The Baby Bombers: The Inside Story of the Next Yankees Dynasty

by Lucas Estrada, Mark Teixeira (Foreword by)

Overview

The meteoric rise of the new generation of superstar Yankees, including Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Luis Severino, now joined by Giancarlo Stanton—from the “inside baseball” strategy in assembling the roster, their fascinating paths to Yankee Stadium, and a mission to hoist the franchise's twenty-eighth World Series championship trophy.

“A must-read for anyone who wants to understand who these new Yankees are, and where they are going.” —Ken Rosenthal, MLB Network and FOX Sports

Derek Jeter and the “Core Four” have passed the torch to a new generation of Yankees superstars—featuring Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, and Greg Bird—who have powered through the minors to become stars on baseball’s biggest stage. Joined by reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, this thrilling group is poised to chase championship titles for years to come.

The Baby Bombers details the inside-baseball strategy of the Yankees’ pivot to a younger, more exciting roster, the players’ fascinating paths to Yankee Stadium, their memorable 2017 playoff run, their amazing assaults on the record books, and a unified mission to hoist the franchise’s twenty-eighth World Series trophy.

Through new, in-depth interviews, veteran reporter Bryan Hoch fleshes out the transition from Jeter to Judge, scoring behind-the-scenes insights from general manager Brian Cashman, former manager Joe Girardi, executives and scouts, members of the current roster, opponents, and Yankees legends of the past.

Winning baseball in the Bronx will resume with postseason hero Aaron Boone in the manager’s chair, aiming to steer the franchise to its forty-first World Series appearance. Featuring nearly fifty photographs, The Baby Bombers tracks the rise of today’s Yankees from fresh-faced rookies into a group that is destined for pinstriped greatness.

“A new generation of stars are developing right before our eyes, and Bryan Hoch is the right journalist to chronicle this exciting time for Yankees fans. This is a must-read book for those that understand the potential of this new core.” —David Cone, four-time World Series Champion with the New York Yankees and analyst for the YES Network

Customer Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635764185
Publisher:	Diversion Books
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Bryan Hoch has written about New York baseball for the past two decades, including covering the New York Yankees as a beat reporter for MLB.com since 2007. Regularly seen on MLB Network, Hoch’s work has also been featured in Yankees Magazine, New York Mets Inside Pitch, and FOXSports.com. He lives in New York City with his wife, Connie, and daughter, Penny

Read an Excerpt

Foreword by Mark Teixeira

—ESPN Baseball Analyst

—New York Yankees 2009-2016

—Member of the 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees

—Three-time All-Star

—Five-time Gold Glove Winner at First Base

—Three-time Silver Slugger Award Winner

—Fourteen-year Major League Baseball Player

If there is one thing I learned during my career in Major League Baseball, it’s that a championship roster requires a blend of experience and youth. The last Yankee dynasty ended with five World Series Rings for the “Core Four.” I was lucky enough to join Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter for their last title in 2009. In the years following that 2009 World Championship, our Yankee teams became more reliant than ever on veterans and were short on the energy and talent that young players bring to the field. Yankee Universe was looking for the next “Core Four” to bring a winning dynasty back to the Bronx. Even better if these young players were home-grown.

Enter the “Baby Bombers.”

I first met Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge years ago in early Spring Training while major and minor leaguers worked out together. I saw their individual talents right away, but more importantly I could confidently say about any of them, “Hey, this guy gets it.” For those unfamiliar with the term, when a prospect not only has talent but also the intangibles and work ethic to want to be a great major leaguer, he “gets it.” And I knew it wouldn’t be long before these kids who got it also got called up to the parent club.

When I played with those guys during their big-league stints in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, everybody in the clubhouse realized that what we were seeing then in small samples, we had the potential to see for a long time as their careers developed: Sanchez’s throwing arm and bat control, Severino’s electric stuff, Bird’s sweet swing, and Judge’s immense power.

