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

by Bryan Hoch, Mark Teixeira (Foreword)

A comprehensive look behind the rise of a new generation of superstar Yankees--now updated with the Yankees' 100-win 2018 season!



Derek Jeter and the "Core Four" have passed the torch to a new generation of Yankees superstars--including Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, and Gleyber Torres--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 and 2018 playoff runs, 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 has resumed 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 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

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, History

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Bryan Hoch has covered New York baseball for the past two decades, working the New York Yankees clubhouse as a MLB.com beat reporter since 2007. Bryan is the author of “The Baby Bombers: The Inside Story of the Next Yankees Dynasty,” which was published in 2018 (revised for paperback 2019), and a co-author of "Mission 27: A New Boss, A New Ballpark and One Last Ring for the Yankees' Core Four," to be published in 2019.

Regularly seen on MLB Network and heard on many radio stations throughout the United States, Hoch’s work has also been featured in Yankees Magazine, New York Mets Inside Pitch, and on FOXSports.com.

Raised in Sloatsburg, N.Y., Hoch began his journalism career during his freshman year at Suffern High School, launching a popular "Mets Online" web site that would eventually open doors to big league press boxes. Since joining the Yankees beat, he counts witnessing the closing of old Yankee Stadium, the World Series celebration of 2009 and the final days of the "Core Four" among his most memorable experiences on the job.

Hoch is a two-time New York City Marathon finisher (2010, 2011) who still fondly recalls getting a Fantasy Camp hit off a Jeff Nelson slider. He loves "Back to the Future," vintage Topps cards, Ron Burgundy quotes, good bourbon and compelling games. Hoch lives with his wife, Connie, and their daughters, Penny and Maddie.

Reviews

[Dave]

If you live and breath pinstripes April through deep October, Hoch’s Baby Bombers is a must read. It traces the transition of the team from the Jeter-Arod-Tex group to the young studs of 2017. It is a celebratory book espousing the great things these young kids are doing, not necessarily criticizing and not filled with gossip and innuendo as so many tell-all books are. It discusses the origins of Judge, Severino, Hicks, Castro, Gregorius, and a few others. What is really great is it tells the little insider stories that really humanize these players like Judge's habit of chewing the same piece of gum till he made his first out in a game or Severino's childhood. Even if you watched or followed every game this year, it is fun to hear the player's own impressions about how they felt and how they approached things. It was completed after the 2017 playoffs and thus takes those games into account. Funny hearing talk of Starlin Castro being part of the Yankees’ future as he is suddenly gone and all the comparisons of Judge to Giancarlo Stanton are amusing now that they are both teammates. For Yankee fans and serious baseball fans, this is a book that’s hard to put down. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

[Sonja]

For someone like me who's a relatively new Yankees/baseball fan, this was an excellent read. Some of the scouting and stats stuff went way over my head, but it was educational and I had fun reading this. I loved all the little anecdotes about some of my favorite players, including but not limited to Greg Bird and his cat, and Aaron Judge 'stealing' Easter candy from Brett Gardner's kids. I just love this team and these players a lot.

[Grace]

What a fun read to kick off the baseball season.

[seton]

I've been a Yankee fan for 25 yrs. I follow Hoch on Social Media and I have seen every game of the Yankees' 2017 season at least once, often twice or even 3 times. So, I should be the perfect reader for Hoch's debut book, right?

Unfortunately, I found The Baby Bombers kind of middling. I think the most telling part of the book was when Hoch describes himself as a "sports reporter" and a "beats reporter". It READ like it was written by a reporter and not a WRITER. There is a difference.

Hoch attempts here an ambitious tale of how "Derek Jeter's Yankees" became rookie "Aaron Judge's Yankees". It jumps from the 2017 posteason to 2014 (Jeter's last season) to the past of the major Baby Bombers like Gary Sanchez to highlights of the 2017 season like Aaron Judge's Home Run Derby win. The jumpy narrative and lack of cohesion are ultimately what killed the book for me. There were many a time it left me going - Huh?

