The New York Yankees are exhibiting a fetish for former Rockies players as of late. That raises some compelling questions for Rockies fans. Is it worth it to pay more attention to the Yankees to see how our guys are doing now? Should we take that step to make, even if temporarily, the Yankees “our AL team” for the season?
Well, our friends at our sister site Pinstripe Alley think we should throw our lot behind the Evil Empire. Tyler Norton makes the case below, citing even more reasons than just common middle infielders.
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Dear Rockies Fans,
Hello, friends!
You may have noticed that over the last few weeks that the Yankees have gone about their offseason business by stockpiling former Rockies players. It started small. First it was a flier on Troy Tulowitziki, who will fill-in at shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery. Then came DJ LeMahieu on a two-year deal. Finally, Adam Ottavino joined one of the most fearsome bullpens in baseball history. We promise to take good care of them.
This trio now adds to a long, shared history between the Yankees and Rockies. I’m serious! Matt Holliday spent a good portion of the 2017 season as the Yankees designated hitter, where he mentored Aaron Judge. Tommy Kahnle bounced from New York to Colorado then back to New York again — with a short pause in Chicago along the way. Jason Giambi played the role of hulking slugger for both teams. And Jeff Francis! Did you know Jeff Francis pitched 1.2 innings with the 2014 Yankees? That 100% happened.
We have more than players in common, too, you know. Both of our teams play in high-offense environments. Coors Field is a batter’s haven thanks to the altitude. Yankee Stadium, on the other hand, has the short porch in right field. It’s a great place to play if your team hits home runs.
Speaking of home runs, the Yankees love them. They hit so many in 2018 that it set the MLB record! We love dingers, and you have Dinger. You would feel right at home tuning into a Yankees game.
We even have a common enemy in the Boston Red Sox! The Rockies fought valiantly against them in the 2007 World Series. The Yankees, meanwhile, have been bitter rivals with them for roughly 100 years. We can talk about how much they irk us.
I know it may not be easy to pick the Yankees for your AL team. I totally get it. At the very least, we could have an understanding to vote for each other’s players for the All-Star Game? You know how MLB loves to pair up AL-NL clubs for the Final Vote marketing. Our teams are natural partners now.
I do recommend giving the Yankees a try this year. You can see your most talented player ever, your former batting champion, and your best reliever on the same team again. It should be fun! If not, we can try again next year after the Yankees land Nolan Arenado. (Editor’s note: Struck through due to extremely offensive content.)
Best Regards,
Your Friends at Pinstripe Alley