It was a testing day for the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The Bombers want to take a look at Aaron Judge in left field this spring in hopes they can get more reps from Giancarlo Stanton in right field, which will open up the DH spot for one of the club’s additional infielders and It will lengthen your lineup.
The first results? There is not enough data to say one way or the other.
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Judge only had one ball hit his way, an uncatchable bloop single, during their 1-for-2 afternoon. The newly named Yankees captain made his first appearance in left field since 2016 when he was a member of the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
The No. 99 will get another chance to play left field on Thursday against the Red Sox and if Aaron Boone wants his plan for Stanton in the outfield to come to fruition, a larger sample size will likely be needed for this new setup.
“At best, we’re talking about 40-50-60 games (for Stanton in the outfield),” Boone said on YES Network during the Yankees’ 4-0 loss to the Cardinals in Grapefruit action. League. “If we can have a full season where we avoid seasons in IL… I’d like to put him out there 40-50-60 times.
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“I think he is capable of that. I think it serves him well physically when he does that and I think he likes that from a game standpoint to be involved in the game as well.”
Judge, the American League single-season home run record holder, volunteered in early spring to move his regular home in right field so his fellow slugger could spend time in the more comfortable part of the gardens of Yankee Stadium.
“I mentioned it to him about, ‘If we need to put Big G in right field at Yankee Stadium, put me in left field,’” Judge said on February 21. “I don’t mind. I don’t mind switching places so we can have me (center fielder Harrison Bader) and Big G out. Hopefully we’ll get some reps in spring training and get comfortable.”
Outside of spring training jerseys, you would never have known that Wednesday’s game didn’t feature seeing Gerrit Cole on the mound.
The 32-year-old was dominant against the Cardinals striking out seven batters in 3.1 shutout frames and his pitch count reached 57. The right-hander turned on the radar gun sitting at 97 mph and peaking at 99.
“Just hitting the strike zone (is what pleases me the most),” Cole said after his performance. “Obviously seeing some of the hard work pay off between starts. There were a couple of good cutters and I thought the slider got better as the game went on.
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Boone made an informal announcement that Cole, to no one’s surprise, would take the ball on March 30 against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium to open the 2023 season.
However, as sharp as the Bombers’ top weapon looked, there are still a few more things to check off the list before heading north.
“43 more pitches (to go to normal pitch count),” Cole said. “We have a few weeks to get there. Keep building the foundation. Fastball command, breaking balls for strikes. My curveball hasn’t been a strike recently, so it needs to improve a bit. Changes have been in good places but no strikes, I haven’t been able to get anyone to fish on it.
the striped express
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“Probably try to get the breaking balls into the zone a little more (it’s the most important thing).”
On Wednesday, he was in center field.
Oswaldo Cabrera told the YES broadcast team Saturday afternoon that the position he wanted to play the most was center field. He has never played there in his professional career.
Boone gave Cabrera his chance Wednesday, replacing him in the top of the sixth inning, and he proceeded to make a spectacular catch in the top of the eighth.
The 24-year-old played all over the diamond in 2022. He played 27 games in right field, nine in left, four at shortstop, three at third, first and second base.
Cabrera was called up to the majors on Aug. 17 of last season and managed to play six different positions in his short tenure. The switch-hitter is really earning the title of “super utility.”
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Clarke Schmidt will take the ball in his second start of the spring, continuing the battle for the fifth spot in the Yankees’ rotation with Domingo Germán on Thursday afternoon against the Red Sox in Tampa.
