Latest news with #Yankees'
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Yankees' Cody Bellinger makes A's pay for intentionally walking Aaron Judge
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now Cody Bellinger gets it. He knows why opponents have intentionally walked — and will continue intentionally walking — Aaron Judge in certain spots, even with Judge encountering a rough patch the past two weeks. Advertisement 'Understandable,' Bellinger said. 'I mean, he's the best hitter on the planet.' The A's opted for the same strategy in the third inning Friday with Anthony Volpe on second and first base open, choosing to face the 2019 National League MVP instead of the 2022 and 2024 American League winner — who's also a clear favorite for the award again this year — in the middle of a historic season. And three pitches later, Bellinger delivered again, driving in Volpe with a single to give the Yankees a two-run lead and improving to 3-for-9 with four RBIs in 12 plate appearances following Judge intentional walks. Advertisement 'It's [the] product of a good hitter that's been around, been there and done that and doesn't get overwhelmed or over-amped,' manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees' 3-0 win to open a series in The Bronx. 'Sometimes, you want to show so bad in those situations. That can get you into some trouble. He seems to manage that really well.' Bellinger, who added another single in the eighth to cap a 2-for-4 night, has produced three singles and a sacrifice fly in those settings this year, and collectively the Yankees have gone 6-for-15 after Judge's MLB-high 18 intentional walks in 2025. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who said he thinks those situations provide 'a lot of added motivation,' has gone 2-for-4 with a homer and a single, while Ben Rice produced an RBI double in one of his two chances. Cody Bellinger rips an RBI single in the third inning of the Yankees' 3-0 win over the A's on June 27, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post Advertisement CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Those walks will only continue over the final half of the regular season given Judge's .358 average, 28 homers and 63 RBIs. Judge remains on track to shatter the career-high 21 intentional walks he received between the regular season and playoffs last year. So far, though, the Yankees have continued to convert in those scenarios. Advertisement Cody Bellinger rips an RBI single during the third inning of the Yankees' win over the A's. Robert Sabo / New York Post They've strung together run-scoring hits in those spots. Bellinger's single — which continued his in-season turnaround following a slow start, with his average dipping beneath .200 in early May — marked just the latest. 'Especially for me, it's like, feel like that's really disrespectful to walk someone in front of me — with Cody, especially the career that he's had, to walk someone in front of him,' Chisholm said. 'I know it's Judge, but still.'
New York Post
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones getting closer to debut after Triple-A promotion
Spencer Jones is now just one step away from the majors. The Yankees' top prospect is being promoted to Triple-A after hitting 16 homers and posting a .984 OPS with Double-A Somerset, according to reports. The 2022 first-round pick is the team's No. 2 prospect, per Advertisement Spencer Jones during spring training. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post While there have been questions about his contact ability, he slashed .274/.389/.594 in 49 games this season. He struck out 70 times in 208 plate appearances. The towering 6-foot-7 slugger mashed a walk-off homer for Somerset on Thursday night to follow up winning Eastern League Player of the Week honors last week for his outrageous stat lines of 10-for-21 (.476/.607/.952) with 8 RBI, 6 R, 4 XBH (1 2B, 3 HR), 7 BB and a 1.559 OPS over six games. Advertisement Spencer Jones is the team's No. 2 prospect. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post This promotion now makes him eligible for a potential call-up should the Yankees need to make a move, although they already have have four outfielders for just three starting spots in Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez. More to come on this developing story
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' outfield prospect continues home run barrage in Double-A
Spencer Jones might be the most perplexing prospect in the Yankees' organization, as his high strikeout rates raise massive alarm bells, but unlike last year, he's generating tons of home run power. The contact rates are as bad as last year, but Jones is hitting the ball in the air and making better swing decisions, resulting in a monstrous .974 OPS in an Eastern League that's been more pitcher-friendly in 2025. Advertisement Hitters in the Eastern League have a .365 SLG% and .679 OPS on average, and yet Jones is dominating in terms of results. Launching his 14th home run of the season, he's just three away from matching his 2024 total despite playing in just 44 games so far. It raises some interesting questions about whether Jones can make it in the big leagues or not, and whether his abnormal combination of raw tools can result in a productive everyday regular. Why Spencer Jones' HR Barrage Could Catch the Yankees' Attention Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports It can feel impossible to predict who will or won't have success at the next level, and that's why anomalies exist in this league. Advertisement Oneil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz have displayed that highly questionable hit tools can be overlooked for elite-level raw power and athleticism, but Jones pushes that to the brink with his strikeout rates. He has a 34.2% K%, and while the K% in the Eastern League (24.7%) is higher than in the Major Leagues (22.0%), you