Yankees: Q&A with Bryan Hoch, Yankees Beat Writer for MLB.com

Marcus:
Do you think that the Yankees would have a similar record to what they have now had all their players been healthy? It seems like they have been winning a lot of very tight games.

Bryan:
I think that it would be hard for the healthy Yankees to have done better than this group has done. And maybe some of it is the soft schedule. You know, I’m talking to you right now from the stands here at Camden Yards, and it feels like we’ve seen an awful lot of the Orioles so far this year already.

Ten games already in the books against them. But they’ve played pretty well across the board ever since April 16 or so they’ve been the best team in baseball. It’s hard to imagine that, even at full strength, they would have done a whole lot better than they are right now. They’re in first place in the American League East and looking to stay there.

Marcus:
Didi Gregorius played in extended spring training games earlier this week. He is obviously a big part of their lineup and culture. But where does he fit in? Lemahieu, Voit, Urshela, and Torres are knocking the cover off the ball. How will they work that out?

Bryan:
I think when Didi comes back he is going to see regular duty at shortstop, but I don’t know if he’s going to play there, say, three days in a row to begin. He’ll get days off, and when he gets a day off, you’re going to move Gleyber back over to short. I think Urshela is your third baseman for the foreseeable future. I don’t see any reason why you’d dislodge him.

Maybe Lemahieu goes back to that kind of super utility role they were talking about early in the year where he fills in at second base, third base. You’re probably not going to see him at short. You might see him at first, I guess, here and there. But I think there will be at-bats, and the way the season has been going, somebody else might get hurt before long.

So, who knows? I think these problems have a way of working themselves out, but at least in the beginning when Didi comes off the injured list, I don’t expect him to play every single day. They’re probably going to be pretty cautious with him and make sure he gets some rest.

Marcus:
So, Lemahieu is the odd-man-out here?

Bryan:
I would think so. I would think that Urshela is going to be your consistent everyday third baseman, especially if he keeps hitting the way he does. It’s hard to take him out of the lineup. I think that Lemahieu signed on for that role. He understood what he was getting into when he came here. I think he’s got more playing time than he expected.

Boone took him out of the game last night just to give him a day off. He has played almost every single day. He’s had to. So, I think that they’re going to try and kind of phase him back a little bit. But Lemahieu will continue playing. I think he’s a big part of the team right now.

Marcus:
Considering that Lemaiehu is their usual leadoff hitter, would Aaron Hicks slide back into that spot?

Bryan:
That’s something that Aaron Boone has talked about. He really does like the idea of Hicks leading off, especially against lefties. I think that as this (season) progresses and Hicks gets more comfortable at the plate, that is certainly something they would entertain.

Marcus:
A surprisingly strong aspect of the Yankees team this year has been their starting pitching and this is with Severino and Paxton both on the IL; and, of course, Jordan Montgomery, who has been out for a while now. Obviously, Domingo German is having an amazing season and leads the American League in Wins. But when they all come back, how do you see the rotation settling in? Could they go with a six-man rotation? If not, who gets bumped?

Bryan:
They haven’t really liked the idea of a six-man rotation. We’ve brought that up to Larry Rothschild a few times, and he shot it down. I think they’ll continue to work in guys here and there. You’ll see a sixth starter come in. But as far as having a six-man rotation continuing over and over and over, I don’t see that happening.

These are nice problems to have when you have a healthy Luis Severino coming back to help you in the second half and if you get Jordan Montgomery back in August, those are two pretty big pickups, especially Severino. A lot of people ask, “Will the Yankees trade for an arm? Will they acquire a Madison Bumgarner or Dallas Keuchel?

My answer is, I think they are banking on the fact they are going to have Luis Severino as their big trade deadline pickup, at least as far as starting rotation goes. And if he’s healthy and he’s right, he’s probably better than anybody they can get on the open trade market.

Marcus:
Will Montgomery be a part of their rotation? Where does he stand?

Bryan:
I think he could fill in a lot of roles. I think you might see him as that sixth starter I was just talking about, kind of in the Luis Cessa role. Maybe he’s the swing man between the bullpen and rotation. He’s going to have to get some innings under his belt, and, obviously, he’s going to have to go through a whole Minor League rehab.

We’ll have a better idea of where he is after he goes and pitches for Tampa and, then, obviously works his way up the chain. Actually, I think they’ll base a lot of that on need and how he looks at Triple-A.

Marcus:
As mentioned before, Domingo German is having a shockingly good season and while he has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, he actually started off as a long reliever. Should he be the guy that goes to the bullpen, in case they need a long reliever when Severino comes back?

