In George We Trust

FYI

2007-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm currently writing about the Yanks and their farm system over at River Ave. Blues.

Head over and check it out...

Screw You Blogger

2006-06-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

After 5 and a half months of suffering through the Blogger experience, I've decided to escape the oppression and end In George We Trust. Do not fret, I've registered a new blog over at beep.com entitled "Baby Bombers" (in case you need it in writing, the URL is http://babybombers.beeplog.com/).

Much like the name implies, Baby Bombers is going to focus on what IGWT has focused on: prospects. I'll have the same stuff there as I did here - the Weekly Poll, the Phil Hughes Watch, Down on the Farm, etc.

I'm still setting up the whole Baby Bomber template and all that fun stuff, so please be patient while I get things together. Hopefully I'll be up and running at full capacity by Friday, at which point I'll make up for the down week during the draft.

All of those out there with your own blog who've added a link to IGWT on a sidebar or something like that, I greatly appreciate the support and I ask you to please update your site and link to Baby Bombers instead. Thanks a ton.

Thanks to all those who made IGWT part of their daily rotation, I never imagined that I'd pull almost 20,000 hits in under 6 months.

And finally, thanks for the hours of needless frustration Blogger, you suck worse than Terrence Long.

That's it

2006-06-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've had it with Blogger. I spent God knows how much time last night putting together an analysis of yesterday's Yankee draft picks, complete with scouting reports, video, photos, the works. I saved it last night, made some minor revisions this morning, added the Down on the Farm section and new Poll question and went to publish it this morning. Only it didn't publish. I got the "Page cannot be displayed" message, and when I went back to my saved copy, I found out there was no saved copy. Grrrr....

Yeah yeah yeah, I should have used Word, but I didn't. I'm super pissed right now, so I'll get some draft stuff up later today or sometime.

Number 104

2006-06-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

With their 3rd pick - number 104 overall - the Yanks selected Zach McAllister, RHP, Illinois Valley Central High.

(can't find a picture)

Scouting Report: Big kid (6'5", 230) with good stuff - low-to-mid 90s heat, slider and change. He's polished for a high schooler, and has grown 3 inches in the last year alone. Owns a nice and easy delivery that he repeats well. He's got a chance to be a good one.

My Thoughts: Another solid, safe pick. The Yanks are doing a good job of building up their system, adding low-risk pitchers so far. He's got a commitment to Nebraska, but the Yanks should be able to change his mind and convice him to turn pro with the 6-figure bonus his draft position warrants.

Outlook: He'll likely head to the GCL Yanks to start his pro career. His polish may allow to move fast a la Phil Hughes, but don't expect him to be the second coming of Hughes.

There's no more sandwich picks to worry about, so the Yanks remaining selections come every 30 choices, so number 134 is next, followed by 164, etc. At the current pace, it'll be about 15 minutes between picks with a little less than 3 hours left in Day 1 of the draft (it ends at 6 pm ET).

I'm off to meet the missus for lunch, and I'll recap all of today's Yankee picks either tonight or tomorrow when Blogger isn't being a bitch (hopefully). The Yankee's 3 picks up to his point are all polished pitchers; hopefully they manage to snatch up the raw Dellin Betances and defensive whiz Brian Jeroloman before day's end. If they pull-off a minor miracle and land those 2 as well as Georgie Tech 3B Wes Hodges, I'd be very, very pleased with the Yanks draft regardless of what happens tomorrow.

Number 41

2006-06-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

With their second pick - 41st overall - the Yanks took Joba Chamberlain, RHP out of the University of Nebraska.

Scouting Report: Owns a low 90s fastball, hard slider and good changeup that he can throw for strikes. Intimidating presence on the mound (6'2", 230 lbs) that should enable him to be a 700 out a year workhorse. Think Jon Papelbon, but Chamberlain will certainly remain a starter.

My Thoughts: Awesome pick. Yankee fans will love this guy by the 2nd inning he throws in pinstripes. It's easy to see the Yanks are trying to "quick fix" the farm system by taking advanced college arms early. Just an awesome, awesome pick. Way to go Cash-Money.

