Yankees Trounce Blue Jays, Kaprielian Shines, Then Sent Down

The Yankees continued their spring magic today by trouncing the Toronto Blue Jays 11-5 in a game that was marked by the first appearance of James Kaprielian and an offensive explosion.

The hits just keep on coming for the Yankees(15-5) this spring. This afternoon, the offense exploded with four home runs and 14 hits off some hapless Toronto Blue Jays (5-12) pitching.

Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks, Rob Refsnyder, and Clint Frazier all connected for home runs in the assault. For Hicks, who had one other hit, the day pushed his spring average up to .286 and added to the team’s (seeming) decision to award him the right field job over Aaron Judge, who went 0-3 in the game.

Yankees Kaprielian Lives Up To Billing

More from Yanks Go Yard

But the highlight of the day saw James Kaprielian enter the game as a reliever. The highly touted right-hander, who as recently as ten days ago was being held back from spring training duty, and forced to move at a “snail’s pace” (Brian Cashman), was suddenly moved up in his timetable to return from an injury-plagued season in 2016.

Kaprielian responded with two solid innings in which he faced only six batters and allowed no runs while striking out three.

Before his appearance, manager Joe Girardi spoke highly of Kaprielian telling NJ.com:

"“He’s another kid that we think can move pretty quickly, so whether it gets to here this year, I don’t know. But there’s a ton of talent here. I think that the biggest thing for him is staying healthy. If he stays healthy and pitches, there’s definitely a chance I think.”"

However, if you ask Kaprielian himself, he believes there is more than just ” chance” that he will pitch for the team in 2017. He’s a bulldog, and he’s biting at the bit to be all that he can, despite the Yankees initial plans to harness him.

Reports from the Yankees camp over the next couple of days will be far more important than what he did on the mound today. The team will be glued to his bullpen session in a couple of days and listening through walls to get a feel as to how Kaprielain responds to his workout under pressure today.

Yankees Roll With Half A team

Of note too, is that Girardi did not send Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, Matt Holiday, and Gleyber Torres, perhaps as a reward for their performance the previous night, for the afternoon bus ride to play the Blue Jays.

So, the story of the Yankees this spring continues to expand into one of hope and promise. They have zero pressure on them as the Boston Red Sox continue to be the overwhelming favorites to win the Division.

More Yankees News

Immediately following today’s game, Kaprielian was assigned to the team’s minor league camp.

And Mason Williams was cut and sent to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre to begin the season. Williams has been a Yankee seemingly forever. Once touted as “The” franchise prospect, his stock has dwindled and an injury didn’t help him this spring. He’s prime trade bait, though.

Yankees: The Five Most Effective Pitchers In Franchise History

Of all the great Yankees pitchers who have contributed to 27 World Championships over the years, who are the Top Five Most Effective Pitchers All-Time?

And that’s just the way we like it.

Home/Yankees News