Yankees Winter League Report
Courtesy of the Yankees:
NEW YORK YANKEES WINTER BASEBALL MINOR LEAGUE REPORT (10/14/08)
PLAYER NOTES:
RHP Phil Hughes was named the Week 1 Arizona Fall League Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period ending October 14…is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA in two games started with the Peoria Javelinas and leads the league with 10 strikeouts.
1B Juan Miranda, also with Peoria, leads the league with a .667 batting average (8-for-12), ranks first in doubles (4) and is tied for first in triples (2).
RHP Andrew Brackman, in his first professional experience, is 1-2 with a 5.91 ERA in three games started with the Waikiki BeachBoys…has struck out 12 batters in 10.2IP (12H, 7ER, 7BB).
RHP Jeff Marquez has allowed just 1H and struck out four batters in 3.0 scoreless innings pitched in relief for Peoria.
2B Damon Sublett leads all Yankees Winter League prospects with 6R, 10H and 9RBI in nine games with the BeachBoys.
LHP Jeremy Bleich, the Yankees’ Compensation Round A pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, has made three starts for Waikiki, going 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA (12.0IP, 12H, 5ER, 8BB, 9K, 1HR).
Bryan Hoch
Bryan,
Do you know if Sojo is coming up and Pena moving to 3b?
I can’t imagine Randolph would come back. Not just because the Mets are paying him but because like Mattingly, Girardi would have to look over his shoulder.
If not Sojo, how about Tino? I heard he prefers to stay in Tampa.
I’d love to have Sojo back.
Bryan,
What do you think was behind Mecham’s dismissal? Was he the sacrificial lamb?
THE lesson to be learned here is NEVER send the ace of your staff home in a game that you are ahead when you are in Houston. That play sealed Meachie’s fate.
I understand what you are saying but he can’t have the responsibility for that. Wang is a 28 year old athlete. There is at least SOME expectation that he can run around a base path without a season ending injury. Afterall, pitchers in the NL do it all the time.
Ok, it’s time to make Willie a Yankee again. Dump Thomson and bring him on.
Bring back O’Neill while you at it.
Where the hell is everybody? I figured there’d be at least SOME joy at watching the SUCHS get spanked the last two games.
Another solid email:
Tony Pena Sr
From: Ken Ostrum (kennyo@juno.com)
You may not know this sender. Mark as safe | Mark as unsafe
Sent:Wed 10/15/08 11:34 AM
To: bpark23@gmail.com
My elderly sister received a baseball bat directly from Tony Pena Sr at a game many years ago. Her son made a patio chair using bats and included Tony’s autographed bat as part of the chair, She would like to send Tony a copy of the photo. Do you know how I can find his mailing address or E-mail address?
Ken Ostrum
kennyo@juno.com
32 Kinley Dr
Emporium, PA
814.486.3948
____________________________________________________________
Click here for free information on nursing degrees, up to $150/hour
3B coach could be Thompson. Willie could replace Thompson.
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/yankees/archives/2008/10/burnett_jays_ar.html
After reading this Prior-Peavy comparison, I think we need to check in on Volquez.
http://www.dugoutcentral.com/blog/?p=1944
rcgolf, I’m feeling very good about the Sox getting spanked, especially since I’m cheering for the Rays this year. Didn’t want to jinx anything though. I swear if the Sox come back one more time I will kill someone(preferably Epstein or Francona)
Matt,
You never answered my question last week, or I missed it somehow. I know you like Hughes, but would you include him in a trade for Matt Cain?
Volquez is “untouchable”? Josh Hamilton was dealt for him. The Reds are trying to cut costs not add them. I think its worth asking what it would take. Funny how Minnesota viewed Santana as untouchable until he rejected their contract offer. It is worth asking.
@Robert. I wouldn’t trade Hughes but I am leaning towards say we should include Cano in the right deal.
The only pitchers that would interest me are Both Santanas and Volquez. All the rest, especially Burnett scare me. Fuentes is a must to go with the Youngans.
Matt,
Is that if we can sign Hudson?
I hear you but it Santana all over, they won’t be able to pay him soon, so they will need to make a decision and they have been trying to move Griffey and Dunn for several years to cut payroll.
Matt,
Yes. I didn’t notice BP answered my question. I believe every player is “touchable” for the right package. But I don’t see the Yankees bowling over any other team this year. 2010 or 2011 could be a different story with more of our players on the farm nearing Major League ready.
There is no way they can pay Eddy Volquez the kind of contract he is going to command.
I personally would rather include Cano or Nady if we are able to get an Ervin Santana, a Johan Santana or an Eddy Volquez. We need to add to the rotation. If they want Kennadia (or Wright), they can have him but not Hughes.
Rent-a-Pettitte? A rumor is going around that the Dodgers are interested in making him an offer.