Outlook: He'll join Kennedy in Staten Island later this month. He missed 2 starts this year with a triceps injury, but don't worry about that, it's behind him.

The Yanks next pick comes at 104 overall, so in 10-15 minutes or so. Here's ESPN's draft index, which shows all the picks. Blogger is giving me shit, reaffirming my belief that it's a worthless piece of shit.

Number 21

2006-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

With their first pick - 21st overall - the Yanks took Ian Kennedy, RHP from USC.

Scouting Report: Has been on radars for a long time, being drafted in the 14th round back in 2003. He hasn't been bad in 2006, but it's been a far cry from his first two college seasons. He's lost some velocity on the fastball (sits at 89-91), though he still knows how to pitch with an aggressive style and hard curve. His ceiling is probably as a very good number 2 starter in the John Lackey mold. Go here for his scouting video.

If you shelled out the $60 to subscribe to BA.com, go here for more scouting reports.

My Thoughts: Solid pick, but very safe and conservative. He's not far away from the Bronx. He's a bit undersized (6'0", 180) and he doesn't throw hard, but he's a winner and strikeout machine. More Greg Maddux than Roger Clemens. Oh yeah, he's a Scott Boras client.

Outlook: Chances are he'll head to Staten Island at the end of June and start 2007 in High-A. He won't finish there though.

The Yanks next pick comes in the supplemental first round at number 41 overall, at this pace that pick should be announced in 5-10 minutes or so. See you then.

FYI - The MLB Radio broadcast is lagging, the Draft Tracker is about 5 picks ahead of the broadcast.

Some last minute draft thoughts

2006-06-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Jim Callis of BA weighs in:

Though owner George Steinbrenner won't give a major league contract to a draftee [that's why they passed on Craig Hansen], New York would select [UNC's Andrew]Miller in the unlikely event he gets this far and sign him to the largest bonus in draft history. More realistically, the Yankees could take Huff, the second-best college lefty in the draft. They also could one-up the Mets by taking Beato, who turned down the Mets as a draft-and-follow.
Projected Pick: David Huff, lhp, UCLA

So does John Mayo of MiLB.com:

New York Yankees: Max Scherzer, RHP, University of Missouri
It appears as of now that there are two teams prepared to take Scherzer with the health question mark: the Diamondbacks at No. 11 and the Yankees here. Both teams, it seems, have gotten the medical clearance to take the Missouri ace so he won't slide any further than this spot.
Previous projection: Pedro Beato.

If Miller fell to the Yanks, you might be able to hear me screaming with joy all the way from SoCal. T-minus 20 minutes until the first pick is announced.

Update: Although it's not yet official, BA founder Allan Simpson and the crew broadcasting on MLB Radio have said the Royals will take Luke Hochevar first overall. So much for hoping he fell to the Yanks.

D Day

2006-06-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

1,500 guys not much younger than me are going to have their lives change in the next 36 hours. Some will be affected more than others, and some won't even know it until the FedEx man shows up at the door with a certified letter next week. Either way, 06-06-06 will be the best day in the life of many of these young men as they come one step closer to reaching their dream.

DA Humber and his extremely under-rated Baseball Central blog unites the baseball blogging masses in a Pre-Draft bonanza. If you have any interest at all in today's draft, you do not want to miss this. Plus I took part in it, so consider this a shameless self promotion.

As I said yesterday, I'll be around for the next few hours updating you on the goings on of the draft (which starts in less than an hour), bringing you scouting reports and tons of other info on the Yankees picks.

