We’re debuting a new feature here on WFAN.com: The Friday Five!
If you read our Boomer & Gio Quotebook with Robert Saleh last Friday, you’re familiar with this format, but here’s a quick breakdown: each week, we’ll take one interview (or series of interviews) from WFAN and turn it/them into a five-quote format.
Sometimes, our guests give some great or important answers or quotes that may not make it into a video or a story, but are worth re-visiting. So, instead of non-sequiturs, we’re just gonna give you what you want to hear, straight from the horses’ mouths.
Up first: Yankees GM Brian Cashman on Friday’s Moose & Maggie!
Cashman on Clint Frazier: “He has continued to reinforce that he is a force, and has gotten better and better. This past year is another testament to that. Going into this, without a doubt, he’s solidified himself as the guy, and he’s been a guy who has been big for us. He’s taken advantage of opportunities and improved on everything – he wasn’t a finished product when we acquired him, but he’s closing the gap on that ceiling. Now that his concussion is in the past, you’re seeing the real deal. He had a hell of a year and should be very proud of it.
We’re proud of him.”
Cashman on Gleyber Torres showing he can be a good defensive SS: “I felt he did already. He showed up in great shape last year, and once we got shut down, things got away from him for whatever reason. He wasn’t in the same shape for the second camp, and he spent the first month of a shortened season getting back on line. That was dealt with, and it takes time – you can’t just turn someone back into the specimen they’re capable of being overnight. By September he was back, and that’s why you saw the player we’re used to seeing in October. I’m fully confident the Gleyber Torres we saw this past postseason is the guy we’ll see in 2021. He’s one of the elite young players in the game.”
Cashman on Giancarlo Stanton’s role: “The safest play is to keep him at DH. He is an impact player with a bat in his hands – you saw it in the postseason, where he was hitting a home run every game. That speaks to the impact he possesses. It’s vitally important that we keep him healthy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t go in the outfield when needed. At times, he might be called upon to do something different because it’s our best interest. He’s very athletic, but it’s about what type of load is impacting him that manifests in something like a calf tweak or a hamstring or something. Our fans care about making sure he is available every day, because he is scary in that box. Hopefully we can find a way to tap into that better as we move forward, and if so, we can enjoy his talent.”
Cashman on Brett Gardner returning: “He’s a free agent so I can’t speak to that, but I can tell you he’s always been a great Yankee, and awesome every step of the way. Ultimately, I’m a big fan and always have been and always will be. He’s very talented, and his career is not over, but where it continues is TBD. We’ll see if we’re part of that or not, but he’s a special person and a special player.”
Cashman on his confidence MLB will play a full 162-game season: “I wouldn’t use the word confident, but I can say we’re hopeful on getting 162 games.”
Follow WFAN's midday team on Twitter: @MandMWFAN, @MarcMalusis, @MaggieGray, and @BMonzoRadio
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
