Sign of the times: Yanks frustrated over lack of in-game video
TAMPA — The Yankees had no problem expressing their anger about the Astros cheating scandal publicly and Wednesday, they addressed their concerns to union head Tony Clarke. In a long meeting, which one player described as “heated at times,” the Yankees discussed the fact no Astros players were punished and that now all of baseball is paying for it.
“There was a little bit but I’d like not to get into like what we talked about in that meeting with the guys but it was not a lot to be honest with you,” Yankees union rep Zack Britton said.
“Less than maybe I thought there would be.
“The stance of the guys pretty much in here is more frustration with the MLB in the Commissioner’s Office on the handling of that,” Britton said. “The union is not privy to all the information. So there’s not a lot of transparency there on our side. So I think the frustration lies with some of the issues with the teams filing complaints three or four years ago, and nothing being done. “
There is growing concern about the fallout from the Astros’ illegally stealing signs through video and how it will affect other players. MLB is
proposing an in-game blackout of video for players now to combat the scheme in which Astros players stole signs with a video camera and monitor and relayed them in real-time to hitters.
“when I came up to the Major Leagues, you didn’t have the access to technology like you do now for a lot of guys in High-A and Double-A, they’re able to watch their pitches and their outings immediately now right so they come into the major leagues and up until obviously you know this year that technologies available to them they’re able to use that,” Britton said. “Right now, the MLB proposal would just completely be like a blackout, there’d be no access to that so that’s a pretty extreme stance…because of one team that everyone else is punished.”
CHAPMAN PUSHED BACK
Aroldis Chapman had initially been scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday night, but it has been pushed back to Friday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said there is no physical issue, just a matter of timing. The closer will have enough time to ramp up for the season.
WHO IS AT FIRST
After seeming to almost master left field, Miguel Andujar will try first base now. The third baseman, who lost his job to Gio Urshela when he missed most of the 2019 season after labrum surgery, is scheduled to start at first Thursday when the Yankees play the Tigers in Lakeland.
Andujar played his first two games of spring at third base, then several in left field. The Yankees have been trying other back-up third baseman this spring in Rosell Herrera. Boone said he will get DJ LeMahieu a start at third too.
IN TRIBUTE
The Yankees held a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game for Kelly Rodman. The full-time amateur scout passed away Wednesday morning after battling an illness. Rodman was one of the few women among the full-time scouts in the game. She was hired as an associate scout by the Yankees in 2014 and became full-time in 2017.
She represented the Yankees at the 2019 amateur draft and was one of the Yankees scouts who helped draft Anthony Volpe in the first round.
The Yankees have renamed an award given to the player who shows resilience in the face of adversity after the Connecticut native. Rodman played softball at Eastern CT State University and 12 years in the New England women’s baseball league.
HELLO, JOE
There is no bad blood. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman cleared the air a while ago. Boone reached out over the winter to thank Girardi for the work he had done before, setting up Boone two successful seasons as Girardi’s replacement.
Wednesday night, Girardi walked back into George M. Steinbrenner Field as the manager of the Phillies and there was history, but after two years, the raw emotion of being fired after the 2017 AL Championship Series was gone.
“I had given a lot to the Yankees in the 10 years that I was there. I put my heart and soul in it, and I thought I was going to be back,” Girardi said. “And I was looking forward to it because we went through some years that were kind of lean and we transitioned with some older players and it was finally like, ‘The young guys had arrived.’ And you knew that they had a run for a long time, so I was looking forward to that.”
Instead, Girardi was let go and spent the last two seasons working for the MLB Network before being hired by the Phillies.