Daily Poll: In a landslide win, 7 of the 11 votes in yesterday's poll said the Yanks are best off going to pitching in the early rounds of today's draft. A successor for Jorge Posada finished second with 3 votes, followed by any type of talent close to big league ready. Thanks for voting, the new question is up.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (12-8 loss to Ottawa)
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Russ Johnson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
Rob Stratton: 1 for 5, 1 RBI, 4 K
Nick Green: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
Danny Garcia: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Mark Corey: 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HB - closer started the game, and threw 72 pitches in 2 innings
Matt DeSalvo: 3 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 E (throwing) - say the 7.68 ERA isn't so
TJ Beam: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - one step closer to the Bronx

Double-A Trenton scheduled off day

High-A Tampa (4-3 win over Fort Myers)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 K
Ramiro Pena: 2 for 5, 1 K
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 5, 3 K
Rudy Guillen: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB
PJ Pilittere: 2 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI
Jeff Marquez: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K - 12-2 GB/FB ratio, the sinker's working now
Phil Thorp: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 3-0 GB/FB ratio, 1.02 ERA in 17.2 IP
Gerardo Casadiego: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 3-3 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (11-8 win over Greenville)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 K - threw a runner out at 3B from CF
Marcos Vechionacci: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Jose Tabata: 1 for 5, 1 R
CJ Henry: 0 for 5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Eduardo Nunez: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Tim Battle: 1 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - threw a runner out at 3B from LF
Irwil Rojas: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Zach Kroenke: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 WP
Cory Stuart: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Live Draft

2006-06-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

For the first time, you'll be able to listen to tomorrow's amateur draft live as the picks are announced:

Tune-in just before 1 p.m. ET for a live update on who will be the first overall pick of the 2006 draft. Then, for the first time, the entire first round of the draft will be announced live exclusively from MLB.com's New York City studios. Jimmie Lee Solomon, the executive vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, will do the honors live on MLB.com. No one -- except for the teams themselves -- will know who is taking who when before MLB.com does.

That will kick off the live video coverage of the opening five rounds of the draft. Casey Stern, host of MLB.com Midday, will handle the same duties for the program. He will be flanked by MLB.com draft insider Jonathan Mayo and Allan Simpson, the founding editor of Baseball America who now brings his draft expertise to Perfect Game Crosschecker (PGcrosschecker.com). The trio will give pick-by-pick analysis for the first three rounds -- 106 total picks -- of the draft.
...
If that's not enough for you, just click on over to MLB Radio. They've got audio coverage of every pick of every round for the two-day event. MLB Radio's Vinny Micucci, host of Baseball Today, will be joined by PG Crosschecker.com's David Rawnsley for day one, which will stretch until the conclusion of the 18th round. Mayo will slide over from the video studio to handle day two radio chores with Rawnsley as they take you home for rounds 19-50.

For the most part the MLB draft is rapid fire, one pick announced right after another with almost zero downtime. I dunno if this broadcast will slow it down any, but regardless, check in with IGWT for info on each Yank pick minutes after the pick is announced.

All draft, all week

2006-06-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

I heart the draft. If it was up to me, there would be separate drafts for college, junior college and high school kids just so we'd have 3 events to talk about instead of one. Needless to say, this is going to be a great week at IGWT even though I'm working at half capacity after separating my shoulder Saturday morning on my way to volunteering at the local orphanage by reading to small children...okay fine, I fell out of bed in a semi-drunken stupor. There, you got it out of me, happy? It's cool, I've got a hot blonde and a fresh prescription of Vicatin (yippee!) to nurse me back to health.

Back to baseball. If you're feeling lucky, you can take MLB.com's Draft Challenge for a chance to win 4 tickets to the 2007 All-Star Game. You can watch the Pre-Draft show here, and for more draft coverage than you can handle, head over to either MLB's Draft Central (loaded with video and audio clips) or BA's much more in-depth draft coverage (you do need a subscription to access most of the info however).

As far as the Yanks, there's talk of Jeffrey Maier:

Major League Baseball's amateur draft starts Tuesday, and Maier said it would be a dream come true if he were tapped by the franchise.

Yankee officials wouldn't discuss his chances, although one evaluator not affiliated with the team said he's more likely to be an "organizational player" consigned to the minor leagues than a future major leaguer.

But Maier's got at least one big-name fan rooting for him.

"I hope he does get drafted," Jeter said last night.

"It's the least they could do. Pay him back finally. It would seem kind of ironic, wouldn't it?"