Bryan:
Yeah, I think that’s definitely possible, especially because there are innings limit considerations with German. They haven’t given us the exact number, but my best guess is, it’s somewhere around the 160 range. If you look back at his Minor League track record, what he did last year, you will see he hadn’t thrown that many innings. They don’t want to see him make a huge, huge jump. So, German’s not going to throw 180, 200, innings this year.

As good as he looks right now, they’re going to have to ease off the gas pedal with him a little bit and start counting those innings. They don’t tell us these things anymore after the way the Joba Chamberlain thing took on a life of its own. But, just looking at his numbers, it’s clear that, at some point, they’re going to have to ease off the gas pedal with German. And maybe that is the way they do it. Maybe that’s the way you can fit five into six or six into five (rotation wise), or what have you.

Marcus:
Do you think the Yankees will make a big trade before the deadline?

Bryan:
I’d be guessing at this point, but like I said, I think that they’re big pickups are the guys who are on the injured list. They may make trades. I think that Brian Cashman is always looking to improve the team. You’ve seen some smaller deals, Cameron Maybin for one, Mike Tauchman at the end of spring training are two examples. These are small, role player moves that they can make.

I think that the biggest additions they’re going to make this year are getting Judge, Stanton, and Severino back. Just go down the list of the guys on the injured list. Those players are a heck of a lot better than what is out there, and teams are going to ask for top prospects to in any deals for top-end talent.

I was walking in the ballpark today, and somebody asked me, “Do you think the Yankees are going to trade for Marcus Stroman?” I think that Stroman would be an interesting fit. I know he’d love to come to New York and he’s a Long Island guy. But you’re going to have to give the Blue Jays a whole lot more than you gave them last year for J.A. Happ considering Stroman is in the prime of his career and he’s under team control for a couple years with a team friendly contract.

So, do you really want to give up an Estevan Florial, for example, to get Marcus Stroman? I mean, maybe you talk about it if you’re in a pennant race and fighting, and you think that’s going to make the difference. But I think the Yankees have enough coming back off of the IL that they can stand pat at the break or make smaller moves and still upgrade their team for the second half.

Marcus:
It always seems that whatever trades Brian Cashman makes, turn to gold. You have the Didi trade. You have the Hicks deal. Urshela has been great…

Bryan:
How about Luke Voit? Last August, I don’t think any of us were even paying attention to that Chasen Shreve and Giovanni Gallegos for Luke Voit deal. And look what it’s turned into. Voit is now your starting first baseman and has kind of relegated Greg Bird to an afterthought. Nobody is really waiting for Bird to come back at this point. So, the job is Luke Voit’s.

I mean, credit to the Yankees’ analytics department for finding something there and looking through their statistics and being able to find those hidden gems. Urshela is just another example of that. They saw something that other teams did not, and they’re reaping the rewards of that right now.

Marcus:
Do you think Urshela can be the Yankees’ future third baseman? And, if so, what happens to Andujar?

Bryan:
As far as Urshela, I’m not sure what the future holds. I think he’s exceeding their expectations. I think that what you saw from Andujar last year was real. I think that is who he is at the big-league level. He’s got an impact bat, that extra base power that is easy to dream on.

The Andujar you saw this year, especially after the injury, was not the same guy. So, I think this year is a complete wash for Andujar. I think they still believe in him. He’s got a bright future ahead. He’s still so young. I don’t think you give up on a guy like that.

Urshela has been a really nice story here for four or five weeks, but I think you have to see it over 400, 500, plate appearances to really know if this is legit or if he’s just on a ridiculous hot streak here. The longer it goes, the more I believe that it could be real. But, again, I want to see it over the next few months. It looks like the Yankees are going to give us that chance to see it.

Marcus:
Greg Bird is once again injured, and he doesn’t seem to have much of a future with the Yankees. I’m of the opinion that if he was a right-handed hitter, he’d actually be gone a few years ago. I think his left-handed bat was such a big deal for such a right-handed lineup.

Bryan:
I agree with you on Bird that his left-handed stroke has been one of the major selling points. I mean, the Yankees have dreamed on him for years and years, putting that in Yankee Stadium. And when he was healthy, you could see it. It was right. The problem has been staying on the field. So, it’s hard to kind of make your name and establish yourself if you’re continually in the trainer’s room. And that’s just been, in some cases, a lot of bad luck for Greg.

Marcus:
Back to Bird for a moment, do you think he ever makes another appearance as a Yankee again?

Bryan:
You know, I don’t know. I understand what you’re saying in that a change of scenery would probably do him well at this point. I think that he needs a fresh start. Maybe there is just too much kind of history here for him to overcome that. But that being said, the way this season’s going, and I think I said this earlier, nothing’s going to surprise me.

