SSTN Mailbag: One Pitch, A Pitching Addition, And George Lombard Jr.!

What a week. Aaron Judge is beginning to wake up, Ben Rice is one of the best hitters in baseball, the Yankees are effectively platooning...and yet the Yankees can't find any consistency because at any given time, the bullpen is a black hole and much of the Yankee lineup disappears for long stretches. It's hard to watch right now.

That said, I also fully recognize that stretches like this happen across a long season. We typically have to wait for late-June for the Yankees to play an extended stretch of baseball this bad. Maybe they're getting it out of the way early this year? I think I'd be okay with that.

Even if you believe this team is fundamentally flawed, there is good reason to believe that the weak points on the roster will be fortified throughout the year between calling up some of the kids and possibly an outside acquisition or two. I'm not panicking yet, though I would prefer to watch more good baseball.

That said, I did get some entertainment out of this week. I long wished that I could have watched more of Mike Trout when he was the best player in baseball. He's back to playing that way now that he's reasonably healthy, and wow did he put on a show against the Yankees this past week. I almost forgot the number of ways in which Trout is capable of taking over a game. Power, speed, and discipline are all his calling cards. It's such a shame that the Angels organization wasted his talent in such an egregious manner, but I'm glad I got to see him play like himself again, even if it was against the Yankees.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about one pitch, an idea to fortify the pitching staff, and George Lombard Jr.! Let's get at it:

Robert M. asks: I agree with your point. OTOH, what would you give to throw from the YS bullpen mound? During the strike in '81, the Mets had a clinic for high schoolers, and a teammate and I went. As part of it, everyone got to throw a pitch from the mound. I missed home plate by a couple of feet, but it was still really cool.

In the comments section of last week's SSTN Mailbag, we were discussing Cade Winquest's time with the Yankees, during which he didn't do anything other than warm up on the Yankee Stadium bullpen mound, and Robert asked this question and told the above story.

First off, that is an incredibly cool story. Though I'm sure it happens, I don't hear stories about clinics for kids and high schoolers at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field anymore. Again, I hope it happens more than I hear about it, because a memory like that can be pretty powerful.

I would love to throw a pitch off of the Yankee Stadium bullpen mound (the home side, of course). I've been lucky enough to throw pitches off of a few pro mounds, though none on big league mounds. Like everyone who's ever dreamt of playing baseball on the biggest stage, I've imagined myself on the Yankee Stadium mound or warming up in the bullpen with 50,000 fans making the building shake. To capture that feeling, even in my head as an adult, would be incredible.

I'll handicap it this way: I think it's definitely worth less to me to throw a pitch in the Yankee Stadium bullpen than it would be to throw a pitch off of the Yankee Stadium mound. That said, I'd be willing to give up a lot.

Monetary offerings are meaningless in matters of the heart, but I'll give you a good one: I would be willing to wear a Red Sox jersey and hat as my only allowable baseball attire for an entire season if I got to throw a pitch off of the Yankee Stadium bullpen mound. Unlike Robert, I would care if I found the plate; I can just picture myself spending the rest of my life regretting not finding the plate in that scenario, even despite the absurd nerves I'm sure I'd feel.

Matthew U. asks: Why don't I hear any murmurings for [getting Nestor Cortes] back in New York?  He's supposedly healthy now and is one of the NYC gamers that loves playing there.

I've long said that Luis Severino was my favorite Yankee pitcher in recent memory. Nasty Nestor is a very, very close second. That guy found a way to be a really good pitcher on pure guile and guts. Like Sevy, he gave you every ounce of what he had out there on the mound regardless of the situation. I was so sad when Nestor Cortes was traded last year, despite the fact that the analytical side of my brain agreed with the trade.

I also don't know if I've seen a professional athlete more directly put their money where their mouth is. Nestor hurt his elbow in 2024, and knew that returning for the World Series could put his ability to pitch heading into free agency in jeopardy. Free agency could have brought Nestor lifetime wealth. Instead, Nestor sped up his timeline and took an incredible risk in support of his teammates and in pursuit of a championship. I am forever a fan of Nestor Cortes.

Nestor really paid the price for coming back early in 2024; his arm and body hasn't been right since. His short-lived time with Milwaukee was a cocktail of injury and underperformance, and it wasn't much better with the Padres. When he had his arm operated on this past October (unless I haven't seen it, I don't think we've ever confirmed what surgery Nestor had on his arm), the timeline for return was announced as 10ish months. Doing some quick digging, I haven't seen much to update that timeline other than that Nestor might be available for someone in the season's second half. Given his arm issues over the last 2-3 years, I hope he doesn't rush back.

That said, if he's available and healthy, yes, I'm all in on the Yankees taking a flier on him. I can't help but think that Ryan Yarbrough has lost just enough stuff that it doesn't play anymore, and I'm sure that Nestor could fill that role when healthy. At the very least it would be a lot of fun. The fact that he hasn't signed yet tells me that he'll likely throw for teams before determining his next stop.

Alan B. asks: OK Andy, it's 10 days later, and George Lombard Jr. is after tonight's game (Thursday) 17-41, .415. Time to promote him yet to AAA, after Sunday's game?

He's been fantastic, and I'm thrilled to see it. However, no, I wouldn't call him up this quick to AAA. I would really like to see him mash over 150-200 plate appearances this year at AA before he gets the call to AAA, which will be a short-lived stay. Again, AAA is really finishing school, and based on the developmental environment there right now, I don't think there's much for him to learn there other than to show that his bat plays against pitchers on the cusp of the Show.

What I am enjoying is watching the Yankees play Volpe at SS and GLJ at 3B next to one another. I can't help but think that the Yankees are getting a look at what that defensive alignment looks like for later in the year. I like Lombard's defense and arm at 3B. If McMahon keeps up this performance, I think we'll see Lombard this summer at 3B in the Bronx.