Agreed Derek, 100%. There's also talk of 6'9" pitcher from Brooklyn:

Brooklyn flamethrower Dellin Betances put on a show for the Yankees yesterday, lighting up the radar gun in front of several of the team's top executives in a predraft workout at the Stadium.

Betances, a 6-9 righthander from Grand Street Campus, had pitched for his Youth Service team on Monday but was still able to reach 94 mph in front of general manager Brian Cashman and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, according to a scout who was on hand. "I thought it went really well," Betances said. "I pitched just a few days ago and I was still able to hit 94, so I thought that was a positive."
...
Betances is expected to be a first- or second-round selection in the amateur draft, which begins on Tuesday. The Yankees pick 21st (first round) and 41st (supplemental round) but don't have a second-round pick.

A local kid that hit 94 on the gun as a teenager on short rest? Sign'em up. What about Donnie Baseball's kid? He's a legit option too:

In photographs, 18-year-old Preston Mattingly looks like a teen Donnie Baseball. However, on the field he might be more athletic than his father. Preston was clocked at 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard dash, according to his coach at Evansville Central High, Jason Engelbrecht. One talent evaluator estimated that there are only about 20 players in the majors who would be clocked that fast every time.

"He can run, that's for sure," said Mike Radcliff, the Twins' scouting director who has scouted Preston Mattingly. "He's very athletic, has a real nice frame (6-3, 195 pounds) and you can project him to be strong." Every team but the A's has scouted Preston, and the Yankees are one of the most active clubs - scouting director Damon Oppenheimer watched Preston two weeks ago.

Preston is "a throwback in this era of specialization for high school kids," Engelbrecht said, because he played three sports. Preston spent the last two summers playing AAU basketball instead of baseball - he does live in Indiana, after all - and even his dad says he's raw.

Still, he hit .478 with 23 extra-base hits and 21 stolen bases in 30 games this season. In addition to his abilities, he wowed scouts with his demeanor.

"He's been a treat," Engelbrecht said. "He's got every reason to big-league his teammates - he comes from that family, he's good-looking, he's a great athlete, he's got money - but he doesn't. He really mirrors his dad."

IGWT is going to be loaded with scouting reports, pictures, video, links, projections, etc. all week, so get ready.

Weekly Poll: The vast majority of you (more than 49%) think some big FA pitcher will take the ball for the Yanks on Opening Day 2008, but an almost equally vast number of you (just under 44%) think Phil Hughes will be the man come 2008. You'd only need 1 hand to count the number of votes Chien-Ming Wang and Carl Pavano combined to receive. I don't think Hughes will get the ball on Opening Day so soon, even if he hits the majors this year (very unlikely), chances are the Yanks still wouldn't burden him with that much pressure so soon (he'll only be 21 then). In honor of the draft, this week the Weekly Poll will become the Daily Poll, with a new draft-related question appearing each day. Thanks for voting!

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus
(Friday: 7-3 loss to Rochester)
Jason Conti: 1 for 5, 1 K - threw a runner out at 2B from CF
Kevin Reese: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 CS, 1 HBP
Russ Johnson: 0 for 5, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 K
Mitch Jones: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 3 K
Nick Green: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 E (throwing)
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
Wil Nieves: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Danny Garcia: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - I think the monthly farm system reports are a jinx, cause this isn't the first time a guy sucked immediately following the report (see Coke, Phil)
(Saturday: rained out)
(Sunday Game 1: 3-2 loss to Rochester in 7 innings)
Nick Green: 0 for 3, 1 BB
Kevin Reese: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Carlos Pena: 0 for 3, 1 RBI
Andy Cannizaro: 3 for 4
Russ Johnson: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB
Mitch Jones: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jorge DePaula: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
(Sunday Game 2: 4-1 loss to Rochester in 7 innings)
Jason Conti: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K - threw a runner out at 3B from CF
Kevin Reese: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Carlos Pena: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 3, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
Nick Green: 0 for 3, 3 K
Ramiro Mendoza: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 4-7 GB/FB ratio
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HB
Jose Veras: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A Trenton
(Friday: 5-2 win over Reading in 7 innings - rain shortened)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 31 R, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 4, 1 RBI
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Vincent Faison: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Danny Borrell: 6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K - 3-13 GB/FB ratio
TJ Beam: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
(Saturday: 10-2 loss to Reading)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 0 for 4, 2 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Justin Christian: 0 for 3, 1 BB
Tyler Clippard: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K - 4-9 GB/FB ratio
Charlie Manning: .1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
Francisco Butto: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HB - allowed both inherited runners to score
(Sunday: 7-6 loss to Reading)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Shelley Duncan: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 K, 2 SB
Tommy Rojas: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
JT Stotts: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Shawn Chacon: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP - 8-4 GB/FB ratio
JB Cox: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K - there goes the farm system report curse again (3-0 GB/FB ratio)

