Just a few things that crossed my mind as I watched the NASCAR crew put out the inferno on lap 160 during Monday night’s Daytona 500.  First I “blame” Mike Ashmore, the beat writer for the Yankees double-A Trenton Thunder for the Hunterdon County Democrat.  Who by the way, you can follow through out the season on his Thunder Thoughts blog.  Ashmore happened to send out a tweet regarding the lap 160 fiery crash and  I switched over my TV and sat for the next three plus hours watching NASCAR, something I never do (and may not ever do again).  I was fascinated by men in fire-retardant suits fight the fire which included pouring Tide Detergent (how great of a free commercial was that for them?) on a sharply banked oval track in order to get it cleaned up to race again, I had some idle thoughts regarding the Yankees most recent roster moves.  I was also way impressed by the NASCAR and Daytona people in getting that track back in racing shape.  A seriously a great job….

There are 31 players in New York Yankees Spring Training that have spent time in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with the triple-A Yankees including; 21 players on the Yankees current 40 man roster (which sits at 39 – more on that in a bit), and 10 players on the non-roster invite list.  Four of the 21 players on the Yankees 40 man roster; Freddy Garcia, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Soriano made their appearances for the SWB Yankees on MLB rehab assignments.

This week 2011 SWB outfielder Chris Dickerson went from being on that 40-man list to a non-roster invitee this week in a move that most saw as a way to free roster space for Eric Chavez whom the Yankees resigned to a Major League contract.  It wasn’t that people were picking Dickerson to be the guy who got sent down to the minors but when Chavez was mentioned (before he had signed a deal) by Yankees Manager Joe Girardi in a talk with the media assembled in Tampa and then Chavez was spotted at the Yankees complex it was obvious to all that a deal was imminent and it was just a matter of getting all of the logistics worked out.  So at that point with one player too many on the 40 man roster, someone needed to be removed to free up a spot for Chavez.  Dickerson ended up being that guy.  The move to outright Dickerson to the minors was made official on Sunday the 26th.  In an additional move, pitcher David Aardsma was moved to the 60 day DL (the move was listed as being made February 25th) as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery in July of last year.  The actual date that the decision to move Aardsma was made on February 27th, the same day that the Chavez signing became official.  The reason for that is Major League teams can make a move to the DL retroactive.  Meaning it can happen before it actually happened just by saying it did.

Confused??  Don’t worry if you are, there are so many different rules when it comes to roster moves and waivers and the disabled list.  It can literally make your head spin.  The simple fact of the matter is this.  Unless something drastic happens; injury, trade, retirement, etc… Dickerson will open the season with the SWB Yankees and will add a left-handed bat as well as some speed and a great defensive presence in the outfield.  It won’t be the last move the Yankees make this spring as with 67 players now in camp, the team needs to be at 25 players at the end of March.  Barring injury and other occurrences there are many who seem to think the 25 man roster for the Yankees is all but set.  Those people may be right but obviously that will be the due diligence of the Yankees baseball personnel to come up with the final combination they feel gives the big league club the best chance to win.

In case you’re still curious about the rules and regulations of roster moves, DL’s, waivers and the like here’s what I know (or at least think that I do).  If you know this stuff like the back of your hand, feel free to point out things that I have missed or have gotten completely wrong.  If you don’t know this stuff all that well, hopefully the next time you see a roster changing situation you’ll have a better idea of why it happened and how it affects the organization and the player(s) involved.