Take, for example, this account of one of Judge's most famous games:

On June 11, Judge would hit the longest home run that the majors would see in 2017, punishing a flat slider from the Orioles' Logan Verrett for a mammoth 495-foot blast . . . . When Judge returned to the dugout, his teammates jokingly gave him the silent treatment . . . . - Page 133

Hoch forgot to mention that Judge hit TWO home runs that day and it was after the SECOND one (which was NOT 495 ft) that his teammates gave the silent treatment. A bit misleading there.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Please note that in my ARC copy, there is no mention of the Giancarlo Stanton trade that occurred in Dec 2017. However, from what I can tell from looking inside the book on Amazon, Hoch has since added a paragraph or two on the event.

[Duzclues]

While I may be biased as a Yankees fan, Bryan Hoch is my favorite baseball reporter without any doubt, and that sentiment has been reaffirmed after reading this book. To be frank, there is simply nobody else who can write this book.

Chances are that if you are reading this, you are a Yankees fan who likely knows the story of the Baby Bombers. I know for me, I remember just about every moment of the magical 2017 season, which is what this book mostly covers. However, despite the fact that I have such fond and vivid memories, and, pardon my arrogance, likely a more advanced understanding of the season than the average fan, this was still a totally worthwhile read. Hoch gets the inside story, and learning about that makes one much more appreciative of the story as a whole. If I was not already totally invested in this group of Yankees, I am after reading this book. That might not be a good thing, I think that too much of my time and money is spent on the Yankees, but why else would one read this book?

I also think that the book has a bit of an appeal to a broader audience besides Yankee fans. For sports fans who do not like the Yankees, it may be appealing in the sense that it is always interesting to learn about how powerhouses are built. It may give you a greater appreciation of the Yankees the next time they dominate your team like they will for years to come. I think that there might even be an appeal for non-sports fans, as well. I have become so used to the language of baseball (like complicated stats etc) that I hardly notice it anymore, but it did not seem to be too prevalent in the book. What this book tells is not merely the story of a baseball team, but the story of a group of people whose dreams have all been realized together. I think that that is a good story no matter what dream is being realized.

I do take two stars off, however. For one, in the “revised with the 2018 season” version, the parts about 2018 seem sort of hastily put together. I remember a specific example, I think it was about Starlin Castro, where there was a paragraph put in about what happened to him in the 2018 season, but then the next paragraph contradicted that paragraph, if that makes any sense. I feel like noticed that a couple times throughout the book. One other thing is that in some places the writing seemed a little bit choppy and inconsistent. For example, there would be a list of four players, and three of them would have their first and last names written, but then one of them would only have their last name written. That happened more than once, and it annoyed me a little bit. Also, some of the sentences were a little choppy. On a couple occasions, I had to reread some sentences two or three times, which is not something I typically enjoy doing while reading. Perhaps it was my stupidity, but I am not so sure. The mistakes did not detract too much from the book, but it was a bit of a nuisance.

All in all this was a very solid book. It kept me engaged and I enjoyed every second that I was reading it, and I learned a little bit along the way. And that is the whole point of reading, isn’t it? I would chock this up as a must read for any Yankees fan who pays any sort of attention to the team, a must read for any baseball fan who pays attention to the league as a whole, and would recommend it for any sports fan in general. And I would not stop a non-sports fan from reading it, either. Overall, this was a rock solid read. I give it two thumbs up.

[Ric]

I probably should’ve picked this one up closer to its release date, but I was motivated to finally read it since I’m heading to spring training tomorrow and I’m super excited for it. This was a really fun book for any Yankee fan, but I feel like baseball fans in general may not appreciate it as much as Mission 27, Hoch’s other book about the 09 Yankees. These players are all younger and less established, but still beloved in the Bronx. Well most of them are, because some of these predictions didn’t age well (looking at you Greg Bird and Chance Adams). Still, this was an awesome book as a lifelong Yankee fan.

[Daniel Nelson]

Very good book and excellent insight on the new crop of emerging Yankee stars. Hoch's status on the Yankees beat shines through as the account provides terrific evidence that he is a true insider and has worked to recount the nuances of the organization and add color to the personalities on and off the field. While the history of this group is yet to be fully written this book did not suffer like others that feel rushed or provide a thin recap of events. Hoch has written this history well and provided an engaging snapshot of some very interesting characters and a popular organization.