High-A Tampa
(Friday: 8-1 loss to St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 4, 1 RBI
Ramiro Pena: 2 for 4
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 4
Edwar Gonzalez: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 SB
Chris Malec: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
Phil Coke: 2.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - it was fun while it lasted, now go away
Chase Wright: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Justin Kennard: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
(Saturday: 4-3 loss to St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 HBP
Ramiro Pena: 1 for 5, 1 K
Ben Davis: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 K
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Mark Carroll: 2 for 3, 1 BB
Jason Jones: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K - 9-1 GB/FB ratio
Mike Martinez: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
(Sunday: 5-1 loss to St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 SB
Ramiro Pena: 1 for 2, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Ben Himes: 2 for 3, 1 CS
Chris Malec: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 E (fielding)
Elvys Quezada: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Josh Schmidt: 3.1 IP,3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 1 HB
Gerardo Casadiego: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 HB

Low-A Charleston
(Friday: 5-4 win over Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 2, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 HBP - dude they hit you twice, you gonna take that?
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Jose Tabata: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Brett Jones: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K - DH'ed, I wonder if it was because of his wretched defense of late
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Tim Battle: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K - threw a runner out at home from LF
Jason Stephens: 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Steve Schroer: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 5-1 GB/FB ratio
(Saturday: 10-4 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 E (missed catch)
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB
Jose Tabata: 0 for 4, 3 K - the moon most have aligned with Venus and some swamp gas off Mars or something, cause that ain't a Tabata-like line
Brett Jones: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K
CJ Henry, Eduardo Nunez, Tim Battle: combined 0 for 12, 7 K, 2 E (both by Battle)
Wilkins Arias: 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 E, 1 pickoff, 1 WP
Dave Seccombe: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HB
Abel Gomez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
(Sunday: scheduled off day)

In some prospect related news, Bill Madden repeats what I've been saying for months, as he marvels at the ability of Jose Tabata (where've you heard that before?), feels the pain of CJ Henry's errors (where've you heard that before?), and praises the output of Brett Gardner (where've you heard that before?). I want my cut Bill.

Top 12 Prospects

2006-06-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite sites to play around with is First Inning, which has been posting Top 12 Prospect lists for each team over the past few weeks. They saved the best for last, releasing the Bombers list today (I'm special, they emailed me the list yesterday):

1. Philip Hughes, RHP
Hughes struck out 93 batters while only walking 20 last year. And heÂs still only 19 years old.
Grade: A-

2. Jose Tabata, OF
Talented young slugger will participate in his first full season of professional baseball this year.
Grade: Incomplete

3. Jeff Marquez, RHP
Marquez appears on track to become a useful starting pitcher in the big leagues.
Grade: B

4. Melky Cabrera, OF
Cabrera probably wonÂt stay in center field, but he doesnÂt project to hit for the kind of power most teams expect from a corner outfielder.
Grade: B

5. Eric Duncan, 1B/3B
Duncan is a patient hitter who probably swings and misses too often to be more than an average hitter in the major leagues.
Grade: B

6. C.J. Henry, SS
2005 draftee is athletic enough to be the YankeesÂ next starting shortstop many years from now, but he struggled to make contact at the plate in the Gulf Coast
League.
Grade: Incomplete