All of these tools were on display in the 2017 season, a campaign that ended one win shy of a World Series birth. While watching the 2017 playoffs, what jumped out at me wasn’t that the Baby Bombers were making key plays every game, it was that these ballplayers who were so amazingly good were going to get even better. Sanchez will improve behind the plate, Severino will perfect his changeup and add another devastating pitch to his arsenal, Bird will put up monster numbers when healthy for a full year, and Judge will continue to learn better plate discipline to compliment his power.

When I think of the groundwork that has been laid with these Baby Bombers, I can’t help but get excited (almost giddy) to watch them grow up in pinstripes. I tell Yankee fans to get ready for another run of championships because this roster will be full of talented players for a very long time. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has done an unbelievable job stockpiling talent in the major and minor leagues, and he’ll have the payroll flexibility to add in free agency as well as minor league depth to make key deadline trades for years to come.

I am so happy that Bryan Hoch is telling the story of The Baby Bombers, a story that I was lucky enough to witness up close and personal for the first few chapters. Bryan is in the Yankee clubhouse every day and understands the highs and lows of a young baseball player becoming a star. Even better, he understands the science and art of scouting, development, and front-office strategy.

I hope that you enjoy reading about the Baby Bombers as much as watching them. As you know, these guys never seem to disappoint!

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by Mark Teixeira

Chapter 1 Miami Heat

Chapter 2 Changing of the Guard

Chapter 3 The Knighted Successor

Chapter 4 Repairing the Pipeline

Chapter 5 Unleash the Kraken

Chapter 6 Bird is the Word

Chapter 7 Deadline Dealing

Chapter 8 The Handoff

Chapter 9 Spring Forward

Chapter 10 All Rise

Chapter 11 Aces High

Chapter 12 The Future Is Now

Chapter 13 Playoff Push

Chapter 14 Lights, Camera, October

Chapter 15 Take It To the Limit

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Sources

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

A number of books likely will be written about the Yankees’ renaissance, but Bryan Hoch has beaten everyone to the punch with The Baby Bombers, a compelling look at the team’s past, present, and future. Hoch is around the team every day, and he masterfully demonstrates the connections between the Core Four and the current group. The Baby Bombers is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand who these new Yankees are, and where they are going.”

—Ken Rosenthal, baseball writer and columnist for The Athletic, and Emmy Award-winning field reporter for MLB Network and FOX Sports

“Putting on the Yankees pinstripes took a lot of work, but it has been a dream come true. I wouldn’t want anyone telling that story other than Bryan Hoch. From day one, he has asked the right questions to get to the heart of the story.”

—Aaron Judge, 2017 American League Rookie of the Year

“ The Baby Bombers is right in the wheelhouse of a Yankees fan: a fast, fun read about the team’s rebuilding and rise.”

—Tom Verducci, senior baseball writer for Sports Illustrated, and Emmy Award-winning on-air sports analyst

“Bryan Hoch hit the Yankees beat in 2007 and covered the last years of an incredible era in Yankees history: fourteen postseason appearances in fifteen years and five World Championships from 1995 to 2009. In The Baby Bombers, he introduces us to the next core of young stars and phenoms in waiting, brilliantly breaks down how the team has reloaded through the draft and trades, and sets the stage for all of us to experience what could be the next great run of Yankee dominance. Read this book, and then go watch this team!”

—Bernie Williams, four-time World Series Champion and five-time All-Star center fielder for the New York Yankees

“Bryan Hoch brings readers in on the ground floor of what should be the rise of the next Yankee dynasty.”

—Ken Singleton, former major league outfielder and New York Yankees analyst for the YES Network

“If you have never had the great pleasure of reading Bryan Hoch on the subject of baseball, and the New York Yankees, all you need to do is open this book and start reading.”

—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

“A new generation of stars are developing right before our eyes, and Bryan Hoch is the right journalist to chronicle this exciting time for Yankees fans. This is a must-read book for those that understand the potential of this new core.”