Once you go down at some point and, all of a sudden, you’re waiting on Greg Bird to come back. I know, as crazy as that seems, it could happen. So, I’m not going to rule anything out. But I do think Voit has made this job his own, and it’s definitely reduced the urgency to get Greg Bird back. Put it that way.

Marcus:
I feel like this season, everything has gone wrong for Bird. He got injured, Voit has produced, and Lemahieu has produced. I think if Voit goes down, Lemahieu is the backup option for first base.

Bryan:
And Morales can play there, too. They’ve definitely got options on this team. So, nobody is really banging on the door for Bird to come back. But I know he’s frustrated, and he wants to play. Sometimes, your fans say, “This guy doesn’t want to play.” That’s ridiculous. Of course, he wants to play. You don’t devote your whole life to this craft to get to this level and not play. I know it’s killing him to be on the shelf and not be able to physically produce, but it is what it is.

Marcus:
What are the Yankees’ greatest weaknesses? Where do they need the most improvement?

Bryan:
Well, first off, in the health department- It’s hard to find weaknesses on this team considering they’re in first place and they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league. Now they’re getting their pieces back. You’ve got Hicks back. Judge is making forward progress. Stanton stalled here a little bit, and Didi is going to be back soon. I think that would have been the easier question to answer about a month ago.

I guess the bullpen can always be a little better. You’re going to get Dellin Betances back at some point in June. He could improve that. But, really, it’s hard to find a whole lot of weaknesses with this team. Like I said, I’m watching them take batting practice on the field here in Baltimore. If they don’t sweep this four-game series, I feel like that’s almost a disappointment. This team is firing on all cylinders. They’re playing against some weaker competition, and they’re taking advantage of it.

Marcus:
At the beginning of the season, we were all thinking that if they had a weakness it would be the starting pitching. The starting pitching has been excellent, and the one chink in the armor has been J.A. Happ versus Baltimore. He really has struggled against them, but in all other games he has a 3.34 ERA. Do you think this is going to be an issue going forward?

Bryan:
That’s the one thing that has surprised me most about this year is J.A. Happ’s struggle, because he was so dominant down the stretch for them. Gave them exactly what they wanted after he came over in a deadline deal with the Blue Jays. I think he was 7-0 down stretch.

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The playoff start against Boston didn’t go well, but other than that, he was terrific. I don’t think there were many people arguing against that signing except for his aides. He’s lost a little something on his fastball and he is a little more hittable. He has been forced him to go to his secondary pitches, but I find it hard to believe that he just fell off a cliff overnight. I think that’s changing.

But just like CC Sabathia can reinvent himself at a later stage, I think J.A. Happ can do that, too. He’s a veteran. He fit in this clubhouse almost immediately. So, I guess, to answer your previous question, that would be the one area where they could certainly upgrade, is if they can get back last year’s J.A. Happ, that will make a huge difference in the rotation.

Marcus:
You have a new book coming out on June 4th that you wrote with Mark Feinsand titled “Mission 27“. What can you tell me about it, and what makes it such a must read? I’ve seen amazing reviews about it.

Bryan:
Thank you. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a few years now as the core four is phased out, and we said goodbye to Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Petitte, and a lot of these other guys who were all linked together from this 2009 Yankees’ team, which we didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the last World Series championship to date.

Just a really special year for me covering the team, being around, watching them tear down the old Yankee Stadium, move across the street to the new one, and then bring in these guys like CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Texeira, and Nick Swisher, who really formed this fun, exciting team to be around. That was one of my most special years covering the team. I’m sure for fans it was one of the most special years to watch. They wound up on top by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in that World Series.

The thought process when Mark and I talked about doing a book together, it was obvious, “Let’s see how many of these guys from 2009 we can track down and sit down with. Some of them are still around the game. Obviously, you see A-Rod and Mark Texeira, and they’re in the media world. Some are still playing for the Yankees – two of them are. Where are these other guys? Can we track them down? And let’s get the stories that we would have liked to have known in 2009 and tell them in 2019.

So, that was basically our goal and, man, it was so much fun. It was kind of like going to your high school reunion and seeing all your old friends again and just catching up with them, telling these stories. We’ve got some fun ones, and I’m not going to give too much away for you, but you’re definitely going to smile. You’re going to laugh when you read this book. You’re going to hear stuff that you definitely did not hear in 2009. But I think you’re going to be glad you picked it up in 2019.

Marcus:
I’m sure I will. I loved your “Baby Bombers” book. I thought it was tremendous – the content, the writing. Everything about it was amazing.

Bryan:
Thank you.

Marcus:
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions.

Bryan:
I’m happy to help. I’m glad it worked out for you. Thanks for scheduling me in.