![]() ![]() ![]() Jacob deGrom dealt with tightness in his left side at the start of spring training. 300-.320 with walks and doubles while playing above-average defense at first.” Thus far at Triple A, Manzardo is batting. 81 overall, describing him as someone who “might hit. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him third among Rays prospects and No. Manzardo, also 22, was the Rays’ second-round pick out of Washington State in 2021. ![]() Chirinos is approaching five years of service, at which point the Rays will need his consent to option him to the minors. The Rays demoted him on April 25 not only because they are monitoring his workload, but also because they wanted to create more opportunity for Josh Fleming and Yonny Chirinos prior to Tyler Glasnow’s expected return to the majors in mid-May. And though the Rays would have loved to acquire Sean Murphy, they are happy they kept two players the A’s likely would have required in such a deal, right-hander Taj Bradley and Triple-A first baseman Kyle Manzardo.īradley, 22, had a 3.52 ERA in his first three major-league starts. They still don’t have one, but Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia have proven a decent combination, helping the team rank 16th in OPS at the position. Why the Rays didn’t get Sean MurphyĮver since taking Tim Beckham over Buster Posey with the first pick of the 2008 draft, the Rays have been vexed in their quest to find a franchise catcher. No obvious upgrade will be available at catcher, where the Yankees rank 25th in OPS. Julio Urías, Aaron Nola and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto are likely the next-best pitchers available on the open market, Matt Chapman the top position player. Shohei Ohtani will require a contract even more expensive than Judge’s $360 million deal. But the exec asks, “What’s their move in the offseason?” One of their top prospects, Jasson Dominguez, appears to be on an accelerated track to the Bronx. The Yankees’ plan is for younger players such as Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera to assume more prominent roles. After next season, Gleyber Torres, Domingo Germán, Jonathan Loaisiga and Clay Holmes are eligible to hit the open market. Their biggest potential free agents this season are Luis Severino and Harrison Bader, and Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Frankie Montas also come off the books. The exec’s point is that the Yankees are locked into Aaron Hicks through 2025, DJ LeMahieu through ‘26, Giancarlo Stanton through ‘27, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón through ‘28 and Aaron Judge through ‘31. “It hyped me up even more.” The Yankees’ questionable futureĪ rival executive, granted anonymity so he can speak freely, makes an interesting point on the Yankees’ future, saying, “That’s not a roster you can turn over easily.” “And then Pedroia yelled at me,” Duran said, smiling. I looked in the mirror and said, ‘All right, it’s time to either be happy or go down this road of being sad and negative and depressed all the time.” “It was just an approach I took to better myself mentally and physically, just take a positive approach to everything, try not to beat myself up too much,” Duran said. 2023:ĭuring the offseason, he adopted a new mindset. 991 OPS in 84 plate appearances, and looks far more confident in center. 622 OPS over 335 plate appearances in 2021 and ‘22, and also regressed defensively. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what a big difference.’”ĭuran batted a combined. Pedroia was like, ‘Why the f- are they there? Put ‘em up! If that’s what you feel comfortable with, do that!’ ![]() “I was trying to give them space, but it was also like Pedroia, right? You want to hear what he’s saying,” Refsnyder said. Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder, working outside at the time, overheard the commotion, er, conversation. He hit about 50 balls with his hands up off the machine and they were driven. “I also told him he has to be him and stop worrying about what everyone else wants him to be. “He is very athletic and strong and reminds me of (Jacoby) Ellsbury in 2011. I told him to get his hands up and be an athlete,” Pedroia said. His impromptu session with Pedroia provided a spark, helping him reignite his career. Duran, 26, has been electric for the Red Sox, a big part of their turnaround from a 5-8 start. However Pedroia put it, his words resonated with Duran, who took over center field for the Red Sox on April 17, eight days after Adam Duvall fractured his left wrist. “For him to say that to me, I was like, ‘Hell, yeah. “He basically just told me, get your hands up, be athletic, act like you’re going to hit the f- s- out of the ball,” Duran said. ![]()
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