David Cone won four World Series with the Yankees and another with the Blue Jays. But even the YES Network color analyst has never seen anything quite like the hype surrounding the 2018 Bronx Bombers.
With the Yankees adding to an already fearsome offense Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning National League MVP and MLB home run leader (59 bombs in 2017), expectations are sky high.
MORE: Yankees estimated at MLB's 7th-highest payroll, lowest since 1992
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, the 2017 Yankees reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series before falling to the eventual World Series champion Astros.
Rookie Aaron Judge bashed 52 home runs, wowing sports fans with his tape-measure blasts. Now Stanton and Judge could be the 21st century version of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Cone just co-starred in a humorous new advertising campaign for YES, in which everything is "bigger" this season. Big would describe YES' TV ratings.
TV ratings for spring training Yankees ratings are up 85%. YES' game telecasts are outrating national sporting events such as the NCAA tournament and PGA Golf. The Yankees' cable network is on track to post its highest-rated spring training ever.
The Kansas City native threw the 16th perfect game in MLB history while wearing Yankees pinstripes in 1999. Since joining YES, Cone has been ahead of the curve in discussing the growing importance of sabermetrics in baseball.
Sporting News asked the 55-year old Cone about Stanton-Judge, the Yankees and the Royals' fateful decision to trade him to the Mets for catcher Ed Hearn in 1987. Excerpts:
SPORTING NEWS : Could Stanton and Judge be another Mantle and Maris?
DC : That’s what people are talking about: How many (home runs will they hit). And how far (will they hit them) this year. What’s the over/under? Can they both come close to repeating what they did last year? Also, they have tremendous protection with Gary Sanchez probably hitting behind them in the order. I think Gary Sanchez is a guy to watch this year. He’s going to hit with a lot of men on base. Both of those guys are going to be pitched around and walked a lot this year. Aaron Judge proved it last year with his on-base percentage. He’s at least a 100-walk a year guy. That’s going to be a lot of base runners for Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and some of the guys down in the order
SN : The Yankees somehow became charming underdogs last season with the "Baby Bombers." Are they the Evil Empire again?
DC : Seemingly overnight, they’re back to the Evil Empire, without a doubt. It’s funny how quickly that can work. I think it’s a real credit to Brian Cashman and the organization, Hal Steinbrenner. They made some tough decisions. Broke up the team a couple of years ago, made some great trades, reset everything in a hurry and it didn’t take long. It was almost overnight. You really have to give credit to Brian Cashman. Even though the Yankees have tremendous resources and tremendous revenue streams, they still had to make some tough decisions and still had to choose the right prospects and it seems like they have.
SN : The hype around the 2018 Yankees are off the charts. What did you witness at spring training in Tampa?
DC : It’s a little bit of a carryover effect from their surprising success (last season). It really started from Day One. Just pitchers and catcher reporting, there was a line around the block to view the practice. The big sluggers weren’t even there yet! So it really has been remarkable. There’s just tremendous anticipation for what this lineup looks like — and what this team can do.
SN : Do the Yankees have enough pitching to win it all?
DC : That’s probably the ultimate question. Their bullpen is so good they can cover up for a lot of mistakes along the way. The overall depth of the rotation is going to be reliant on some of the prospects and their development. Whether it’s Justus Sheffield, who they got in the Andrew Miller trade or somebody they picked up in the offseason, David Hale, who’s got some big league experience. That’s the ultimate question: If they have some problems with injury in the starting rotation, who are the next guys in line?
SN : You tweeted to watch out for (second baseman) Tyler Wade. Now it looks like he's going to get a lot of playing time . What did you see?
DC : The reports on him have been just so good throughout the minor leagues. Everybody I talked to said this kid is going to be a player. He does so many things well. His speed and his defense are above average. It’s just a question of whether he can get the reps at the major league level. He’s proved everything at the minor league level… It’s time to find out what he can do at the major league level.
SN : Who are favorites beside the Yankees and Astros this season?
DC : Always the Dodgers. With Clayton Kershaw healthy at the top of their rotation, he’s still to me the best in the game. He can lead them. Kenley Jansen as the closer. Arguably the best in the game as well. They have a lot of talent even though they lost their third baseman, [Justin] Turner, to a fracture to his wrist for a while. That’s going to hurt. I always look at the Dodgers as a threat out there in L.A. I also think there are some surprise teams out there. The Diamondbacks lost J.D. Martinez. But they picked up Steven Souza Jr… Zack Greinke has to be healthy, obviously. The Diamondbacks were an interesting team last year. They could easily step up and be just as good or better this year as well. There are a lot of teams that could be sleepers. But the powerhouses are pretty well defined. Cleveland is a team you can never write off, because of their young talent and their pitching with Corey Kluber.
SN : How do you like doing TV for YES?
DC : Every year, a little better and a little more. There’s a learning curve to doing that job. You get a better sense of timing. You get a better sense of not only when to talk and when not to talk, but also what information the viewers want to hear. For me, I’m interested in the numbers. Sometimes that can be a little cumbersome. Unless you can simplify things over the air. For me, it’s kind of getting a sense of balance. When to introduce some of the new metrics — and when to stay away from it.