have to imagine those contact numbers will only get worse as he moves up the professional ladder. I tried to find hitters with the outlier traits that Jones has, a K% above 34% and a ISO above .300, and the only two hitters to pop up (min. 200 PA) at the Double-A level since 2021 are Moises Gomez and Drew Lugbauer. Neither player reached the Major Leagues, but it should be noted that neither played centerfield primarily, a position that the Yankees' 2022 first-round pick handles extremely well. Advertisement READ MORE: Yankees' infielder is quietly dominating — and no one's noticing Hudson Valley Renegades outfielder Spencer Jones during media day on April 5, 2023. Renegades Media Day I tried to expend this search, looking for hitters with at least 130 plate appearances, and the only other hitter who popped up besides Spencer Jones was Trey Cabbage. Cabbage reached the Major Leagues but his time there was brief, and he's currently playing in the NPB as he hit .209 with a 58 wRC+ in 67 games. He struck out in 40.8% of his plate appearances, and it's safe to say that if Jones does that in the Major Leagues his time would also be pretty brief. History would tell us that hitters of Jones' mold do not end up making it or sticking at baseball's highest level, but none of these examples have had teams consider their defensive and baserunning abilities. Advertisement While all three of the players I mentioned projected to be below-average in both regards, you can reasonably expect Spencer Jones to be a plus (or double plus) in those categories. Very quietly, Spencer Jones is stealing at a pace that would result in 34 stolen bases at an 83.3% success clip over 150 games. He does an excellent job getting downhill and using his long legs to make massive strides, and the Yankees have allowed him to be an aggressive runner. The arm is unreal, the range is good because of his aforementioned speed, and his tall frame allows him to bring down liners and flyballs that would sail over the heads of most outfielders. Advertisement We could be looking at a good defender at a premium position who also steals 20-30 bases a season efficiently. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Add on the fact that he has 14 home runs in just 184 plate appearances in one of the most run-depressed leagues in the Minor League circuit, and you have someone who could provide MLB value. I find it utterly fascinating that Steamer projects him for a 36.9% strikeout rate as well; if he ran that strikeout rate he likely wouldn't be a good hitter, but could he be league average with the power and patience he has? Sure, pitchers wouldn't be scared to death of going after him in the zone, but the home run power has to create some level of deterrence. Advertisement This is one of the weirdest prospects I've evaluated not just in the Yankees' organization, but really in all of baseball. His combination of whiffs and game power alone are unique, and none of his loose comparisons have the speed or defense he has. With Jones cutting his groundball rate by 12.3% from last season, he's hitting the ball in the air and on a line at a much higher rate than last season, and he has so much power that it almost always results in damage. There's no one like him in professional baseball, and that can allow him to challenge the expectations and projections we'd normally have for someone with his profile. Advertisement Maybe he ends up flaming out the way Moises Gomez, Trey Cabbage, and Drew Lugbauer did after leaving the Double-A level, or maybe his athletic tools allow him to contribute without the bat, giving him time to acclimate and hit bombs in the Bronx. Related Headlines
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Yankees set for ‘long haul' despite AL East lead narrowing: Aaron Boone
It was far-fetched to ever believe the Yankees actually would run away with the division before the All-Star break arrived. Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free But their recent 4-9 skid has made things a bit tighter atop the AL East as they hit the halfway point of the season. Advertisement While the Yankees were off Thursday after playing 16 straight days, their lead was trimmed to just half a game as the Rays won yet again, for the 25th time in their past 34 games. The half-game lead is the Yankees' smallest since April 22. In between, the lead had stretched to as many as seven games on May 27-28. 'These things are coming for you,' manager Aaron Boone said of his team's recent dive. 'I can tell you, I think we're a really good friggin' team, and I believe that's going to show over the long haul. Kind of has shown already so far in the first half. Advertisement Yankees manager Aaron Boone argues with umpires during a recent game againt the Red Sox at Fenway Park. David Butler II-Imagn Images 'We understand we got a long way to go. We got to go do it. But it's been a rough couple weeks for us — or whatever, 10-12 days, for us. It's part of it.' After facing the Athletics this weekend, the Yankees will be back on the road next week for four games against the Blue Jays, who are three games back after winning 16 of their past 25. Advertisement Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu (left) and Cody Bellinger react dejectedly in the dugout during the ninth inning of the Yankees' loss to the Angels on June 17, 2025. JASON SZENES/NY POST 'We never prepare for anything but [the division] is going to be tough,' Boone said. 'That's what we expect moving forward. Hopefully when the dust settles, we're sitting on top. That's our expectation.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alert: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Yankees' Aaron Judge are 1st players picked for MLB All-Star Game, elected as starters by fans
NEW YORK (AP) — Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Yankees' Aaron Judge are 1st players picked for MLB All-Star Game, elected as starters by fans.
