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The Yankees' Jose Caballero prefers outdoor batting practice, believing it enhances his performance by allowing him to see how the ball carries. This old-school approach sets him apart from his teammates.
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NEW YORK â Like any major league team, the Yankees engage in the time-honored tradition of pre-game batting practice. Same as it ever was: get loose and gauge how light the bat feels.
While BP sessions are mandatory, manager Aaron Boone allows his players to choose between the Stadiumâs underground cages or outside on the field. Preferences vary â Aaron Judge splits it 50-50, Austin Wells is indoor-only â but thereâs one Yankee whoâs strictly old school.
No matter if itâs day or night, hot or cold, Jose Caballero takes batting practice outside â and only outside - for a distinctly low-tech reason.
âIt just makes me feel good,â he said. âI can see the ball fly and see how the ball is carrying to all fields.â
Caballero stands at 5-9, 175 pounds with a touch of Ozzie Smith in him. His hands are that good. But being as lean as a greyhound doesnât mean Caballero lacks muscle. To the contrary. Boone says, âCabby hits bombs in batting practice every day.â
And that power doesnât shut off when BP ends at 5 pm. Caballero blasted a 108-mph home run in the first inning of the Yankeesâ 7-2 win over the Orioles Friday night. He almost went deep in the seventh inning too, long after the game was out of reach.
With an American League-best 21-11 record, the Bombers are on a roll of biblical proportions. But thatâs not the weekendâs No. 1 narrative.
Itâs not Will Warren, who delivered another gem (6.1 innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts). Itâs not , who smacked his 11th HR of the season, right behind Judgeâs 12.
Jose Caballero prefers outdoor batting practice because it makes him feel good and helps him see how the ball carries to all fields.
The Yankees engage in mandatory pre-game batting practice, allowing players to choose between underground cages or outdoor sessions.
Players like Aaron Judge split their practice between indoor and outdoor, while Austin Wells prefers indoor-only sessions.
The Yankees manager who allows players to choose their batting practice location is Aaron Boone.
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Itâs Caballero, whoâs taking giant steps towards becoming the full-time shortstop. Talk about good timing: only hours after the Yankees extended Anthony Volpeâs injury rehab assignment for another two days, Caballero took full advantage of being alone on the stage.
Heâs saying all the right things about the battle he appears to be winning. No gloating, no self-promotion and no disrespect towards Volpe. Caballero says, âI wish him the bestâ and emphasizes he only wants to âhelp the team win any way I can.â
Boone, along with general manager Brian Cashman, couldâve brought Volpe back on Friday. The reports from Somerset say the Jersey kid is fully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. Thereâs nothing left for him to prove at the minor league level.
A year or even a month ago, there wouldâve been no question about Volpeâs reinstatement. But Caballero, batting a solid .266 with three HRs in his last seven games, has chipped away at Volpeâs hold on the position. Teammates are now openly praising Caballero and his relentless energy.
âHeâs a fun guy to watch,â said Rice. âYou see what he does on the bases, running around, causing havoc, great defense, great at-bats, willing to play small ball, willing to take the extra base.â
The Yankees couldâve ended the suspense by now. But timeâs almost up: Volpeâs injury-rehab will expire on Sunday. Thatâs when activation becomes automatic.
The question is whether Volpe returns to the Bronx or is officially demoted to Class-AAA. Boone says the clubâs hierarchy will use the rest of the weekend to âassessâ their choices. But how much more evidence is necessary?
Fridayâs take-down of the Orioles also raised other questions:
It seems that way, even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon the verge of returning from the injured list. Warren has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his seven starts, the most in the major leagues.
His growing dominance, not to mention impenetrable self-confidence, make it a near-guarantee Warren will be a rock-solid No. 5 starter with Cole, Rodon Max Fried and Cam Schlittler ahead of him.
âI think weâre going to have the best staff in all of baseball when they come back,â Warren said. âThe best pitchers are going to pitch, so I have to keep going out there and doing my job.â
The former-Mets first baseman spoke to reporters at length before the game, but was careful not to re-open old wounds.
He acknowledged being allowed to leave the Mets as a free agent without an offer or even a final conversation with Steve Cohen or David Stearns. But insisted there was no bitterness.
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BOB KLAPISCH
âYou canât erase history or what happened, because I enjoyed my time in New York,â Alonso said. âBut Iâm also really stoked to represent Baltimore.â
Itâs true, the field is exceptionally weak this year. Ten of the leagueâs 15 teams are under .500 and just two, the Yankees and Rays, are over .600. That should theoretically clear the Bombersâ path to the World Series. But havenât we said that before?
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