[Larry Fleisher]

Fantastic insight into the quick remaking of the Yankees from the era of Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera, and Posada to the mediocre seasons while the team was waiting for the young players (Judge, Sanchez, Severino and Bird) and others to arrive. This book gives good insight into the process of acquiring these players via the draft and international free agency process. It also provides a solid look at the backstory about these players background before turning pro and events that unfolded in the minors and majors.

[Dawn Barrett Connolly]

The Baby Bombers is a must read for all Yankee fans. After an amazing season it was fun to learn about the teams background. Very well written and I am very glad I got to read this book. Looking forward to an amazing 2018 season.

[Ron Turner]

Being a huge Yankee fan since childhood, this was an enjoyable read

[Landon]

The best authors make the reader think and feel many things in, The Baby Bombers by Brian Hoch he does just that.

This book made me wish that the Yankees would have won the World Series in 2017. This book makes me wish this not only because I am a Yankees fan,but because that would have been a great moment to put this youth on the map. Names such as Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and Domingo German weren’t really noticed until this monstrous 2019.I believe more players such as Clint Frazier a young Yankees outfielder in AAA and Tyler Wade a 5 tool Yankees infielder would have truly had the spotlight along with these other Baby Bombers. But due to the Astros powerhouse pitching and the Yankees lack of winning at home the Astros were able to overcome a 3-2 series deficit and beat the Yankees to the World Series. Although I continue to wish in 2019 that stars like Gio Urshela, Mike Ford, Mike Tauchman, the list truly does go on and on many resolutions have been made. Due to the retiring of many Yankees veterans stars like Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres got their shot and came 2 and 3 in the ROY voting. This novel truly leaves you to wish that the Yankees Baby Bombers would have been recognized sooner if they would have won the WS in 2017.

This book made me realize anyone can be good at what they do. In the book Hoch talks about how young 21 year old Gleyber Torres grew up in a very poor town in Venezuela. He used a cardboard glove and a paper ball. But with hard worth ethic Gleyber Torres became the #1 prospect in 2016. Gleyber Torres would then love on to place 3rd in the ROY behind teammate Miguel Andujar. Although Torres grew up in poverty he is now one baseballs renowned stars.

This book made me wonder what it must feel like to be that young under the national spotlight. Hoch talks about how all the Yankees young Baby Bombers adjust to the spotlight. But when your a six foot seven mammoth like Aaron Judge how do you adjust? Do you ignore the big towering 20 foot batters eye with big cameras ?Or the photographers pit? Do you ignore the media when you strike out five times? Overall this book made me wonder how the young Yankees players felt.

This book made me see that no matter what round you are picked in you can make a difference. Greg Bird was drafted in the 5th round, that means over 175 people were picked before Greg Bird. But none of those 175 people hit a game winning homer against the top left handed reliever in the 2017 ALDS in a winner goes home game. None of those players help young up and coming 1B that can take his job learn how to field like Luke Voit and Mike Ford. None of them have went through as many injuries Bird has. None of them have made the contributions to a young Yanks team like Greg Bird.

This book made me believe that I one day could be a young Yankees player. I have learned about players like Gleyber Torres who grew up in a poor town in Venezuela to Aaron Judge who grew up in the rich town of Linden, California. But the stories all end up the same a young kid living out his dream in pinstripes. I believe that if I have the right work ethic like these players I can be the next big prospect the next Miguel Andujar or Gleyber Torres. I could be the next Baby Bomber and so can everyone.

This book made me feel joyful as a Yankees fan. To see these players become stars is the best gift as a fan. To feel that the front office has made the right decisions. Through the ups and downs I have felt happy through it all because I knew these guys would come and this book taught the players’ journeys. It taught me they had ups and downs as well. This book taught me why I should be happy as a Yankees’ fan but as a baseball fan in general.

