In George We Trust
A(nother) blog about the most storied franchise in sports
Friday, April 21, 2006
Return of the Rocket?
The Yankees don't just want the Rocket, they need the Rocket. Buster Olney thinks so:

What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the Yankees almost certainly don't have the kind of starting rotation needed to win the World Series. They might be good enough to make the playoffs, but here's the problem with the Yankees' staff: There is not a single member who is going to get better through development this summer.

The group is so old or and bears so much injury risk (Carl Pavano, Chien-Ming Wang, Jaret Wright) that what the Yankees are really hoping for is diminished regression.
...
Going after Clemens makes more sense in that the Yankees wouldn't have to part with any prospects to get him. They have shifted their philosophy in the last year and hung onto youngsters like Philip Hughes and Eric Duncan, and if they were to make a bid on the best pitchers available for a trade in midseason, they would have to part with someone like Hughes. But all they need to land Clemens is cash, and the Yankees have plenty of that.

With most other acquisitions, the Yankees would have to weigh their concerns about how the player would adjust to New York -- and just about every major star, including Clemens, has initially struggled in adapting. With Clemens, the New York factor would not be a problem; he had a good relationship with the fans by the end of
his tenure with the Yankees, and has maintained a strong relationship with the organization.

The Yankees are going to throw out a big number in the bidding, and if money is a major factor how Clemens makes his choice, they are going to win.


Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (5-4 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, walk-off style)
Carlos Pena: 2 for 4, 1 E - played 1B, glad to see he's taking precious development time away from Duncan
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 4, 1 R
Eric Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 K - DH'ed
Darrell Rasner: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 65 of 94 pitches were strikes (69.1%)

Double-A Trenton (2-1 loss to Connecticut, a 1-13 record only a mother could love)
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 SB
Kevin Howard: 0 for 4, 2 K
Jorge DePaula: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - 3-10 GB/FB ratio
Francisco Butto: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - 5-1 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa (3-2 win over Clearwater, walk-off style)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K - commited 9th error of the year
Cody Ehlers: 3 for 4, 1 2B - .380 BA, continues to do nothing but rake
Tim Battle: 0 for 3, 2 K - .065 BA
Alan Horne: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Low-A Charleston (9-3 loss to Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 K
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 K
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Jon Poterson: 0 for 4, 4 K
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Jim Conroy: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Written at 8:09 AM by Mike A.
4 comments
4 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Hey Mike,

Where has Christian Garcia been this year so far? I haven't noticed any of his stats on your wrap ups, and wondered if he hasn't been pitching for some reason.

Also, I see in the Times that Cashman says Hughes is being promoted to Trenton soon. It looks like they could use the help.
9:38 AM  
Blogger Mike A said...
Garcia hasn't thrown a pitch this year and I have no idea why. I did a quick google search but it came up empty - maybe it says something in the Prospect Handbook, but I don't have it with me. I'll look more into it later today, but I've got a test to study for.

Promoting Hughes is more about his development than helping that sorry excuse for a team. There's not much left for him to prove at High-A between this year and last. His combined line at Tampa is:

27.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 39 K

It'll also be the first time he doesn't end a stint at a level with a trip to the DL.

He's really starting to look a bonafide stud, a true potential frontline guy. I refrain from using the term "ace", because it's thrown around so much that it's become watered down; in my opinion there's only maybe 4 or 5 true aces in MLB.

If he keeps this up he may enter next year as the top pitching prospect in baseball considering all the guys who are graduating this year, Jon Lester's struggles and Mike Pelfrey being almost 2.5 yrs older than him.

Of course, he could also flame out in Double-A and end up being the next Randy Keisler.

After all that, Garcia may end up being even better than Hughes, but it'll take him a a few more years to get ready.
9:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
No prospect love for Jose Veras?
10:05 AM  
Blogger Mike A said...
It's hard to love a guy who's allowed 370 H in 357.2 IP before this year.

But he did just shift to the bullpen full-time, so maybe...
10:18 AM  
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