MLBbros Willie Calhoun And Aaron Hicks In The Mix For Yankees Starting Left Field Job 

MLBbros Willie Calhoun And Aaron Hicks In The Mix For Yankees Starting Left Field Job 

by | Jan 24, 2023 | THE THREE SPOT

Last season Aaron Hicks said he wanted to go 30-30. It was lofty goals for a player who never accomplished either mark but would have been a clear sign that his career was on an upward trajectory.

 

Aaron Hicks Is Thinking 30-30 Club This Season | A Key Cog In Yankees Soul Patrol Wants To Make Up For Lost 2021

 

After all, the Yankees awarded Hicks with a seven-year $70M contract in 2019 after hitting career-highs in homers (27) RBI (79) and hits (119). Then the bottom fell out and injuries mounted, which led to Hicks hitting a total of 30 homers over the next four seasons and totally falling out of favor with the fans.

 

Brian Cashman Says Hicks Is Leading Candidate For Left Field

 

As we approach Spring Training exactly a year later, Hicks’ goals are much lower, and his job security has changed significantly. Word on the MLB streets is that the New York Yankees would prefer to trade Hicks and acquire another outfielder, ending the 10-year veteran’s roller coaster tenure in pinstripes.

However, the market for a corner outfielder is shrinking and Yankees GM Brian Cashman said during a Sunday interview on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio, that he’s still got faith in the multi-tooled Hicks and insists that he’s the frontrunner for the starting left field job.

“I suspect he will be the guy that emerges because he is still really talented and everything is there,” said Cashman, adding that Hicks is fully recovered from a knee injury suffered in the postseason. “Hopefully, we can get the Aaron Hicks we know is in there back as a consistent player for us.”

 

Willie Calhoun Could Challenge For Yankees LF Job

If Hicks doesn’t get the nod, Boone could choose potential over experience and give the untested Oswaldo Cabrera or Estevan Florial a shot.

Boone reportedly also mentioned minor league signing MLBbro Willie Calhoun in a recent interview with the YES Network’s Jack Curry. Calhoun has tons of potential and showed flashes, but never really got it going in Texas once he was beaned in the head.

But overall, the Yankees skipper said he feels like the 33-year-old Hicks “has a chance to really bounce back” from a 2022 campaign in which he slashed .216/.330/.313 with eight home runs and 40 RBI, lost his center field job to Harrison Bader, and told the New York Post he would be open to a trade if it resulted in more playing time.

 

“Things Are Tough In New York “| Can MLBbro, Aaron Hicks Turn It Around In Time to Join the Yankees Postseason Party?

 

Things really went south following an above-average 30 game stretch early in the season. Hicks floundered while Yankees fans were enamored with the record setting exploits of Aaron Judge.

Can Hicks Revive Yankees Soul Patrol (All-Black Outfield)?

 

If Hicks is going to re-establish himself as the third leg of a potential Yankees Soul Patrol (along with MLBbros Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton) then he’s going to have to be available for more than 130 games, something he’s only done twice since 2013 and just once in the last four seasons.

With $30.5M still owed to him over the next three seasons, is going to get every opportunity to prove that he’s significantly better than he’s been able to show the past few seasons.

Baby Bros Vaughn Grissom and Michael Harris II Shock Baseball With Early Success 

Baby Bros Vaughn Grissom and Michael Harris II Shock Baseball With Early Success 

by | Sep 7, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

With all of the attention going to the dominating big market teams like the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, it is easy for feel-good stories to fall through the cracks. Then throw in the superstars on those teams like Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Mookie Betts (Dodgers), and the younger players fall even further back from the media news cycle.

Some players have battled their way into the spotlight briefly like Trayce Thompson, who went from a cash considerations injury stop gap for the Dodgers to a justifiable key player on the roster late in the season.

But MLBbro.com has a two-for-one sale for all of the fans of black players who are major contributors to Major League Baseball. It seems the Atlanta Braves still have an eye for young talent that can contribute immediately to the main roster.

David Grubb

Michael Harris II and Vaughn Grissom have made the jump NOT from Triple-A but DOUBLE-A to take MLB by storm as being two of the three youngest players in baseball. At the age of 21, they sandwich Tampa Bay Rays’ prospect Wander Franco. But unlike Franco, these two MLBbros are on a team that is not only in a playoff chase where it matters, but in a battle for the NL East crown, one game behind the New York Mets.

