My Thoughts on Some Recent Tweets (X)
- Paul Semendinger
- Feb 21
- 2 min read
by Paul Semendinger
February 21, 2026
***
My Thoughts - So, in essence, if Aaron Judge was a writer for SSTN over the winter, he would have been saying what many of us we saying, "These are the Yankees, they need to get the players they need."
Judge then makes sure he doesn't say too much, he's an organizational guy who doesn't create controversy, but he said the quiet part out loud - the Yankees no longer operate like the Yankees and that frustration impacts the players as well as the fans.
My Thoughts - This is example 45,765,231 of how to set up a player for failure. This, though, might be the worst case of this ever. He will hit like Judge, run like De La Cruz, and catch like Molina???!!! Come on, the kid just signed. Why didn't they say he is faster than a speeding bullet? "Superman? No way, this kid is better." Ridiculous.
My Thoughts - How cool is this? Lou Gehrig as a football player at Columbia. I love it.
My Thoughts - How about we let Lagrange be Lagrange and leave it at that?
My Thoughts - It wouldn't be spring without articles like this. I remember reading one spring that Tim Leary looked as good or better than any pitcher - ever. (Or something like that.)
My Thoughts - Today the Yankees have Aaron Judge, the modern day Babe Ruth. By and large Judge is expected to carry the Yankees in 2026.
But when the Yankees had Babe Ruth, even back then, they didn't say, "We have the great hitter, he should carry the team alone," they still went out and gathered more great players. They signed Lou Gehrig from Columbia. They signed Tony Lazzeri out of the Pacific Coast League. They found Bill Dickey and signed him off waivers. On and on. The goal was greatness. They didn't say, "We just want to be a little better than the other teams in the league," they wanted to be the absolute best.
For the Yankees, those days are no longer and it's a shame.
My Thoughts - Well, here we go. It has started. I'm not optimistic about the 2026 Yankees. That being said, I know some very knowledgeable fans who believe this Yankees team can be special. In the end, this is why they play the games. It would be nice, finally, to see a World Championship in 2026. Let's see where this all goes.
Let's Go Yankees!
(And the TV schedule...)
Nice article Paul! I agree with your pessimism re the 2026 Yankees. I don’t believe this is a good enough team, not even close. The Dodgers and Jays are miles and miles ahead. Boston, Seattle, and possibly Detroit and the Mets are as well. The pitching may be ok for the most part, the offense?…not so much.
Unrelated sad news: Hall of Famer and Yankee Killer Bill Mazeroski died at 89. If you think about it, the guys who made the big plays that beat the Yankees -- like Maz in 1960, Pete Alexander in 1926, Sandy Amoros in 1955, Luis Gonzalez in 2001 -- are as much a part of Yankee lore as the wins are, but they are (luckily for us) so rare that you can't forget any of them.
So much for Judge having Hal's ear;
I really dislike the comp these IFA kids are given. Also, are the Yankees ever going to start treating the IFA kids on equal footing that they treat their draft choices and UDFAs?
Cashman started making excuses for Bird a couple of months ago why he stunk here. Just like Scott Effross before him, Cashman will shield him, even if Bird doesn't turn it around. I also see FO have Bird make the team out of Spring Training, whether he deserves it or not;
Due to an issue between Spectrum and the GS App, I missed yesterday's game - Spring Game 1 is the only one I care to watch. But on GameDa…
SOURCE: The Yankees have reached a pre-agreement with Sebastián Acuña for a $1.6 million bonus, the top catcher in the 2027 class. Acuña possesses the power of Aaron Judge, the speed of Elly De La Cruz, and the defense of Yadier Molina.
if the source was Cashman, it would be a bit of a concern
but the main thing is not the bragging, it's the idea that they've secured a player who might reasonably be expected to provide production at a critical position.
ABS and shortened distance between bases might lead to changes in how catchers are to be trained and evaluated and it's important to begin the training with talented trainees.
middle-of-the-field positions are the most critical ones
I remember when Sebastian Acuna went by the name "Jesus Montero." Lucky we still have someone of that quality.