MLB.com | Jim Callis: MLB Pipeline has released its list of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects for 2026 and George Lombard Jr. retains his spot as their No. 1 prospect. The shortstop drafted 26th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft reached Double-A as a 20 year old in 2025 and has impressed this spring, going 2-for-8 with five walks and five RBI in five games of Grapefruit League play. He is not expected to graduate to the majors in 2026 as he continues to adjust to professional pitching, though GM Brian Cashman called his defense “MLB-ready.”
MLB.com | Maria Guardado: Ahead of Team USA’s opening game of the World Baseball Classic against Brazil on Friday, team captain Aaron Judge addressed his teammates in a clubhouse speech. He had not planned to make a speech until reigning Cy Young winners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes reached out over the winter and suggested that he prepare some words for when the team convened ahead of the tournament. Judge’s speech focused on sacrificing for each other over the next couple of weeks, the team also taking inspiration from the performances of the athletes of Team USA in the recently completed Winter Olympics. Judge called being named team captain an honor, though made sure to distinguish that being “captain of the Yankees is No. 1 still in [his] heart.”
Fox News | Scott Thompson: Last week, the Yankees announced that they would be retiring the No. 52 worn by first ballot Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, also announcing a ceremony to dedicate a plaque in Monument Park in September. Sabathia reflected on the honor, calling it “more of a shock than going into the Hall of Fame.” He mentioned the Yankees greats that he would be joining, how he never thought he would be mentioned alongside the likes of Whitey Ford and Ron Guidry when he first joined the team in 2008. He ended by hailing the fans as the part that meant the most to him during his Yankees tenure and the accountability to which they hold every player.
The Athletic | Ken Rosenthal ($): Max Fried has worked his way to becoming one of the best starting pitchers in MLB, and he chronicles the journey of developing the killer mentality that got him to this point. Early in his career, he had to shake the label of being ‘soft’ when mistakes or missed execution would fluster him for the rest of his start. He hit a career rock bottom as a 22 year old when he went 2-11 with a 5.92 ERA at Double-A in 2017 and even wondered whether he would last in the sport or would have to start making plans to go to college. But then the Braves unexpectedly called him up to the majors in the second half of 2017, and Fried pitched to a 3.81 ERA in nine appearances, a moment which Fried called the turning point in his career. Fried said the rude awakening of those struggles in the minors forced him to take ownership of his life and career.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: The Yankees had been searching for a right-handed bat to provide additional depth in the outfield all offseason, and now that they have signed Randal Grichuk to a minor league deal with an invitation to camp, Jaffe analyzes what the former Yankee killer could bring to their lineup. Grichuk’s presence gives the Yankees options with how they want to handle Jasson Domínguez, who Brian Cashman conceded would be “in his best interest to be getting everyday reps,” after he struggled batting against lefties and defensively in left field. Grichuk traditionally mashes lefties, with a career 118 WRC+, though 2025 was the first year he was actually worse against lefties than righties. All the same, he could serve as the short side of a platoon with Trent Grisham — much better against righties than lefties — with Grisham in center and Bellinger in left with a righty on the mound and Bellinger in center and Grichuk in left against southpaws.
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