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Sam Chinitz has written 81 articles so far, you can find them below.
2020 Breakout Infielders Who'll Keep Improving
In a recent article, I outlined a methodology to determine which breakout 2020 seasons from hitters would be built off of into 2021. Upon further reflection, however, I’m unconvinced that that methodology the best way to spot breakouts that will continue to improve, in large part because of its reliance on evaluating the stickiness of... Read More
Gio Urshela Starts At Shortstop On Tuesday
New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela started at shortstop on Tuesday and went 2-for-2 with a walk against the Tigers. The Yankees flirted with the idea of having Urshela play some shortstop when shortstop Gleyber Torres and second baseman DJ LeMahieu were on the injured list last season, but the team ultimately never opted... Read More
Domingo German Stays Hot On Monday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German continued his strong spring performance on Monday, shutting the Phillies out over four innings with six strikeouts. German has been spectacular so far this preseason with 13 strikeouts and no runs allowed over nine innings, and although fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into spring training performances, it's... Read More
Zach Britton Has No Timeline For A Return
New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton (elbow) underwent surgery to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow last Wednesday, and manager Aaron Boone left Britton's timeline to return to the team open when speaking on Monday. Encouragingly, Britton's surgery went smoothly, and similar injuries have kept pitchers sidelined for around (and sometimes less... Read More
Luis Severino Throwing Two Bullpens Per Week
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (elbow) has been throwing two bullpens per week as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late February of last year. Severino has only been throwing fastballs so far and is on track to progress to breaking pitches in about a month, so... Read More
Gary Sanchez Has A Minor Wrist Cramp
New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (wrist) took a foul tip off of his wrist, causing his wrist to cramp, according to manager Aaron Boone. Sanchez stayed in the game and didn't appear to be bothered by his wrist, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to miss any time. Still, Sanchez has struggled with injuries... Read More
Chad Pinder (2B/3B, OAK) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 440 CURRENT ADP: ~542 overall ANALYSIS: Pinder took clear steps he took to improve his plate discipline leading up to the 2020 season last February, and those improvements showed up in his performance. Although Pinder’s O-Swing rate was up slightly from 2019 at 33.3%, his swing rate at pitches in... Read More
Deivi Garcia’s Strong Spring Continues
New York Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia pitched well again on Sunday, throwing three innings with one run (zero earned) allowed and two strikeouts. Garcia now owns an impressive 2.25 ERA over three spring appearances in 2021, and his average fastball velocity is up 0.7 mph since last season. With Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jameson... Read More
Miguel Andujar To See Hand Specialist
New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar (hand) will see a hand specialist after experiencing hand soreness over the offseason and during spring training. Andujar was already likely to start the regular season in the minor leagues, and this injury makes that an effective guarantee, even if he can be healthy by Opening Day. It's... Read More
Corey Kluber Solid On Saturday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber picked up the win against the Pirates on Saturday, tossing four innings of two-run ball with two strikeouts. Kluber heads into the 2021 season looking to rebound from a rough 2019 season that saw him post a 5.80 ERA and missed most of the 2020 season with a... Read More
DJ LeMahieu Homers On Saturday
New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit his first home run of spring training this year as part of a two-hit game against the Pirates. LeMahieu has had a tepid start to spring training so far this season, but fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned about his relatively slow start after the 32-year-old posted a... Read More
Gerrit Cole Solid On Thursday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole pitched well on Thursday, striking out five batters over three innings of one-run ball. Cole's 20% swinging-strike rate was characteristically excellent, and there's no reason to expect Cole to be anything other than an ace once again in 2021. For what it's worth, Kyle Higashioka was behind the... Read More
Luke Voit’s Knee Issue Not Major
New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit (knee) has been dealing with a knee injury, and his knee appeared to bother him on the bases during Thursday's game. Manager Aaron Boone seems to view Voit's knee injury as a minor issue, and it doesn't seem like Boone expects Voit to be in any danger of... Read More
Luis Severino Throws From Mound
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (elbow) threw 20 pitches from a mound on Tuesday and looked great, according to manager Aaron Boone. It's been a little over a year since Severino underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his pitching elbow, and the 27-year-old has had a smooth recovery process... Read More
Domingo German Strong Again On Wednesday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German pitched well again on Wednesday, shutting the Pirates out over three innings with three strikeouts. German is fending off fellow Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia for the team's fifth starting pitcher job, and German's strong spring performance so far (only two hits allowed over five innings with seven... Read More