Don’t sleep on Tyler Wade. Just saying.
— David Cone (@dcone36) February 11, 2018
SN : Were you ahead of the curve in discussing sabermetrics on the air?
DC : I think you have to cover it. Every front office has an analytics team. That’s how they're running their business, that’s how they’re making their decisions. If you don’t cover it all, then you’re not doing your job as far as I’m concerned. The one thing I like, really simply put, is it puts the emphasis on the total ballplayer. It puts the emphasis on what a pitcher is really doing, especially ones who don’t get a lot of run support. The won-loss record can be very deceiving. That’s personal to me, speaking from experience. It’s something I lived and know very well.
On the other side, it puts the emphasis on defense and base-running. I think they are two undervalued assets over the years that are easy to overlook and don’t always show up in the box score. I like the total ballplayer. I like a guy who does a lot of things to help his team win, whether it’s a defensive play, going first to third on a base hit or scoring from first on a double. Those things don’t show up in the box score other than a run scored. Sometimes those types of attributes get overlooked.
SN : Alex Rodriguez will be calling games for ESPN this season. How do you think A-Rod will do in the booth — as opposed to the studio?
DC : Alex is going to be great. All he needs is some reps to understand exactly what I said before about rhythm and timing. When to introduce some of his knowledge into the equation. But his content is off the charts. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s always been kind of a gym rat. He watches a lot of baseball on TV. He’s very current. He’s got a lot to offer, without a doubt. For him, it’s just a matter of getting a little more experience and learning the TV side of things.
SN : You struck out 19 batters in one game, tied for second in MLB history, and were a two-time 20 game winner. You were the only pitcher who looked like he was throwing a wiffle ball. Who has your kind of electric stuff today?
DC : It’s hard to compare generation to generation. Different hitters, different strike zones. It’s another reason why I like sabermetrics… I do see some guys who can really spin the baseball very well. Yu Darvish is one when I look at his slider. From the videos I see of [Shohei] Ohtani, he could be one as well. The variance of breaking balls, to be able to vary the spin, and get different types of looks and breaks, is something I’ve always been enamored with. Even a reliever, Darren O’Day, when he throws sidearm. The spin he gets on his breaking stuff, and the way he can throw it to both sides of the plate, I think is the key. A lot of old time pitching coaches frowned on that. They wanted your breaking ball to be down and away — always. They didn’t like you to throw it to both sides of the plate. Or to front door it over the inside corner if you’re a right-handed pitcher to a right-handed batter. That’s something I always did, always tried to do. I always battled pitching coaches. I see a lot more pitchers doing it now. I think that’s a good thing.
SN : You played for five teams: the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Royals and Red Sox. What team do you consider your team?
DC : When you win a World Series title, much less four, that’s your team. I was able to ride in a ticker-tape parade four times with the Yankees. That’s something you can’t forget. I’m always going to have a soft spot for the Royals: my hometown team and the team I broke in with. I’m always going to have a soft spot for the Mets. That’s where I grew up and learned how to love New York, was with the Mets for the first six years. Those are the two teams I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for. But the championships with the Yankees, to me, resonated more than anything else.
SN : You remind me of Mark Messier. You came to New York, won a championship, then never left. Have you embraced the city?
DC : I’ve lived on and off in Manhattan for almost 30 years now… For a kid from Kansas City, I never saw that coming. I would have predicted back when I was in the minor leagues or in high school, I would have thought I’d end up on the West Coast some day. But fate took me to the East Coast. I’ve never looked back.
SN : Were you the centerpiece of most lopsided trade in MLB history?
DC : I’m not sure how that ranks up there. This was obviously the days before analytics. So if you could imagine today, I don’t think you would trade a young starting pitcher that had six years of control on his contract for a backup catcher. You just wouldn’t see that happening nowadays. John Schuerholz was the general manager of the Royals at the time and a Hall of Famer. He even admits to this day that was the one trade of his career he wished he had back. I was a hometown kid from Kansas City too, so that adds to it. But the Royals needed a catcher back then. They legitimately thought he was the answer to their catching problems. Ed had his own issues too. He had some health issues… Some bad luck in terms of health.
The YES crew is ready for the bathroom interview. pic.twitter.com/ppdkgOQk29
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) March 5, 2018
SN : Is it weird when millennial players know you as a broadcaster rather than a player?
DC : I get a lot of that now. Today it’s almost as if the kids have to go to Google, or their phones, and do their own Internet research. They can catch up in a hurry. But you’re right. From first blush, I can walk into the club and be pretty anonymous except for maybe some of the veteran guys like CC Sabathia. Some of the younger guys, I have to make it an issue to go up to the younger guys and introduce myself and talk to them. Then maybe the bell rings a little bit. Or they do a little research on their own. But you’re right, there’s a level of anonymity that goes with being one of the old guys now.