1) 25 Man Major League roster – this one is pretty easy, no real explanation needed…

2) 40 Man Roster -
Adding a player to the 40-man roster:
Defined in Major League Rule 2, the 40-man roster is also known as the Major League Reserve List.  If the player has less than six years of major league service, the team has control over that player until he reaches six years.  A player has to be put onto the 40-man roster to make the majors. There are a number of different ways for players to make their way onto a team’s 40-man roster.  Other than adding a player to the 40 -man roster to get him to the Major Leagues, the most common reason to add a player to the 40-man roster is to protect him from being subject to the Rule 5 draft.  Players meeting certain conditions must be added to their organization’s 40-man roster or they become eligible for the Rule 5.  The eligibility requirements:  players who were 18 or younger on the June 5th preceding the signing of their first pro contract must be added after five minor league seasons. Players who were 19 or older must be added after four minor league seasons.  Players can be added to the 40-man roster at any time prior to Rule 5 eligibility.  Occasionally a player will sign a Major League contract upon being drafted (Andrew Brackman fell into this category with the Yankees) and is added to the 40-man roster right away.  When a player is added via trade or free agency and that player was on the 40-man roster of his previous team, he is added to the 40-man roster of his new team.  The same goes for players selected in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, they are added to the 40-man roster as well.

Removing a player from the 40-man roster:
There are a few different ways to remove a player from the 40-man roster.  After a player accumulates six years of major league service time, he is eligible for free agency and if he leaves the team, it obviously frees up a 40-man spot  Players also can be removed from the 40-man roster if his team declines to tender him a contract for the next season by December 12th .  The most common way players leave a team’s 40-man roster is through waivers.  By placing a player on waivers, all 29 other teams a chance to pick him (and his current contract) up for $1. If a team successfully claims the player, he is added to that team’s 40-man roster.  However, if the player goes unclaimed, he “clears waivers,” giving his team a few different options: he can be released, sent to the minors, or traded to another team even if the July 31 trading deadline has passed.

Here is where it can be a little bit tricky and the reason that people much smarter than me are in charge of this type of thing.  If a team needs to make room on the 40-man roster for a newly signed player or someone they have traded for, a player can be “designated for assignment.” This means he’s taken off the team’s roster and put on waivers.  If the player goes unclaimed, the team has ten days from the time he was designated for assignment to decide whether to trade him, send him to the minors, or release him.  If the team wants to send a player who has cleared waivers to the minors, there are a few considerations that need to be met . This way of being sent to the minors is known as being “outrighted.” If a player has more than three years of service time, he can refuse the outright assignment and become a free agent. He also can accept the assignment but defer his free agency until after the season.  Under this circumstance, there is always a chance that he could be added to the 40-man roster again before the end of the season. If he is re-added to the 40-man roster, he no longer can become a free agent.  Even if the player has less than three years of service an outright assignment to the minors is not a guarantee. If the player in question is being outrighted for at least the second time in his career, he has the same rights as a player with three or more years of service.

The 15 vs. the 60 day DL

15 day DL -  If a major league player cannot play because of a medical condition, he may be placed on the 15-day disabled list (DL). This removes the player from the 25-man roster,  and frees up a roster space, but he is ineligible to play for at least 15 consecutive days.  Players on the 15-day disabled list are still a part of the 40-man roster.  There is no limit on the number of players on the DL per club and players can be placed on the DL retroactively up to a maximum of 10 days.  Once on the 15 day DL players can be assigned to a minor-league club for injury rehab.  The alloted time is 20 days for position players and 30 days for pitchers.

60 day DL – The 60 day DL is exactly as it sounds, a player is on the disabled list for 60 days.  Players placed on the 60 DL are removed from the 40-man roster during their stint on the 60 day and once taken off the DL would have to be re-added to the 40-man roster through the above stated procedures.  If a player is added to the 60 day DL after August 1st he must remain on the list for the remainder of the regular plus the post season.  There is no limit on the number of players on the 60 day DL but it can only be used when a club is at the maximum of 40 players, which explains why Dickerson was outrighted to the minors prior to the signing of Chavez and then Aardsma was added to the 60 day DL. Even though it was retroactive to the February 25th, one day on paper before the Dickerson transaction, when the move actually occurred the Yankees were at the max level of 40 players.  A player on the 15-day DL may be transferred to the 60-day DL at any time, but a player cannot be transferred from the 60 day DL to the 15 day DL.