7. J. B. Cox, RHP
Cox does not record as many strikeouts you might expect from a future closer. He couldaggressivelyvely promoted through the system because he throws strikes and isnÂt particularly hittable.
Grade: Incomplete

8. Tyler Clippard, RHP
ClippardÂs strikeout totals are impressive, but he gives up a lot of fly balls and could experience problems with home runs in the upper minor leagues.
Grade: B-

9. Darrel Rasner, RHP
He keeps the ball on the ground and his control continues to improve.
Grade: B-

10. Christian Garcia, RHP
Garcia could fulfill his potential if he overcomes some injury troubles and inconsistent control.
Grade: Incomplete

11. Austin Jackson, OF
Another athletic 2005 draftee; Jackson needs to improve his power at the plate to contend for a major league job three or four years from now.
Grade: Incomplete

12. Eduardo Nunez, 2B/SS
Nunez held his own as one of the younger players in the New York-Penn League last year.
Grade: Incomplete

The list is based on their projection system and not raw ability, which is why guys like Jeff Marquez and Austin Jackson are out of the regular pecking order. Clicking on each player's name brings you that player's page, which features all sorts of stats, a game log, and off course, their brutally honest projection (check out the names listed under "Similar Players" for Phil Hughes). Have fun!

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (6-5 loss to Rochester)
Kevin Reese: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP
Russ Johnson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Carlos Pena: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Rob Stratton: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Tommy Phelps: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - 63 of 95 pitches were strikes
Matt Smith: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (10-5 loss to Portland)
Gabe Lopez: 3 for 5, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HBP
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Felix Escalona: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Kevin Howard: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Phil Hughes: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - patience is a virtue (he'll come around)
JB Cox: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

High-A Tampa (14-8 win over St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Ramiro Pena: 4 for 5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Ben Davis: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - remember when he bunted for a hit in the 8th inning to ruin Schilling's no-hitter a few years ago?
Edwar Gonzalez: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI
Ben Himes: 3 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 HBP - threw a runner out a 3rd from RF
Hector Made: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Chris Malec: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 E (both fielding)
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 WP
Mike Gardner: .2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Josh Schmidt: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (9-3 win over Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 3 K
Mario Holmann: 1 for 3, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SB
Jose Tabata: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB - threw a runner out at 2nd from RF
Brett Jones: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
CJ Henry: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB, 2 E (fielding, throwing)
Marcos Vechionacci: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Garrett Patterson: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Jim Conroy: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Eric Wordekemper: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 3-0 GB/FB ratio

IGWT won't be updated this weekend, partly because my girlfriend is coming home from her trip this afternoon and I figure we're going to spending a whole lotta time together after not seeing each for 2 weeks (she still has no idea I'm here), but mostly because I'm moving into my new apartment this afternoon, and the cable guy isn't coming until Monday morning to hook up the cable and DSL.

Get ready for a draft motherload next week, there's gonna be a whole lot of interesting stuff to discuss.

Update: Missed this yesterday, but the Florida State League All-Stars were announced. Three Yankee farmhands made the cut:

The Tampa trio includes right-hander Gerardo Casadiego (third in the league with 10 saves), infielder Cody Ehlers (second in RBIs with 43 and fourth in homers with nine) and outfielder Brett Gardner, who is third in hitting at .333.

Farm system report: May

2006-06-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

The month of May is usually a great barometer in the game of baseball, it separates the Shelton's from the Pujols', the Arroyo's from the Peavy's, and more often than not, the contenders from the pretenders.

Much like the month of May, the Double-A level serves as a terrific talent evaluator. Players that succeed in Double-A usual go onto a major league career in some capacity. Those that don't, well...basically you never hear from them again. The Yanks Double-A affiliate in Trenton is home to arguably the organization's top 4 pitching prospects, and each one of them appears to be on his way to passing the test with flying colors.