The Braves are well known to promote young talent over the years as seen right here being discussed by these MLB Network analysts…

But what Michael Harris II and Vaughn Grissom have done since being called up can’t be overlooked. Sure players have been brought up from Double-A before over the years, but what these two MLBbros are doing right now is ridiculous. Need some proof?

How about September 2, 2022, when the Atlanta Braves took on the Miami Marlins? Harris II and Grissom both deposited two-run homers into the seats as the Braves put on a five-home run barrage in an 8-1 beat-down.

Vaughn Grissom shared the secret to the early success of the MLBbros…just keep it simple and look at the game the same way as they did in the minors via The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“They got to throw it over the heart of the plate and you either got to hit it or miss it,” Grissom said. “Just control what you can control. Everybody’s a major leaguer and they all got their stuff, but we’re both here, too. We have what it takes to be here, too.”

 

 

MLBbro.com has been covering Michael Harris II’s progress throughout the season, comparing him to all-time great young Braves players in the dynasty years starting in the 1990s.

 

Soul Patroller Michael Harris II Gives Off Same Vibes As Past Atlanta Braves Greats

 

But while Harris II has been on the roster for a good while, Grissom has been the newcomer as of late being brought up due to the injuries of Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia. It didn’t take long to show that the 14 home runs and 67 RBI would transcend over to the big leagues. But as you see Vaughn’s home run here, just look at who was the first player there to congratulate him. Press play!

But with these two players, it’s not just about pounding home runs. They have an attacking mentality on the bases that have complimented the base running styles of Braves leaders, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies. Last week against the Mets in a huge game for the division title the duo combined on a scoring scenario that impressed Braves manager, Brian Snitker on the base path intelligence of these two MLBbros via The Atlanta Voice last month…

 

 

“I think it’s amazing what you know, like the young guys when they come up,” Snitker said. “It’s playing like that with the energy and the hustle and never taking anything for granted. It does rub off on guys, I mean it’s infectious when they do that. And then Michael comes out of the box looking for two and the way he can run and fortunately make a play. It’s really good. It’s really good. I mean, the guys do feed off that.”

This article could go into statistics and advanced stats, but the impact of these MLBBro baby bombers is deeper than that to the Braves and the culture. It’s about two MLBbros who know they belong and have the confidence to succeed at this level. Two Black ballers who can inspire the next generation of Black players.

MLBbros Bringing The Soul Patrol | AL All-Stars Feature First All-Black Starting Outfield Since 2017

MLBbros Bringing The Soul Patrol | AL All-Stars Feature First All-Black Starting Outfield Since 2017

by | Jul 18, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

For only the second time since 1996 there will be three MLBbros starting in the outfield for the American League at the All-Star Game.

Sunday afternoon it was announced that Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton would step into the American League starting lineup after Mike Trout pulled out of the game due to injury, making way for a historic moment.

Byron Buxton Came Off The DL With An MLBbro Flow That’s Dismantling Pitchers

 

The last time the AL started three Black outfielders was 2017; with Houston’s George Springer, Boston’s Mookie Betts, and Aaron Judge of the Yankees patrolling Marlins Park.

Judge is back, along with teammate Giancarlo Stanton to join Buxton among the starters as the American League looks to win the Midsummer Classic for the eighth straight time.

 

Before 2017, the AL hadn’t started three Black outfielders since 1995 when Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, and Kirby Puckett did so. From 1991-95, each time the American League filled out its lineup card, there were three Black outfielders leading the way.

They weren’t just stars of their day either, these were some of the greatest of all-time. A collection of MVPs and future Hall of Famers.

During that five-year stretch Ken Griffey Jr. and Puckett made the All-Star team four times each. Both are enshrined in Cooperstown. Two-time World Series champion Joe Carter was a part of three of those teams, with Rickey Henderson, Dave Henderson, Belle, and Lofton each appearing once over that span.

Two times in five years isn’t exactly bringing the game to the golden era of Black participation in Major League Baseball, but it is a major step forward and a testament to the increasing level of Black talent coming back to the game.

Perhaps another generation of stars will be inspired by what they see Tuesday night in Dodger Stadium when Judge, Buxton, and Stanton run out to take their positions.

And, perhaps one or more of the three will lay another brick on their path to the Hall of Fame themselves.

Either way, it’ll be great to see.