This book made me hope in 2019 the Yankees’ can finish what they started in 2017 and win the WS. Guided by vets like Brett Gardner, Austin Romina and CC Sabathia the Yankees can finish what they started. Young players such as Mike Ford will get their first chance to show the world what type of player they are in the postseason. A chance to prove the people that didn’t believe in them wrong. A chance to give the Yankees fan base it so truly needs after a decade without a World Series. A chance to give baseball a rejuvenating second life with the Baby Bombers.

[Lance]

The 2017 New York Yankees were one of the pleasant surprises of the baseball season. Expected to finish out of the postseason because of their reliance on young players, the team not only gained a Wild Card spot, they pushed the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros to 7 games in the American League Championship Series. This book by veteran reporter Bryan Hoch provides insight into the team’s unexpected return to postseason glory.

The best way to describe the trajectory of the Yankees in 2016 and 2017 was that they were a team in transition, and Hoch guides the reader from the “Core Four” team of Jeter, Pettite, Posada and Rivera to the new stars of the team. The reader will learn about the performances of catcher Gary Sanchez, outfielder Aaron Judge, pitcher Luis Severino and first baseman Greg Bird as they led the team to 91 wins in that season.

Even more than just recaps of their seasons, the reader will learn more about each of these men on a personal level as well. There are some funny moments that are captured such as when Judge spent a week at the home of teammate Brett Gardner and ate the Easter candy of Gardner’s young sons. Anecdotes such as these were nice short diversions from the story of the on-field exploits of the Yankees. Because of their youth, they were often called the “Baby Bombers”, hence the title of the book.

While at times the book read like it came from the Yankee public relations department because it seemed like no player on the team could do anything wrong, it was a very engaging and entertaining read that every Yankee fan will want to pick up to learn more about the team’s new star players. Even fans of other teams will enjoy this book as it provides great insight into some of the game’s newest bright lights.

I wish to thank Diversion Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...

[patrick Lorelli]

A book for any Yankee fan. The author takes you the changing of the guard sort of speak, and how the young or baby bombers surprised most fans and even Yankees executives by making it game 7 of the American league Champion ship, only one game from going to the World series. The author takes you along on how the changes began with the retiring of Jeter and the then the trade for Didi Gregorius, who the other day drove in 8 runs the most ever by a Yankee shortstop, (that was not in the book). He also takes you through how they acquired the other players from Judge through draft, Sanchez, Severino, from the International after scouting. Bird, also from the draft, and then he will take you through both of the trades. First when they traded away Chapman, and then Andrews, and the young players that received from those trades. Then the following year when they traded for Sonny Gray and for Todd Frazier, Dave Robertson, Tommy Kahnle. What I thought was interesting though was that both Gregorius, and Ronald Torreyes started out in the Reds organization and now years later they are both playing and making contributions for the Yankees, I do know that there are players that the Yankees had that are playing on other teams but I am only looking at the Yankees right now. I found this book to be a good book and a must read for any Yankee fan. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Casey]

I received a free Kindle copy of The Baby Bombers by Bryan Hoch courtesy of Net Galley and Diversion Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have been a lifelong New York Yankees and baseball fan and have read a great deal on both. This is the first book by Michael Blake that I have read.

I was a little leery in requesting this book as it was obviously put together in a short period of time, but I thought I would give it a try. The book met my expectations in that it reads like a quickly thrown together book that does not do its subject matter justice. The good points are it hits the highlights (barely) of the development of the group of Baby Bombers in the book (if you are a Yankees fan I don't need to list the names) and the 2017 playoff run by the Yankees. The other plus is that because it is not a detailed analysis it is a very quick read. In addition, the author does not make a strong case that this is the next Yankee dynasty (although I hope it is).

I recommend this book to any Yankee fan who is looking a light read on the 2017 season and the Baby Bombers who helped with the run for the pennant.

[Tyler]

As someone who bleeds the pinstripes, I am glad to have read Bryan Hoch's treatment of the Yankees' recent resurgence. Hoch explains how Yankees scouts first discovered players such as Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, and Luis Severino and successfully humanizes them on the strength of interviews with the scouts, players, and coaches. We learn about Judge's parents instilling in him a strong work ethic and humble attitude, for instance, along with his gum chewing superstition and affinity for video game playing. We also learn about Brian Cashman's amazing work in adjusting to the reality that free agent signings of aging players are not the best way to build a team. Thanks to rigorous scouting and advanced analytics, the Yankees' greatest strength is now the "baby bombers" who are in their 20s and thus have several years of productivity in the pinstripes ahead of them.