—David Cone, four-time World Series Champion with the New York Yankees (1995–2000), analyst for the YES Network

“Bryan Hoch covers the Yankees as well as any beat writer. He knows the history of this legendary organization inside and out. His new book The Baby Bombers traces in detail the origins of the Yankee’s bright present and even brighter future—a story that stars a special group of young players that have burst upon the scene.”

—Michael Kay, Emmy Award-winning Yankees play-by-play announcer for the YES Network, host of the series CenterStage, and host of The Michael Kay Show on 98.7 ESPN NY

“Learn the back stories of the young New York Yankees stars who have fans dreaming of another dynasty! Bryan Hoch’s thoroughly researched and delightfully written book, The Baby Bombers, will have you saying, ‘I can’t wait for the season to start!’”

—Suzyn Waldman, New York Yankees radio broadcaster

“I am so happy that Bryan Hoch is telling the story of the Baby Bombers, a story that I was lucky enough to witness up close and personal for the first few chapters. Bryan is in the Yankee clubhouse every day and understands the highs and lows of a young baseball player becoming a star. Even better, he understands the science and art of scouting, development, and front-office strategy.”

—from the Foreword by Mark Teixeira, ESPN baseball analyst, New York Yankees 2009-2016, 2009 World Series Champion

“This is a significant book. Bryan Hoch’s keen observations on the changing of the guard at Yankee Stadium position fans of all generations to appreciate the unfolding era ahead. He is just the right journalist for the job.”

—Marty Appel, baseball historian, and author of Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss

“The Core Four is impossible to replicate, but this young group of studs is special and unique. It will be exciting to see what mark they make in Yankees history, and Bryan Hoch is the perfect person to tell this story. His knowledge and understanding of baseball and Yankee culture offer readers an insider’s perspective into New York’s bright future!”

—Nick Swisher, New York Yankees 2009–2012, 2009 World Series Champion

“It was only natural the first book on the Baby Bombers should be written by Bryan Hoch, the respected veteran Yankee beat writer who has chronicled their development all through the minors to their fruition as stars in 2017. Nobody knows them better than Hoch and nobody tells their story better.”

—Bill Madden, 2010 J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner and author of the New York Times best-seller Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball

“Having been around Bryan Hoch for a number of years, I could always tell his passion for creating something special through his stories. The Baby Bombers is a beautiful work of art in so many ways. As a Yankees fan or—for that matter—simply a baseball fan, this is a must read!”

—Joba Chamberlain, former Major League pitcher and 2009 World Series Champion for the New York Yankees

“Few people have a better feel for a team than a beat writer like Bryan Hoch, who takes readers inside the Yankees’ front office and clubhouse to experience the emergence of the franchise’s next great dynasty. Thoroughly reported and written through the keen lens of an insider, Hoch’s great work shines through in a remarkable story that seemingly belongs on a Broadway stage rather than a ballpark in the South Bronx.”

—Mark Feinsand, executive reporter for MLB.com, long-time New York Yankees beat writer, and author of The New York Yankees Fans' Bucket List

“With The Baby Bombers, Bryan Hoch dives into the many origins of what the Yankees hope is their next great run. You’ll learn plenty about these guys and how they got here. A very enjoyable read.”

—Ken Davidoff, baseball columnist for the New York Post

“The 2017 season was one of the most exciting for Yankees fans in recent years. It wasn’t just lightning in a bottle—it was built with a lot of hard work and attention to detail. No one can tell that story better than Bryan Hoch, who employs the same efforts in The Baby Bombers. Bryan takes you inside the process of how prospects became stars and planted the seeds of what could be the next Yankees dynasty. If you loved watching that magical run last October, you need to read this book.”

—Sweeny Murti, New York Yankees beat reporter for WFAN

“There’s no shortage of interest in where the Yankees are headed in 2018 and beyond. Bryan Hoch delivers a detailed, richly-reported road map that makes for essential reading for fans.”

—Bob Klapisch, veteran baseball columnist and author

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