Aroldis Chapman Excellent In Spring Debut
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman looked to be in midseason form for his spring debut on Wednesday, striking out two batters over a clean inning. Chapman's fastball narrowly missed touching triple digits, but there's no reason to expect the 33-year-old to be anything other than his flamethrowing self in 2021 even if he is... Read More
Deivi Garcia Shines On Tuesday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia looked great on Tuesday, tossing three shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Tigers. Encouragingly, Garcia's average fastball velocity on Tuesday was up nearly two mph from last season's 91.9 mph average, and the 21-year-old's improved velocity is worth keeping an eye on going forward. Garcia still likely... Read More
Zach Britton Has A Bone Chip In His Elbow
New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton (elbow) will undergo surgery on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with a bone chip in his pitching elbow on Tuesday. This kind of surgery can take around two months for pitchers to fully recover from, so fantasy managers should expect Britton to miss at least the first month... Read More
Clint Frazier Collides With Outfield Wall
New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier collided with an outfield wall while attempting to make a play during Tuesday's game against the Tigers, prompting manager Aaron Boone and trainers to check on the 26-year-old. Encouragingly, Frazier remained in the game, but he has an unfortunately long history with concussions, and another concussion could put his... Read More
Zach Britton Gets An MRI
New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton got an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing soreness following a bullpen session. It's too early to say exactly what Britton's injury is, but fantasy managers should place him on "do not draft" lists until more details are revealed. An elite reliever for fantasy managers who value holds, Britton... Read More
Jose Iglesias (SS, LAA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 375 CURRENT ADP: ~403 overall ANALYSIS: Orioles hitting coach Don Long compared Iglesias to Hanser Alberto just before the start of the 2020 MLB season, suggesting that improved plate discipline rather than a swing change would help Iglesias be a more productive hitter. Four months later, Iglesias finished the 2020 season with... Read More
Jordan Montgomery Pitches Well On Sunday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery pitched well against the Phillies on Sunday, tossing three shutout innings with two hits allowed. Mongomery is still clearly working to get back into mid-season form (as most pitchers are) as he only threw his curveball 7% of the time on Sunday (22% usage rate last season), but... Read More
Brett Gardner Hits A Grand Slam On Sunday
New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner went 1-for-1 with a walk and a grand slam against the Phillies on Sunday, his first home run of spring training this year. Never much of a power hitter, Gardner has only ever hit four regular-season grand slams, and fantasy managers shouldn't expect another in 2021. Gardner rejoined the... Read More
Gleyber Torres Homers On Friday
New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres clubbed his first home run of the spring on Friday with a 369-foot shot against the Tigers. A relatively poor launch angle profile (33.3% sweet-spot rate, 41.7% ground-ball rate) fueled a down year from Torres in 2020 highlighted by a disappointing .334 xwOBAcon, but at least some of Torres's... Read More
Domingo German Impresses On Friday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German looked good on Friday in his first game action since 2019, striking out four opposing batters over two innings in which the only damage against him was one hit. German missed the entire 2020 season as he served a domestic violence suspension, and he's now battling promising prospect... Read More
Aaron Boone To Rejoin The Yankees This Weekend
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone will rejoin the team sometime this weekend after undergoing surgery to receive a pacemaker in his heart on Wednesday. Thankfully, Boone’s surgery reportedly went smoothly, and the skipper’s return to the team has been on schedule as he had been expected to miss only a few days. The biggest... Read More
Deivi Garcia Allows Two Home Runs On Thursday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Deivi Garcia struggled in his spring training debut on Thursday, allowing two solo home runs over two innings. Garcia's command appeared to be somewhat shaky after he left a handful of pitches over the heart of the plate, but he did generate a 33% swinging-strike rate and picked up three... Read More
Gio Urshela Feels Good After Spring Debut
New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (elbow) said that he's back to feeling 100% after going 0-for-2 in his spring training debut on Thursday. Thursday's outing was Urshela's first game action after he underwent offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow, and it's encouraging to hear that he felt healthy after... Read More
Corey Kluber Shines On Wednesday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber turned in a strong performance on Wednesday, tossing two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Somewhat encouragingly, Kluber's multi-year velocity decline appears to have plateaued as his sinker sat at 91.1 mph on Wednesday, roughly in line with last season's 91.5 mph mark. Fantasy managers shouldn't take much away... Read More
Aaron Boone Taking A Leave Of Absence
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is taking a medical leave of absence from the team to receive a pacemaker in his heart. The Yankees are optimistic that Boone can return to the team within the next few days so his absence shouldn't have much of an impact on the team's lineups during the regular... Read More