Here's a wrap up of what the farm system gave us in the month of May (all stats, etc. are from May unless otherwise noted):

Triple-A Columbus (22-29, 8.0 GB, 13-14 in May)

Top pitching performance:
Kris Wilson (May 23): 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - 75 of 113 pitches were strikes (66.4%), 14-7 GB/FB ratio
Top hitting performance:
Rob Stratton (May 27): 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI

Injuries at the major league level reeked havoc on the Clippers roster, with call-ups and send-downs occurring almost daily. In a 10 day period, the Clippers saw Melky Cabrera, Mitch Jones and Kevin Reese summoned to bigs, only to see bullpeners Scott Erickson, Colter Bean and Matt Smith join them days if not hours later. Lefty Matt Smith appears to be entrenched on the Columbus-Bronx train this year, already being called to big league squad on 2 occasions in 2006.

The Clippers have also seen some new additions added to the mix, as former elite prospect Carlos Pena joined career journeymen Jason Conti and Robert Stratton to provide the Clips with a new heart of the order. While Conti has showed why he's been a journeyman, both Pena and Stratton have given the Clips a nice shot in the arm, posting .872 and .814 OPS's, respectively. Stratton - in the midst of his 6th straight year at the Triple-A level - has been especially impressive, providing 5 HR and 15 RBI from the cleanup spot in 16 May games.

However, the biggest story surrounded the Clippers this month has minor league free agent pick-up Kris Wilson going from roster-filler to potential call-up option. The 29 year old went 2-1 in May, giving up only 28 hits in 43 IP (good for a .185 BAA) while posting a .81 WHIP, 33-7 K/BB ratio and 1.67 ERA. Wilson pitched into the 8th inning in his last 5 May starts, having never allowed more baserunners than IP in any one of those starts.

Not to be outdone by Wilson, waiver pickup and recently called-up Darrell Rasner has continued his 2006 excellence, going 3-0, 1.50 ERA, 46-18 GB/FB ratio during May. Throw out a May 16th disaster in which Rasner gave up 11 H and 4 ER in 4.1 IP, and he put up a 0.35 ERA (not a typo), 1.01 WHIP and a 19-6 K/BB ratio during May. And this guy was on waivers...

Double-A Trenton (27-26, 2.5 GB, 20-12 in May)

Top pitching performance:
Steve White (May 31): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 B, 4 K
Top hitting performance:
Randy Ruiz (May 17): 4 for 5, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K

Dominant. Lights out. Unhittable. Slamming the door. Nails in the coffin. All are fit to describe the Thunder's bullpen duo of James Brent Cox and Theodore Beam Junior, better known as JB Cox and TJ Beam. The first name-initialed tandem seemed to be on a mission this pass month, combining to give up only 5 ER in 47.1 IP, good for an ERA of 0.95. Beam has been overpowering hitters with a fierce fastball-slider combo (21-8 K/BB, .209 BAA), while Cox has been equally adept at getting outs on his own (13-5 K/BB) as well as on the ground(35-14 GB/FB). The Yankee braintrust has done an excellent job of getting Cox and Beam experience, having each throw multiple innings each time out. Joined by the unheralded relief corps of Charlie Manning, Francisco Butto and Justin Pope, the Trenton bullpen went 22 innings between giving up runs at one point in May.

Of course, what kind of farm system report would this be without mention of Phil Hughes. The 19 year old Southern Californian made the jump to Double-A to start the month, and he seems to have turned the corner after a somewhat inauspicious start at the level. After having his trademark control desert him to the tune of 8 BB in his first 24 May IP, Hughes has issued only 3 free passes in 12.1 IP over his last 2 starts. There is one disturbing trend however, as Hughes' WHIP has steady increased with each May start (.83-.86-.91-.94-.99). On the bright side, Hughes has been racking up K's with more regularity each start, putting up a 3-5-5-5-7 strikeout trend for the month. For the most part it seems like he's starting to round back into form, and it's only a matter of time before he unleashes a 7 IP, 2 H, double-digit K masterpiece again.