[Dave]

The very first sentence of this book is fake news. Aroldis Chapman is not the hardest thrower in the history of baseball, likely not even in the top 5. The author could stand a viewing of Fastball to put the Chapman narrative to rest. (Hint, the radar gun used to judge the ball mid-pitch or at the plate, rather than at the release point. Nolan Ryan threw 3 MPH faster, at least.)

That aside, the book is a re-telling of the 2016 and 2017 season, with Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, and Luis Severino getting the bulk of the coverage. Neat enough if you're a Yankees fan, but also a cautionary tale on writing hagiographies of guys this young, as Bird is not looking great and the jury is still out on Sanchez.

[ECS]

Fantastic read!! Makes the reader feel like a Baseball Insider during the exciting rise of this new generation of Yankee superstars. Any sports enthusiast will love sharing the journey of how the foundation of greatness is nurtured and brought to bloom. The personal stories behind these talented new faces lift them from the pages and into your heart. So fitting that Hoch has hit it out of the park with Baby Bombers!!

[Kelsey]

As a lifelong Yankees fan, I am definitely the target audience for this book - and I enjoyed it immensely! It's such a joy to watch the Baby Bombers play, both for their skill and for the sheer joy and excitement they exhibit. Reading the story of this magical season when they first really broke out was so fun, especially learning about the very intentional steps in signing and developing each of them. If you're a fan of the current team, you'll love this book!

[Allison Case]

If you’re a Yankee fan, I highly recommend this book. An incredible inside look at the new group of Yankees youngsters and a great testament to the miraculous 2017 season. Bryan Hoch is one of my favorite reporters and he writes like one...but that is what makes it so great to read. Straight to the point and descriptive interviews. Loved it!

[Garry Yuen]

A must read for all Yankees fans

After an amazing 2017 campaign my wife and I went to a few Spring Training games in Tampa. It was thrilling and memorable. Our favorite part was chatting with John Sterling afterwards. This book helped me understand the players' journeys and personal stories. It's what makes life so interesting! Nice job, Brian Hoch!!

[Mike]

The author Bryan Hoch did a very good job of detailing the upcoming talent for years to come in the Bronx. Being a big Yankee fan, there was some highly touted players that I did not know. Big props to GM Brian Cashman and the rest of the scouting staff for building this team. The Yanks look set for years!

[Alex]

I liked the first half of this book better than the second. The profiles of the players, and the strategy in putting them together, are great. The retelling of the playoff race weren’t as good, with rushed recitations of key moments and results, without any of the tension built for those games. Great profiles in the first half tho.

[Melanie]

I'm not a Yankee fan. I really don't know the other players outside of Judge. It was interesting learning about his rookie year as I really didn't know much about him than his name and team. It was fun looking back at the World Series with the Astros while never addressed I'm like "they cheated."

How did this book find me? It is in the Audible+ catalog until October 14.

[Rick Ferris]

Nice not that long read about transitioning from the Jeter era to the next promising “Core Four”. A great accounting of the 2017 season. Reading this makes it clear the Yanks present and future is bright!

[Craig Mac]

Baby Bombers

Enjoyable book that provides a great look behind the Yankees rebuild and shares more about their up and coming young talent.

[Kim]

I enjoyed reading back stories on the "Baby Bombers." Plus, some parts of the 2017 play offs were nice to re-live.

[Kurtis Belanger]

Any Yankees Dan who's been following the team will appreciate the in depth look at the next generation of Yankees stars

[Jim]

Interesting to read almost a year after the time it is written about. Good read for any Yankee fan.

[Gaven Mize]

Outstanding. But, “The Closer” is better.

[Vincent Parente]

Great book

Bryan does an excellent job covering each baby bombers background while also detailing the huge storylines over the 2017 & 2018 seasons.