Yankees Are The Enforcer (Marte) But Holliday Is Their Guiding Light

The Yankees made only two moves during the offseason. They brought back their coveted closer, and they added a full-time DH. The latter player is a natural born leader, and the Baby Bombers are lucky to have him around.

The Yankees clubhouse has been minus the presence of a natural born leader since Derek Jeter walked off the field with that bloop single resulting in a Yankees win in 2014. That all changed when Brian Cashman decided to bring Matt Holliday on board over the past winter.

Holliday doesn’t have a title, and he doesn’t need one. But the Yankees need him more than ever in light of yet another act of stupidity on the part of a player who, as they say, had it all.

The Yankees, when they visit PNC Field in Pittsburgh this weekend need to stop by the Pirates store and stock up on posters of Starling Marte, if they’re still selling them, and plaster them all around the Yankee clubhouse as a reminder of how dumb someone can be in deciding to bite the hand that feeds him – and for what?

Baby Bombers Will Make Their Choice

Matt Holliday leads by example, and so does Starling Marte. And for the Baby Bombers, that is your choice, and there is no in-between.

Clint Frazier had some compelling things to say about Holliday, and we can only hope he was sincere in noting when he told ESPN:

"“Matt Holliday is a very intimidating guy at first,” Yankees top outfield prospect Clint Frazier said. “To me, I thought he was this monster that I didn’t know how to approach, but when I finally did approach him, he is probably the best guy I’ve met in baseball. He is the nicest guy. He has a lot to offer about [how] to go about your business on the field and how to go about it after the game and how to handle things at home. He is someone I want to emulate, to be like him on and off the field.”"

Hopefully, all of Frazier’s teammates in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre have read or heard his words. And if they haven’t, it’s Frazier’s responsibility to spread the word with the other Baby Bombers in his network.

It’s Our Way Or The Doorway

Because the Yankees are not the Pirates. They will not stand for what Marte has done to the organization, his teammates, and most of all, the fans who support the Pirates with their hard-earned dollars attending games and buying t-shirts, hats, and cotton candy.

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The Pirates organization is already talking about weaning Marte back onto their team as his 80-game suspension reaches a conclusion and making sure he stays in shape and eats his Wheaties. But I’ve got another question for the Pirates and any other organization that thinks like they seem to do.

Do they once again kick Andrew McCutchen, who has re-assumed his role as the Pirates center fielder in Marte’s absence, aside exiling him to a corner outfield position for Marte? Stay tuned because this is one organization that doesn’t seem to have a clue.

Video Courtesy of the YES Network

The Yankees way, the tradition, and all that glittery stuff can become a bit much as I’ve written on, but that’s not true when a player knowingly violates “the law” set down by Major League Baseball.

And before anyone even thinks about mentioning it, the case of Alex Rodriguez is non-applicable because the Yankees owed him a gazillion dollars and their hands were tied.

The substance that Marte is said to have used is administered only with a syringe. So when the doctor, friend, girlfriend, agent, whatever said, “Pull down your pants, Starling,” that should have sent a signal to him that this wasn’t your over the counter Vitamin C being injected into his body, despite his claims that he “didn’t know.”

Strike One And Yer Out!

If they haven’t already, the Yankees need to impress upon all of the players in their organization that with this organization, it’s one strike and you are out, at least with the Yankees.

To wit, it would be interesting to know the status of Moises Cedeno, who was the third Yankees player to be suspended for violating the minor league drug program this year, as well as pitcher Brayan Alcantara, 21, and shortstop Tyler Palmer, who also earned suspensions.

Matt Holliday and others like him such as CC Sabathia can only lead the horse to water, but they can’t make him drink. Yankees brass can only do that with “lifetime bans” from the New York Yankees on your FIRST offense.

Yankees Suddenly Are Looking Armed and Dangerous

Because the starters are going deep into games, they have saved the bullpen. All of this has added up to a 2.38 ERA for the entire Yankees pitching staff.

Take your wares elsewhere if you want, but you’ll never see Yankee Stadium if that’s the path you choose.