Yankees: Another progress report from spring training

Greetings from Tampa, Florida! The Yankees played the St. Louis Cardinals this past week at Steinbrenner Field and lost 9-5. Although the Yanks lost the game, there were a few bright spots to note.

The Yankees top pitching prospect Jonathan Loaisiga opened the game and pitched 2.1 innings. While he gave up four earned runs, three hits, and two walks, he also struck out five Cardinals batters. If he hopes to make it to the big leagues, he will have to become a more consistent thrower.

He appears to have too much raw talent not to succeed. Based on what I saw, Loaisiga has a good, live fastball and command of his breaking ball. He is a young player and, with more work, he eventually will become a superior starting pitcher at the big-league level. The Yankees would be wise to retain him; he has considerable potential.

In contrast, Aroldis Chapman dominated in one inning of pitching. He effortlessly threw 97-98 miles per hour and was in command of his pitch placement. His breaking balls consistently hit the strike zone, a good sign at this point in spring training.

After Chapman gave up a hit, he immediately picked off the runner at first base. This suggests that he has been working on his pick-off move during the off season and perhaps was sending a message to future base thieves who have run successfully against him in the past. He was clearly enjoying being on the mound on this warm, sunny Florida day.

I sat directly behind the Yankees dugout, and I was particularly paying attention to how Chapman was moving and walking. He showed no signs of knee discomfort that plagued him during the final months of last season. Good news for the Yankees, and likely bad news for those who will have to face him during the regular season in 2019.

Austin Romine was clearly the bright spot for the Bombers in the batter’s box. He drove in Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier with a three-run home run early in the game. He also played well behind the plate. He is certainly one of the top (if not the top) back-up catchers in MLB, and the Yankees are very fortunate to have him in this role.

Greg Bird, who is competing for a starting job at first base, made a very good play on a tough ground ball. At the plate, he walked once and went 0 for 2, at one point grounding into a double play which killed a rally.

Gleyber Torres skillfully played shortstop after playing second base the day before against the Atlanta Braves. He went 2 for 3 at the plate and shrewdly ran the bases.

He appeared quite comfortable both in the field and at the plate, and he seems ready for the regular season. There is an excellent chance that he will perform even better in the field and at the plate during the upcoming regular season. He is still quite young and shows a lot of promise.

The bright red colored jackets and tee shirts of faithful Cardinals fans draped nearly all the seats behind the visitors’ dugout and well out into the left field seats. Their team played well, and they certainly had plenty to cheer loud about.

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Steinbrenner Field

If you never have been to spring training to see the Yankees play, you are missing a unique and truly enjoyable experience.

Steinbrenner Field itself is a lot smaller and more intimate than Yankee Stadium. It seats between 10,000 and 11,000 people.

The facilities are excellent and the parking is convenient. People feel like they are right on the field; there are no bad seats. Fans travel from all over the country to watch young players trying to make the team and veterans working hard to get ready for the regular season.

Those who attend spring training games tend to be friendly and interact with one another a great deal. Most conversations are about how well the Yankees are playing and whether the club is likely to win another World Series.

All the runs that were scored by the Cardinals were against minor league Yankee pitchers. I am sure that the experience was valuable for them. The Cardinals should be a solid team this year. A couple of their pitchers displayed flashes of true potential and might make it to the major leagues one day.