As confusing as all of this has the potential to be, having to deal with salary caps like the other major sports (NFL, NBA and NHL) is even more so.  It is also much easier to comprehend and (at times) figure out than the options rules, which also have a direct effect on how players are taken off the 40-man roster and moved from Majors to minors.

(As this is being written) It’s currently 38 and sloppy at the top of Montage Mountain in Moosic, PA and with the constant updates on twitter and blogs from the scribes in Tampa (where it’s 80 degrees and sunny and according to the fine people at the Weather Channel.com it feels like it’s 82) it seemed like as good a time as any to think warmer weather and to post the SWB Yankees 2012 Spring Training schedule.  Unlike the Major League club across busy N. Dale Mabry Highway, there is not a whole lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding minor league spring training games.

It can actually be a little quiet with the players usually outnumbering the fans by a 10 to one margin (if not more).  But at the Yankees Minor League Complex (and at most others) there will be two games going on at the same time.  When the SWB (triple-A) and Trenton (double-A) clubs are home, the two single-A teams play on the road and vice-versa.  So if the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre game isn’t to your liking, you can move about 20 feet and sit on the opposite set of bleachers and watch the Trenton Thunder go through the paces.  Just like a minor league game you’re right on top of the action and have the best seat in the joint and if you’re lucky you’ll see a Yankees legend taking in the action as well.  In past trips to the Himes Avenue Complex I have seen Reggie Jackson, Tino Martinez and a few other former NY greats taking in the action.

The best part about the minor league spring training games (if there is no big league game going on at the same time) is in addition to free admission, the parking is free as well.  Really the only thing missing is the hot dog vendor and someone else hawking soda (or your other favorite beverage).  All of the minor league spring training games start at 1pm and tend to move at a pretty quick pace.  If your spring travel plans include a stop at Yankees Spring Training to see a game at Steinbrenner Field, head across the street and check out a minor league spring training game and tell Dave Miley I said hello!

SWB YANKEES 2012 SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE

March 15/16 Intra-squads – Tampa, FL

March 17 @ Phillies (LehighValleyIron Pigs) Bradenton, FL

March 18 vs Pirates (Indianapolis Indians) Tampa, FL

March 19 @ Blue Jays (Las Vegas51’s) Dunedin, FL

March 20 vs Blue Jays (Las Vegas51’s) Tampa, FL

March 21 @ Phillies (LehighValleyIron Pigs) Bradenton, FL

March 22 vs Phillies (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) Tampa, FL

March 23 @ Pirates (IndianapolisIndians) Bradenton, FL

March 24 vs Pirates (Indianapolis Indians) Tampa, FL

March 25 -CampDay – Tampa, FL

March 26 @ Phillies (LehighValleyIron Pigs) Bradenton, FL

March 27 vs Phillies (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) Tampa, FL

March 28 -CampDay – Tampa, FL

March 29 vs Blue Jays (Las Vegas51’s) Tampa, FL

March 30 vs Pirates (Indianapolis Indians) Tampa, FL

March 31 @ Blue Jays (Las Vegas51’s) Dunedin, FL

April 1 – Camp Day (10 AM) Tampa, FL

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and Bold Gold Media will once again team up in 2012 and broadcast all 144 Yankees games on Fox Sports Radio, “The Game” Northeast Pennsylvania’s largest sports radio network.  SWB Yankee games will be heard locally on 1400 AM, 1340 AM, 1280 AM and 1440 AM.  Games can also be accessed via the internet at www.swbyankees.com as well as www.milb.com As in previous seasons, SWB Yankees coverage will began 30 minutes before first pitch each game with the SWB Yankees Pre-Game Report.

