3 overreactions to first week of Yankees’ offensively explosive spring training
2024 New York Yankees Spring Training / New York Yankees/GettyImages
The New York Yankees’ spring training slate has only just begun, and we don’t want to be too bold, but this “Juan Soto” appears to be a primetime player.
Besides Soto and his powerhouse left-handed presence, most of the members of the Yankees’ regular lineup have looked Opening Day-ready to begin camp. If Aaron Boone was given a “Bubble Wrap Until the Opener” option this week, he’d probably take it.
Are there a few players fans would like to see more from? Of course. Are there a few pain points that have persisted, year over year? No doubt. Is it fun to watch both Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira doink popups ahead of a crucial year in the bigs? We had no fun! Overall, though, the machine has operated smoothly, and the most important takeaway, at the end of every day, is, “They were or were not healthy.”
That being said … some folks have really popped our eyes already, and their contributions have merited some drastic overreactions. Sorry. It’s more fun to have fun.
3 overreactions to Yankees’ positive start to spring training
Clarke Schmidt might’ve been the most impressive Yankees starter
Aaron Boone clarified prior to Schmidt’s spring debut on Tuesday that he’s felt no need to address the internet’s rampant Blake Snell speculation with the right-hander directly, noting that the team’s current No. 5 starter is “not human.” And, you know what? Good. After all, if Snell signs, it’ll be Nestor Cortes Jr. heading to the bullpen rather than Schmidt.
Half-joking.
Schmidt has always been a spring star, nearly stealing a roster spot in 2020 before camp shut down due to the, uh, big pandemic. The results of Schmidt’s outing, on Tuesday against the Rays, were fine overall. He allowed a single run across two innings, set up by a deep fly ball Pereira couldn’t find. The crispness of the stuff, though, was even better; Schmidt was fully in control, dotting needle eyes and passing the eye test, with both his fastball and tight breaking stuff.
Carlos Rodón has been the talk of camp, and though he unraveled slightly in his second inning of work before Gerrit Cole reminded him to breathe, he escaped without disaster (at an elevated velocity, if not quite the 97 MPH from his recent bullpen sessions). Cortes Jr.’s velocity was a tick or two up, too, and the seven hits he allowed weren’t nearly as important as his rubber arm bouncing back the next day. It’s early, and while it’s true that pitchers are supposed to be ahead of the hitters they’re facing, all of the Yankees’ starters have shown flashes. Schmidt’s have been the most impressive.
Second place, in that department? Will Warren. Oh, you weren’t ready for that heater, were you?!
Jorbit Vivas has surpassed Oswald Peraza
The Yankees helped the Dodgers out in December, clearing their path to finalize Shohei Ohtani’s record pact by swapping prospects. They took Jorbit Vivas off LA’s 40-man roster, sending Trey Sweeney and his significant upside out west.
The optics of his powerful, swiftly-uncoiling left-handed swing are incredible, and he’s managed to unleash his surprising pop several times already, homering twice in his first four at-bats. He’s also managed to turn two slickly, which has helped him win the early battle for prominence with Peraza, who’s been relegated to the road games.
Is this “shiny new toy” syndrome? Absolutely. That’s why it’s an overreaction. But the Yankees waited as long as they could to call up Peraza in 2022, debuting him in the ninth inning of a road blowout, just when fans were hoping he might be their savior and stop their summer skid. Entering 2023 as the most likely candidate to win the starting shortstop gig, Peraza was passed over by Anthony Volpe and never recovered, subtracting 0.7 bWAR from the 2023 Yankees during part-time duty. It’s no secret he’s lost some pecking-order shine since his first promotion.
Peraza could still be on the Yankees’ bench Opening Day, but if New York picks up a veteran bat and demotes their bench kids (or if the shoulder injury that scratched Peraza from Tuesday’s start lingers), don’t be surprised if Vivas gets the call before the former Top 100 prospect. After all, he was acquired from Los Angeles because his closeness to the bigs limited the Dodgers’ options in a crowded clubhouse.
Trading Spencer Jones for any rental would be an absurd decision
The Yankees are fools for not trading a Double-A outfield prospect for Dylan Cease coming off a 4.58 ERA/3.72 FIP season! Didn’t you see him on Pitching Ninja?! He was basically a sword collector! And, while we’re at it, the Brewers requesting Jones in exchange for childhood Angels fan Corbin Burnes was a totally fair ask, too! Burnes will certainly take a hometown discount to stay … east in New York. Plus, Joey Ortiz and Jones are on a similar leve —
(Jones goes 470 feet to right field in his first at-bat of the spring)
O … k, can we still sign Blake Snell then, maybe?
Jones’ K rate has always been an issue throughout the low minors, and the Yankees entered 2024 with the express goal of working on the five-tool behemoth’s whiffs while also trying to get him to lift the ball more. It’s an extremely difficult proposition. Players like Jones don’t grow on trees. There’s no “one size fits all” method for tweaking the mechanics of a 6’8″ outfielder’s delicate swing.
But you bet on natural talent. That’s what you do. Jones runs like a gazelle, covers center field with aplomb, and hits like a gazelle with Mark McGwire riding on its back. Jones is one of only five college hitters of the past five years to put up four batted balls over 108 MPH in a single game, a distinction he shares with several upper-echelon prospects.
If the Yankees ever choose to trade Jones from their crowded outfield, they’d better be damned sure Juan Soto isn’t going anywhere, and extremely comfortable with the return (both talent-wise and in terms of number of controllable years). A rental pitcher, even a bonafide No. 2? Teams are obviously going to ask, but there’s no reason the Yankees should be forced to overpay relative to the field. Jones, in talks surrounding any of the potentially available names, is a keeper.
Oh, and he’s taken 40+ swings this spring. Through Tuesday’s action, he has yet to whiff.
