Yankees Spring Home a Ray of Sunshine
The New York Yankees traditionally have had trouble navigating the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is built by analytics and devoid of superior talent, yet it can find ways to compete consistently against big-market teams. This is the type of organization Brian Cashman dreams of being but cannot quite attain. A hurricane called Milton, and ten million dollars later, the Yankees have finally found a way to handle the Rays.
Hurricane Milton damaged the Tropicana Field roof, which was not mourned. It is a dreary stadium devoid of character. The sun does not shine there. A forced move to the Yankee spring training home was welcomed not just by the Rays but by Yankee players who did not seem motivated by the old surroundings. The park is outdoors and feels like Florida. It is familiar because the Yankees play home games and train there during spring training. It is built along the lines of Yankee Stadium, which plays to their strengths.
The recent 1-0 gem of a game that Carlos Rodon pitched yesterday was aided by the dimension differences, which includes a deeper left to center field and warmer weather. The rocket that Jonathan Aranda hit to dead center that led to his being thrown out on relay from Trent Grisham to Anthony Volpe to Oswaldo Cabrera at third would have been a home run in the Trop. One day removed from a four-hit day in the opener, Ben Rice, who has been the revelation of the season, is hitting nearly .300 and for power. His drive to the right would have been home run number six, except it was stolen by an excellent fence scrapping jump by Jose Caballero, which would have been a deep flyout in Tropicana Field, which is eight feet deeper. However, Oswaldo Cabrera hit his first home run of the season in game one to right, which would not have been the case in the other field.
The Yankee pitching staff for the most part welcomed the hotter climate after spending winter conditions in Detroit and in New York recently. The first game saw Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams’ pitches moving with more authority as the conditions allowed for better grips, quicker warmups, and the ability to loosen up faster. The pitcher's balls gain more velocity as the lower density in warmer air brings less air resistance to the thrown pitches. As the season progresses and the Yankees continue to enjoy the advantages of playing in Yankee Stadium south against Tampa Bay, the best winter trade will be the ten million dollars received from the Rays to play in Steinbrenner Field and give the Yankees home-field advantage throughout the 2025 series between the clubs.