The upcoming season for the Yankees will be like none other in the team’s six seasons as the top affiliate of the New York Yankees with the team essentially playing an all road schedule for the season as the team’s home venue, PNC Field undergoes a massive $40 million reconstruction.  The rebuilt facility is expected to be completed in time to open up the 2013 International League season.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play its 72 “home” games as six different venues in the northeast, with Frontier Field in Rochester serving as the Yankees “home away from home” hosting 37 SWB games in 2012.  The Syracuse Chiefs will play host to the Yankees for 10 games, LehighValley for eight, Buffalo for six and Pawtucket for four.  Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, New York, home of the Batavia Muck Dogs is the lone non-International League team to host SWB games in 2012.  The Yankees will play seven games at the home field of the New York Penn League team.  A complete schedule, including the breakdown of what stadium will host the Yankees on what day can be found at www.swbyankees.com

Once again in 2012, I have the privilege of calling SWB Yankees Baseball and am very optimistic about the upcoming season (as everyone at this time of the season usually is).  The NY Yankees have done a great job of signing some key minor league free agents this off season to add to a roster that should be full of some of the organization’s top prospects.  The field staff from 2011 (Manager Dave Miley, Coaches; Scott Aldred, Frank Menechino and Butch Wynegar) all return, which should help keep some stability in what has the potential to be an exciting and I’m sure at times a trying season.  2012 will be my fifth season working with Dave Miley (which is longer than any other minor league manager has had to put up with me) and he does as good a job working with top prospects and veteran players as anyone I have ever been around.

It will no doubt be another exciting season as the SWB Yankees try to get back to the top of the International League’s North Division as they did from 2007-2010.

QUICK HITS:

As I understand it the SWB “home games” will also be streamed on MiLB TV (accessed at www.swbyankees.com and www.milb.com) with the exception of the seven games played at Dwyer Stadium inBatavia,NY.

Some changes in the radio booths in the International League this season.  Aaron Goldsmith has taken over inPawtucket replacing Dan Hoard who resigned at the end of the 2011 season to become the radio voice of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.  Also Patrick Kinas is the new voice of the Durham Bulls replacing Neil Solondz who is the new pre and post game host of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Patrick and I go back to ’96 the Midwest League when he was the voice of the Clinton Lumber Kings and I was with the Lansing Lugnuts.

The IL also will see some new faces (and one familiar) one as media contacts for member teams.  Dave Lezotte in Gwinnett, Tommy Viola in Charlotte and Zach Weber in Durham are all with new teams this season.  Dave was previously in Clinton, Iowa with the Lumber Kings, Tommy was in Reading with the Phillies but had worked in Lehigh Valley for a couple of seasons before moving to the R-Phillies and Zach moves over to Durham from Gwinnett.  Congrats to those three on their new gigs.  Finally, Ian Locke who had previously been with the Norfolk Tides returns to Norfolk after a brief stint away from the game.  Welcome back Ian!

The Yankees announced their list of 27 non-roster invitees to Major League Spring Training in Tampa earlier this week.  Counting those members of the 40-man roster, plus the non-roster invites, there will be 67 players at Steinbrenner Field opening up Spring Training.  Out of the 67 showing up inTampa, 31 have spent time in a SWB Yankees uniform. 22 players on the current Yankees 40 man roster and 9 of the 27 non-roster invitees have played for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

NY Yankees press release regarding the 27 non-roster invites to Major League Spring Training.  http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120208&content_id=26622054&vkey=pr_nyy&c_id=nyy

Out of the 67 that will begin Spring Training, there will be 25 active players heading north to open the season for New York.  The other 42 will open the year somewhere else, some in the Yankees Minor League system, some with other organizations and some without a place to play.  Without a pitch being thrown or a ball put in play it is perhaps a bit early to speculate (with any level of certainty) who will open the season with SWB on April 5^th inAllentown againstLehighValley.  Instead of taking a look at who may be with SWB in 2012, let’s take a look at the 2011 SWB Yankees and see where they landed during the off season.

The 2011 SWB Yankees used 63 different players in and finished the season with a 73-69 record failing to make the IL Playoffs for the first time ever as a Yankees affiliate.  32 of the 63 players that spent time on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre roster in 2011 (as regulars or MLB rehabs) either have new homes for 2012 or soon will (22 have signed with new teams and 10 remain free agents).

