The New York Yankees have played their first three games of Spring Training, losing to the Blue Jays, while defeating the Tigers and Orioles. In these opening games, several things jumped off the page.
Gary Sanchez Goes Yard
The struggles of Gary Sanchez in 2020 don’t need to be described to Yankee fans. The catcher hit .147, with a .365 SLG% and an OPS+ of only 69.
Sanchez has had a ton of eyes on him throughout the spring, and that will continue as the games roll on. In the win over Detroit, “the Kraken” turn some heads in a positive way.
He mashed a long home run in the third inning, sending a middle-middle pitch all the way over the batter’s eye in center field. Statcast measured the home run at 429 feet.
It’s a very encouraging start for the Sanchino, as he looks to rebound from last season and reintroduce himself as one of the best catchers in baseball.
Taillon’s Quick Inning
One of the big moves of the offseason for the Yankees was trading for Jameson Taillon. On Monday, he made his first appearance of Spring Training, and it couldn’t have gone much better.
Entering in the second inning, Taillon threw a 1-2-3 inning, retiring the side on just seven pitches.
He also broke off this nasty curveball to strike out Daniel Pinero:
Taillon has spoken about his new arm action, and how he feels it can help him improve his stuff. If his first outing was any indication, it appears that he’s right.
Mike Tauchman: Yankees’ Extra Man
As I wrote on Sunday, Mike Tauchman is fighting to earn a role with the Yankees in 2021. His fight got off to a good start in the first game of the spring.
In the third inning of the Yanks’ opening game, Tauchman took an offspeed pitch from Jacob Waguespack, and promptly sent it onto the roof in right field.
For Tauchman, it’s essentially the best start that he could ask for. Obviously, Spring Training only matters to a certain extent, but an exceptionally strong spring could be the difference maker when it come to Tauchman making the roster.
Former Yankees Offer Advice to Monty
Jordan Montgomery started the Yanks’ third game of the spring, throwing 2 innings and allowing a run against the Orioles. After his outing, Montgomery revealed that a pair of legendary Yankee southpaws have been staying in touch with him.
Montgomery stated that both Andy Pettite and C.C. Sabathia have been in contact with their fellow southpaw.
“They’re checking in on me, so they believe in me. They always told me, ‘You’re gonna be pitching for a long time. Just get better every year, keep learning and adjust and never really peak,” Montgomery told the media after the game.
He also revealed a humorous piece of advice that Pettite offered up:
That is certainly a strong endorsement from a postseason hero, and a man who has his number retired by the team. Montgomery does have great stuff, however, and can be a huge part of the rotation this season if he can put it all together.
A Gittens Grandy
Chris Gittens is a career minor-leaguer, and has never played above AA. However, he showed off his light-tower power on Monday, with a long grand slam.
On a 3-2 pitch, Gittens got a meatball, and he was ready for dinner. The slam measured at 440 feet, and was 114 mph off the bat, per Statcast.
At AA Trenton in 2019, Gittens led the team with 23 home runs (nobody else had more than 9). After missing the nonexistent minor league season in 2020, the powerful first baseman will look to showcase his big bat at AAA, and possibly even bring it to the Bronx eventually.