life. His primary fastball is a sinker that ranges from 92-95 and has incredible horizontal movement. He also throws a cutter with impressive lateral movement that tops out at 93. Warren’s best breaking pitch is his double-plus sweeper, which has up to 44 inches of break. It has a late-life and spin rates of over 3,000, which is elite, and comes in at 84-87 MPH. He has an above-average curveball with elite spin rates over 3000 rpms. He also has an improving changeup with elite depth and fade.

What makes Warren so unique is his ability to tunnel all his pitches. That means he throws all those pitches in the same window halfway to the plate, then in the last half of the pitches dart to all different zones. Halfway to the plate, all his pitches look the same. Then, he has six pitches that move in different directions at different velocities. The entire pitch package works together to make him incredibly difficult to hit and help him get deeper in the games. Warren also showed that he could pair down his pitches to his sinker and sweeper and change up to pitch as a multi-inning reliever if needed.

Warren can be a solid mid-rotation starter in any big league rotation, especially the Yankees rotation. Warren’s stuff can translate into a big-league arsenal. Warren has pitched back-to-back seasons with 120 IPs in both the last two seasons, so he is stretched out enough to handle 160 IPs this year if needed. Warren can provide that from day one in a rotation that needs an innings eater. He is more of an immediate option than most Yankees fans realize for the start of the 2024 season.

New York Yankees Add Former A's Third Baseman
The New York Yankees are bringing Kevin Smith home
www.si.com/mlb/athletics/news/new-york-yankees-add-former-as-third-baseman

Kevin Smith was born in East Greenbush, New York and was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2017 Draft. He came to Oakland as part of the trade with the Blue Jays for Matt Chapman.

In his two seasons with the A's, he hit a combined .182 with a .218 OBP and seven home runs in 96 games. Smith hasn't received consistent big-league playing time and has split time between shortstop, his natural position, and third base. In just 312 innings at third in 2022, he put up 3 Outs Above Average, and in 93 innings at the hot corner in 2023, he collected one more. He can play the position very well.

While the Major League numbers haven't quite been there offensively for Smith to date, he has absolutely crushed the minors. Starting in September 2022 when he hit .365 with a .405 OBP and 11 home runs, he went on to hit .324 with a .372 OBP and 16 bombs in Triple-A last season in 42 games.

So far in the Majors, he has struggled to hit fastballs, and pitchers have been throwing him around 55% heaters the past two seasons. He hit just .136 against them last season with a .164 expected batting average. The Yankees have done a good job at developing players over the years, and Smith has the talent to make an impact with New York.

Now entering his age 27 season, he may just need an opportunity. As the Yankees roster currently stands, there may not be room for consistent playing time for him, but if he keeps plugging away, one could arise over the course of the season.

Problem is he stunk in AA ... Not sure if everyone has been taking notice but AAA numbers have become a joke. Everyone has a .900 Plus OPS