Volquez is not proven enough for me. He needs at least another year to see what adjustments are made by hitters against him.
He wont go.
and Matt Cain? OK, given he’s played for the Giants. But he’s gone 15-30 over the last two seasons? Yes, I know, the Giants but Lincecum was able to throw together an 18-5 season with them. Cain’s a young kid from a very small market who showed about the same promise in the minor’s as Hughes did. Maybe he’s got some talent but why would he fare any better in NY than, say, IPK or Phil? And don’t tell me “Well, I’ve seen him pitch.”
Thats true but I would being willing to deal for him if Cinci wanted to move him before he costs too much.
I guess I would be best looking at Volquez’s AL #s.
Pass on Caine and Peavy.
and you’re going to trade away a 25 year old 2b-man who in his first 4 seasons in the majors is batting .303 with 65 homers and projects by practically the whole of MLB to be a .300/40/100 guy and a batting title contender for a 23 year old who was 8-14 this season and 7-16 last?
Andy likes NY. He didn’t want to leave the first time. He doesn’t want to leave now. He’ll retire first.
I consider trading Cano before Hughes but only for a quality starter.
Pettitte is going nowhere, just a rumor.
Here’s the fallacy Golf: We’re suppose to hit a 1000 runs and win the world series. Well, we could hit a 1000 runs and finish 4th if we are not good defensively. Cano didn’t just have a bad year offensively, he committed way too many errors. Mark Texiera will not fix this team, he will be part of this fallacy. We need a strong rotation with depth and a bullpen with anchors not all young guys. If Mo got hurt, we would be in same situation as the Mets and it would be too late to put Joba back in the pen. I am not advocating trading Cano, I am just saying we should keep Hughes, get Fuentes and 2 solid non Burnett/Pavano starters.
1000 runs might win the division and get swept in the ALDS.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3645152
Clemens to retire a Yankee.
Cain could be another failure in NY, but at least he has enough MLB experience to allow extensive scouting reports. Beyond that, everybody is a crap shoot to some degree!!!
Matt,
Volquez may not be abritation eligible yet but I guarantee that unless he suddenly collapses, we will have a Santana type situation where they can’t pay him. I am making the point, we should do due diligence here and ask.
Arroyo is an another Boston reject, he may be better than Lowe but not better than Vazquez who as you pointed at is barely better than Garland garbage.
Can we get a we want Willie back thread and article please Dr. Bryan Hoch.
Matt where did you stand on Pennington and where you stand now? I wanted him to backup Elister.
I like how Pennington manages games. John Beck is 2nd rounder, Parcells should have been more patient.
Matt, you say Volquez is a staff ace? A little quick to jump the gun there? Let him earn it first; One season means nothing, I still look at this kid as an unkown. When he can post up those numbers consistently, then we call him an ace, and no, I wouldn’t trade for the guy if he was available. To me, he’s just as unproven as Hughes and Kennedy and Chamberlain ( though Joba has proven he can be a big time pitcher in this league). ‘ Don’t need a new question mark in the rotation. As for Lincecum, he ahd a good season, but I’d like another couple of seasons before a I annoint him ” Staff Ace”; Matt Cain is their staff ace, o doubt about it. I would much rather have him than Timothy at this point.
Although the stats you provide for Cano are unrealistic, maybe you are being a bit too harsh with your judgement. Yes, he had a bad season and looked like a fool with some of the pitches he swung at this year but I credit that to him not seeing the ball well out the pitcher’s hand more than anything. Why did it all fall apart this season for him? Well, he had a very unorthodox swing in the past, but his head movement was minimal; His swing was a two step swing in the past year ( 07, 06, 05 ) load, step then swing. And he seemed to have that batting stance perfected. This year, he lost it. His hands were way too far behind his body, his head was moving because he was off balance ( he widened his stance a bit ) and his foot was coming down to late or too early, never in one consistent place. His new stance, however, has him more fundamentally sound and he raised his BA from .260 to .271 in a couple of weeks; That’s saying something! It says that he’s seeing the ball better, and he may not be the ” bad pitch chaser ” we have him thought out to be. From the point Cano changed his swing on, take this: he hit .421 with only 2 Ks and 5 BBs. He may never hit more than 20 HRs– we don’t need him too. If he can make that contact that he was making the last two weeks of the season, he could be the next batting champion.
BTW, did you guys hear? Pettitte has decided to come back! That leaves two more spots in the rotation to fill. It’ Wang, Chamb and Pettitte; I wonder how this affects our FA approach now…. probably won’t.
Parcells simply wants his own guys.
Pettitte is ready to negotiate a return. See CNN. 2 plus Fuentes right? Or Chamberlain in pen and 3 more starters. Paul O’Neill can pitch. We saw this before.