Day: March 19, 2018

Giants Make Several Signings And Retain Key Depth Player

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The New York Giants have made several key signings to provide depth and retained a veteran defensive lineman.

The signings:

1.) DE Kerry Wynn

Defensive end Kerry Wynn will return to the Giants, the team announced on Monday.

Wynn is a 27-year-old veteran who’s played in 49 games with 10 starts for the Giants. He was an undrafted free agent in 2015. His career totals include three sacks and 92 total tackles. In 2017, he recorded 252 snaps, 22.9 percent of all the defensive snaps. The deal is reportedly a one-year contract, according to Jordan Raanan.

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2.) CB B.W. Webb

The Giants signed former New Orleans Saints cornerback B.W. Webb to a one-year deal.

The corner was drafted in the fourth-round by the Cowboys in 2014. He has been a journeyman in the league, with time spent in Dallas, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans. At 28 years-old, Webb played in 14 games last season for the Saints. He also started in seven games.

A solid depth signing for the Giants who are on a tight budget.

3.) WR Cody Latimer

If the Giants were looking for a receiver with extreme blocking abilities, they found one in former Bronco Cody Latimer.

At 6-2 and 215 pounds, Latimer played his first four seasons in the NFL with Denver. He’s enjoyed 45 regular-season games with three starts . He managed 35 receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 24.4 yards on 18 kickoff returns.

A solid depth receiver for the Giants who will surely help in the running game.

4.) DL Josh Mauro

According to Ian Rapaport, the Giants have agreed to terms with former Arizona defensive lineman Josh Mauro. The DL started in seven games last season and is another key depth signing fora team that lacked true talent behind the starters in 2017.

Mauro is another player who’s familiar with James Bettcher’s defense, and will likely assist in getting the rest of the players up to speed on his methods.

 

 

New York Yankees Player Preview: Clint Frazier

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Clint Frazier is a player who has tremendous talent and can be a star in the MLB. The New York Yankees’ 23-year old outfielder made his major league debut last season and impressed everyone.

Frazier, whose nickname is “Red Thunder” provided the Yankees with a spark last season. He showed why the Yankees acquired him for Andrew Miller.

Fraziers number’s from last season:

  1. AVG, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .268 OBP, .448 SLG

Background:

Frazier is from Loganville, Georgia where he attended Loganville High School.  Frazier was an amazing High school player as he won “The Jackie Robinson Award” in his junior year, which is awarded to the Perfect Game National Player of the Year. In his senior year, Frazier was named Gatorade’s National Player of the Year.

Clint was committed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Indians selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 Draft. The Indians awarded Frazier a $3.5 million dollar signing bonus for signing with them

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Red Thunder:

In 2016 when the Yankees decided to trade reliever Andrew Miller, the bombers wanted a great player in return. The Yankees ultimately acquired Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and J.P. Feyereisen from the Indians for Andrew Miller. The Yankees had a choice between Frazier and Bradley Zimmer , but chose Frazier.

Frazier made his debut for the Yankees last season and did not disappoint. He spent a majority of his time in left field for the Yankees. Red Thunder was called up on July 1st in a series against the Astros in Houston. He had a fantastic debut hitting a double in his first at bat and in his second blasted a home run.

Red Thunder’s highlight of the season last year was the walk-off homer he hit off Corey Knebel of the brewers on July 8th.

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Role on the 2018 Yankees:

Frazier had a rough start to Spring Training as he suffered a concussion against the Pirates on February 24th and has not played in any games since.

Frazier was not going to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training because the Yankees already have Gardner, Hicks, Stanton, Judge and Ellsbury on the 25-man-roster. With Frazier sustaining the concussion, he will most likely begin the season on the DL.

When he is healthy again, Red Thunder will begin the season in Triple-A. He will be one of the guys the Yankees bring up if there are any injuries and he also may be used as a trade chip.

Frazier’s name was discussed all winter in trades, so he is definitely someone who may be used to acquire a starting pitcher. Time will tell, but I think Frazier will get his chance in Pinstripes to join Judge and Stanton in the outfield for a long time. Frazier is a force at the plate and is a solid defender. Frazier should be given an opportunity this season and if given one he will take full advantage of it.

New York Giants: Top Breakout Player Of 2018

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With the New York Giants preparing to make arguably their most important draft choice in the past decade, speculation is surrounding the organization and fan-base. But, let’s take a break from the speculation and take a look at who is bound for a huge year in 2018.

The potential breakout player of the year:

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The Giants saw most of their players struggle last season for obvious reasons, and hopefully a majority of them will return with a vengeance. They will all likely improve from the lost 2017 season, but the one player that is bound for a huge year is defensive end Olivier Vernon.

In 2017, Vernon suffered a high ankle sprain in week four, but continued to play throughout the year despite the significant injury. An additional hand injury also was problematic for the edge rusher.

Interesting stat:

Since 2013, only two more edge rushers have registered more quarterback hits than Vernon.

Former Arizona Cardinals’ DC James Bettcher took defensive end Chandler Jones to the next level, as he recorded 17 sacks in a 3-4 defense. If Bettcher implements a similar system in New York, players like Vernon and JPP should benefit significantly.

With an injured ankle and hand, Vernon recorded 6.5 sacks and 23 total tackles. These numbers are abysmal for a player taking up $16 million in cap-space (2017) and $17 million in 2018.

Luckily for the Giants, there’s an out in 2019 in regard to Vernon’s contract, which would open up $19.5 million in cap-space. If general manager Dave Gettleman decides to release Vernon and Eli Manning, the Giant could see themselves with upwards of $40 million in open cap.

