Earlier this week, MLB.com Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Yanks fans at r/NYYankees. This mailbag features questions and answers from there and has been lightly edited. The full AMA can be read here.
Who's the odd man out in the rotation when Gerrit Cole comes back? And do you think the Yankees really don't have an innings limit for Luis Gil, like Aaron Boone recently said? -- joshw231
The Joba Rules are dead (and trust me, Joba would be happy about that). Back then, they would come up with a specific innings number and try to avoid it -- that's over now, because as Matt Blake said recently, they believe they have better ways to evaluate how a pitcher is responding throughout the season. There's a lot of testing that goes on behind closed doors, gauging recovery between starts.
That said, Gil's already at 63 1/3 innings -- he's not going to triple that, so at some point they'll have to begin easing off him. I believe a six-man rotation is in play, at least temporarily while Cole builds stamina. Boone swears that he really doesn't have an answer for how six will fit into five, but it sure gives us something to talk about.
[Ed. note: This Q&A was conducted before the Yankees announced Clarke Schmidt’s right lat strain on Wednesday.]
Who is the nicest player that you’ve ever covered? What is the best game that you’ve ever seen live? -- TheKnicksMakeMeDrink
I've been fortunate to cover a lot of good guys during my time on the beat (2007-present), but I have to say, Johnny Damon comes to mind as one of my favorites. Always accountable, honest, and funny. Back in the day, we used to do postgame Q&As with one player throughout an entire postseason; Johnny was an easy choice circa 2007, because I knew he would be up for it.
Best game live? I usually say I've seen so many great ones, but Game 6 of the 2009 World Series stands out. Covering that team from Day 1 of Spring Training all the way through the last pitch of the World Series, seeing them raise a trophy to become part of history, was really cool.
Derek Jeter's last game at Yankee Stadium was such a memorable moment, too. After the walk-off, I turned to the person next to me and said, "How? How does he always come up with the perfect ending?"
In your opinion, who would win a hot dog eating contest in this current roster? -- silver-cat-13
LOL. I'll put my money on Giancarlo Stanton. A few years ago, I talked to a high school friend of his and he told me how Giancarlo would CRUSH In-N-Out burgers back in the day, putting everyone else to shame. Also, have you seen how he eats a Kit Kat bar?
What do you think the Yankees biggest Trade Deadline need is? -- hqyankees99
If I'm Brian Cashman, I'm looking for bullpen help. This group has performed better than expected and they've had surprise contributions in a few places (especially Luke Weaver). Right now, the rotation is helping out a ton. At some point that's going to shift, so I'd look for them to reinforce now while they can.
Who is the funniest Yankee you have known that fans are unaware because of how serious he is on the field/cameras? -- silver-cat-13
Hmm! I don't know if fans are unaware of this, but I'll say it anyway -- Brett Gardner was/is hilarious. He had this wry sense of humor and was the ultimate prankster, a pain in the you-know-what to his teammates, and you need that during a 162-game season. I miss that guy. Jeter was also much funnier than he let on ... I'm glad he's showing that side of himself on social media now.
(By the way, I remember going to Derek's locker circa 2009 and asking him if such-and-such Twitter account was really him. "You'll never find me on social media, buddy." Times change!)
Michael Kay always seems to have funny or interesting stories from his time as a beat writer to share on the broadcast. If you were in the booth for an inning, what would be your go-to story? -- Blorkoo
I did get to do an inning with Michael and David Cone a couple of years back when I was filling in for Meredith Marakovits. That was surreal! I think I called it "YES Network Fantasy Camp."
If I get one inning to make you laugh? I'll tell you all about how I tore my ACL and my Achilles in the outfield at Yankee Stadium (not in the same game!). That's why the writers are in the press box and the athletes are on the field.