Out of the 10 players that at this point are still free agents, just three of those players were on the SWB roster when the 2011 season came to a close at PNC Field on September 5^th vs.Buffalo. Pitcher Eric Wordekemper, infielder Mike Lamb and catcher P.J. Pilittere are the only players on the SWB final 24 man roster to end the season that have not either re-signed with the Yankees or found new teams.  Six players on the final SWB regular season roster have new organizations for the upcoming season: pitchers Andrew Brackman, Logan Kensing and Hector Noesi, infielder Luis Nunez and outfielders Greg Golson and Jordan Parraz will be with new organizations in 2012.

The 63 players that appeared on the 2011 SWB Yankees roster and where they have landed for 2012

PITCHERS (39)

Wilkins Arias – LHP: 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 1G, 0.2 IP / Free Agent

Luis Ayala – RHP (MLB Rehab): 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 3G, 5.0 IP / Free Agent*

Manny Banuelos – LHP: 2-2, 4.19 ERA 7G, 7GS, 34.1 IP / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Dellin Betances – RHP: 0-3, 5.14 ERA, 4G, 4GS, 21.0 IP / NY Yankees 40-man roster

Andrew Brackman – RHP: 3-6,1SV, 6.00 ERA, 33G, 13 GS, 96.0 IP /Cincinnati Reds

Buddy Carlyle – RHP: 2-2, 1SV, 3.98 ERA, 27G, 2GS, 43.0 IP /Atlanta Braves

Randy Flores – LHP: 1-3, 4SV, 3.07 ERA, 29G, 29.1 IP / Free Agent

Freddy Garcia – RHP (MLB Rehab): 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 1G, 4.0 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Brian Gordon – RHP: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1G, 1GS, 5.0 IP / Samsung Lions (Korea)

Schaeffer Hall – LHP: 1-0, 2.84 ERA, 1G, 1GS, 6.1 IP / NY Yankees

Fernando Hernandez – RHP: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1G, 2.0 IP / Free Agent

Kei Igawa – LHP: 1-0, 2.78 ERA, 4G, 4GS, 22.2 IP / Free Agent

LoganKensing – RHP: 1-1, 4 SV, 4.28 ERA, 21G, 27.1 IP /Pittsburgh Pirates

George Kontos – RHP: 4-4, 2 SV, 2.62 ERA 40G, 4GS, 89.1 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Aaron Laffey – LHP: 0-1, 7.36 ERA, 2G, 1GS, 3.2 IP /Toronto Blue Jays

Kevin Millwood – RHP: 1-1, 8.00 ERA, 2G, 2GS, 9.0 IP /Colorado Rockies

D.J. Mitchell – RHP: 13-9, 3.18 ERA, 28G, 24 GS, 161.1 / NY Yankees active roster

Hector Noesi – RHP: 1-1, 3.28 ERA, 6G, 5GS, 24.2 IP / Seattle Mariners

Tim Norton – RHP: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1G, 1.0 IP / NY Yankees

Ivan Nova – RHP: 1-2, 3.38 ERA, 3G, 3GS, 16.0 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Lance Pendleton – RHP: 3-4, 1 SV, 3.11 ERA, 18G, 10 GS, 66.2 IP / Houston Astros

David Phelps – RHP: 6-6, 3.19 ERA, 18G, 18GS, 107.1 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Ryan Pope – RHP: 2-1, 8.14 ERA, 14G, 21.0 IP / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Mark Prior – RHP: 0-0, 0.00 ERA 1G, 1.0 IP / Free Agent

Scott Proctor – RHP: 0-0, 2.57 ERA, 6G, 7.0 IP / Doosan Bears (Korea)