With several big signings this off-season, Big Blue will have significant freedom to sign some high-profile players come 19′.

 

Buffalo Bills GM Speaks Out About Potential Trade Up For QB With New York Giants

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The New York Giants sit in a spot of premium value going into the 2018 NFL draft with the No. 2 overall pick. Finding a way to gain the most value from their pick will be the top priority. Receiving a kings ransom will be the only way they depart with their top three selection and move back into the depths of the draft.

The Buffalo Bills might be the team to do business with, but general manager Brandon Beane has a few tasks on his mind before he considers offering the mother-load to the Giants and Dave Gettleman.

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Here’s what Beane had to say, according to ProFootballTalk.com:

“The truth? Most of these quarterbacks I’ve only spent 15 minutes with,” Beane said, via Peter King of SI.com. “I haven’t spent enough time to have an opinion about any of them yet, honestly. I actually sent a little note to our [scouts] yesterday. We got six weeks to get our board together.

“I am not there yet, knowing if we can or will move up again. I want Sean to get to know all of them. We’re just keeping an open mind. Where we’re at, we’ve got the picks, we’ve got the draft capital. I’m not ready to pull the trigger.”

Moving up from No. 12 almost guarantees an interest in the Giants at No. 2, especially if they want the cream of the crop. There’s a solid chance the Browns and Giants will go with a QB in the top three picks, and if the Bills want their choice, they will have to offer enormous value.

Beane stated that they have the draft capital and picks to use, so moving up for a second-time is a high-level option as we approach the draft.

It’s likely they will move up after deciding which quarterback they truly think can be the guy for years to come, and after the recent signing of AJ McCarron, some thought he would be the guy for Buffalo moving forward. The Bills only signed him to a one-year deal virtually, and bringing in competition will only help a young quarterback improve early on.

As every day passes, the Giants seem to increase their value at No. 2; significantly after the Colts traded the No. 3 pick to the Jets. If Gettleman can secure two first-round picks in 2018 and another in 2019, we could be looking at one of the most dynamic youth-filled teams in the NFL.

 

An Eli Manning Tribute And Reminder That We Shouldn’t Take Him For Granted

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I remember one fine day on a radio show New York Giants’ QB Eli Manning was asked if he felt that he was an elite QB, like Tom Brady.

Eli responded, “yes, I feel like I am a elite QB”. Eli has had his fair shares of ups and downs, but one thing is always for certain, he is a Hall of Fame QB. When he was drafted in 2004, he didn’t want to be a San Diego Charger, so he requested a trade to the New York Giants on his draft day.

The Manning way:

Eli has been the true definition of a New York Giant. He has never missed a game due to injury and has the 2nd longest streak of consecutive starts in NFL history.

Many of his critics say after this past 3-13 season that he is declining. But with Dave Gettleman taking over and making the offensive line a priority, I believe we will once again see Eli bounce back.

Manning has won  two Super Bowls and earned MVP both times. He is the only QB to be undefeated against Tom Brady in a Super Bowl.

It wasn’t that long ago in 2015 Eli Manning had a great year. He threw for 4,436 yards and 35 TD’S. The Giants drafted his potential replacement last year in the 3rd round in Davis Webb out of Cal. In the 2018 NFL Draft the New York Giants hold the 2nd pick, and what they do with it will decide the future of the organization.

Despite Manning’s physical skills diminishing with every passing year, he is still ‘OUR’ quarterback, and we mustn’t forget that he deserves our faith and support until his final day as a Giant. We must remain hopeful that he can lead our team in 2018, and that when it comes down to it, he will be there when we need him most.

From the two glorious Super Bowl runs, to the monstrous hits he’s taken over the years, Manning has never faltered and has always risen up from the dirt to find his receiver on the very next pass.

 

New York Mets Injury Report

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Jason Vargas (right hand) sustained a fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand. Vargas is scheduled to get surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and will involve the removal of the bone. He will look to resume throwing five days later but is very doubtful for the beginning of the season. This gives new life to Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman as it gives them another rotation spot to earn.

Yoenis Cespedes (wrist) is set to return to Grapefruit League action Monday. He originally aggravated the injury last week in a game that he homered in. When asked about the injury he said “I am not going to be able to play anymore, ever,” meaning he is likely feeling better. The Mets played Wilmer Flores in left field Saturday just incase the Cespedes injury was not healing as expected after playing in a minor league game.

Jacob deGrom (back) looks ready to go for Opening Day. He tossed five scoreless innings on Friday and struck out eight on one hit. deGrom says he feels healthy and he will be ready to start the second game of the season. He will likely get another start or two before Spring Training ends.

Dominic Smith (quad) is regressing in his recovery from the injury. Smith has not been able to run and does not look like he will be able to play another game before Spring Training ends. All signs point to Smith starting the season in Triple-A and Adrian Gonzalez being the everyday first baseman for the Mets at the moment.

T.J. Rivera (right elbow) is still on the rehab process from Tommy John Surgery and there is no real timetable or new news coming out of the Mets organization.

David Wright (shoulder and lower back) still has about two months to go until he will be resuming baseball activity.

Michael Conforto (shoulder) has progressed very nicely and has already played in two minor league games. He played in the outfield Sunday and is very much on track to make an early May return. Conforto has been late on the ball but that comes with the adjustment of being on the sidelines for over six months. Conforto says his body feels great and if Brandon Nimmo is producing they will have a very difficult outfield decision to make.