J.C. Romero – LHP: 1-0, 2.92 ERA, 11G, 12.1 IP /St. Louis Cardinals

Amaury Sanit – RHP: 2-1, 5.21 ERA, 10G, 2GS, 19.0 IP / Free Agent

Josh Schmidt – RHP: 5-2, 1 SV, 2.81 ERA, 19G, 32.0 IP /Miami Marlins

Carlos Silva – RHP: 2-1, 3.52 ERA, 4G, 4GS, 23.0 /Boston Red Sox

Andrew Sisco – LHP: 2-0, 1.88 ERA, 16G, 14.1 IP /Los Angeles Dodgers

Greg Smith – LHP: 3-3, 4.84 ERA, 13G, 10GS, 57.2 /Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Rafael Soriano – RHP (MLB Rehab): 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 2G, 2.0 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Kanekoa Texeira – RHP: 0-1, 22.85 ERA, 5G, 4.1 IP /Cincinnati Reds

Jess Todd – RHP: 0-1, 10.80 ERA, 2G, 1.2 IP /St. Louis Cardinals

Raul Valdes – RHP: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3G, 3.0 IP /Philadelphia Phillies

Cory Wade – RHP: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1G, 1.2 IP / NY Yankees active roster

Adam Warren – RHP: 6-8, 3.60 ERA 27G, 27GS, 152.1 IP / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Kevin Whelan – RHP: 2-3, 23 SV, 2.75 ERA, 45 G, 52.1 IP / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Eric Wordekemper – RHP: 3-3, 2 SV, 3.60 ERA, 42G, 50.0 IP / Free Agent

Batters (24) *left handed # switch hitter

Doug Bernier – INF: 95G, .237 AVG, 0HR, 29RBI / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Dan Brewer – INF: 46G, .278 AVG, 0HR, 9RBI / NY Yankees

Kelvin Castro – INF: 2G, 0 AB / NY Yankees

Francisco Cervelli – C (MLB Rehab): 3G, .154 AVG, 0HR, 1RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Chris Dickerson* – OF: 57G, .241 AVG, 2HR, 16RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Jose Gil – C: 6G, .250 AVG, 0HR, 0RBI / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Greg Golson – OF: 105G, .263 AVG, 8HR, 33RBI / Kansas City Royals

Austin Krum* – OF: 64G, .246 AVG, 0HR, 13RBI / NY Yankees

Ray Kruml* – OF: 12G, .150 AVG, 0HR, 3RBI / NY Yankees

Brandon Laird – INF/OF: 123G, .260 AVG, 16HR, 69RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Mike Lamb* – INF/DH: 53G, .296 AVG, 6HR, 26RBI / Free Agent

Addison Maruszak – INF/C/OF: 3G, .125 AVG, 0HR, 0RBI / NY Yankees

Justin Maxwell – OF: 48G, .260 AVG, 16HR, 35RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Gustavo Molina – C: 47G, .253 AVG, 4HR, 21RBI / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Jesus Montero – C: 109G, .288 AVG, 18HR, 67 RBI / Seattle Mariners

Luis Nunez – INF: 78G, .234 AVG, 2HR, 27RBI / Los Angeles Dodgers

Jordan Parraz – OF: 126G, .289 AVG, 9HR, 52RBI / Atlanta Braves

Ramiro Pena# – INF: 55G, .273 AVG, 4HR, 18RBI / NY Yankees active roster

P.J. Pilittere – C: 22G, .209 AVG, 0HR, 5RBI / Free Agent#

Alex Rodriguez – INF (MLB Rehab): 2G, .400 AVG, 0HR, 1RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Austin Romine – C: 4G, .133 AVG, 0HR, 1RBI / NY Yankees active roster

Kevin Russo – INF/OF: 113G, .273 AVG, 4HR, 46RBI / NY Yankees

Terry Tiffee# – INF: 29G, .345 AVG, 3HR, 13RBI / Miami Marlins

Jorge Vazquez – INF/DH: 118G, .262 AVG, 32HR, 93RBI / Non-roster invite to NY Yankees Spring Training

Update 2/11 -

* – Luis Ayala signed a one year major league deal with the Baltimore Orioles on February 10th with a club option for 2013

# – P.J. Pilittere will be a coach for the GCL Yankees joining Manager Tom Nieto’s coaching staff for 2012