High-A Tampa (25-26, 5.5 GB, 15-12 in May)

Top pitching performance:
Alan Horne, Chase Wright, Gerardo Casadiego (May 5): combined 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
Top hitting performance:
Brett Gardner (May 25): 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 SB

Exit Phil Hughes, enter Alan Horne. With the Yanks prized arm heading north to Trenton, Horne - the former Gator and one-time first round pick - seems to have taken over the spotlight down in West Florida. Here's Horne's numbers from May: .197 BAA, 11.63 Kper9, 15 hits allowed in 21.2 IP. So what's the problem? Control. Horne has allowed 5.40 BBper9 in May, ballooning his OBPA to .340 (remember he held hitters to a .197 BAA) and limiting himself to short outings due to high pitch counts. Horne does possess a remarkable K rate, striking batters out at least a 10.7 Kper9 rate in each start this year. He's got the Farnsworth-esque enigma cloud around him; when he's on, he's flat out nasty, but when he's off, it's real ugly (like yo momma, ooooooooh. Just kiddin').

Cody Ehlers continues to be a man amongst boys in the Florida State League as he places in the league top 10 in HR (9), RBI (43), TB (95), and SLG (.514). Ehler's sidekick Brett Gardner has cooled down after an ungodly start, but he's still 2nd in the league in R (37), 7th in H (59), 2nd in BB (37), 1st in SB (22), 1st in OBP (.451), 3rd in BA (.333) and 7th in OPS (.886). The over/under on both finishing the year in Tampa is at about 5%.

News out of Tampa in May reported a Carl Pavano sighting, but still no word yet on Christian Garcia's ETA from an oblique strain.

Low-A Charleston (26-27, 10.0 GB, 12-18 in May)

Top pitching performance:
Bryan Villalona (May 5): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Top hitting performances:
Jose Tabata (May 5): 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Reegie Corona (May 20): 6 for 7, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB

When you talk about the Yanks Low-A affiliate in Charleston, you'll inevitably skip right past the fact that they're on a 9 game losing streak and have lost 11 of 13, and bring up the tremendously talented teenage trio (say that 3 times fast) of Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata and CJ Henry. Throw in recent demotees Marcos Vechionacci, Eduardo Nunez and Tim Battle, and you'll be hard pressed to find another team in the minors with 6 players possessing this much raw ability still on the un-fun side of their 21st birthday (all 6 of those guys were in the Yanks top 12 prospects according to BA). Both Jackson and Tabata continued to do what they do best last month: drive in runs (28 combined RBIs), rack up XBHs (16 combined XBHs) and create havoc on the basepaths (14 combined SBs). Apparently the Mets inferiority complex kicked in (again), because they picked up a Tabata of their own.

After coming off the DL on May 8th, CJ Henry performed like a man (kid) possessed. In his first 9 games back, he went .406-.457-.750-1.207 with 8 XBH, 5 RBI, and 7 runs scored while raising his BA 123 points in just over a week. Since then? He's gone .104-.232-.125-.357 with 17 K's in 13 games. And that's not even the worst of it. The 20 year old has committed 14 errors in 31 games this season, with 9 of those E's coming in May. Lots of people have said they see a position change in Henry's future, and it's not hard to see why based on the kid's defense, or lack thereof.

When it comes to the RiverDogs pitching crew, there's really only 1 name worth mentioning: Abel Gomez. The 21 year old Dominican held batters to a .127 BAA in 18.1 IP in April, only to follow that up by allowing 47 baserunners in 22.0 May innings. The scary thing is that 23 of those baserunners reached base via the free pass, meaning Gomez is the proud owner of a 9.41 BBper9 for the month of May. Oy vay, someone should tell the kid he doesn't need to try to throw the ball through a brick wall with each pitch.

In-Season Top 10 Prospects (based on 2006 performance)

Darrell Rasner: No his upside isn't as monumental as Hughes', but don't argue with me, argue with the numbers.
Austin Jackson: There's no up-and-downs with this kid, it's been nothing but consistent production game after game after game.
Jose Tabata: About 2 weeks ago he seemed like a lock for this month's top spot, then he hit the DL with a hand injury.
Phil Hughes: Struggles in Double-A keep a Top 3 Prospect spot away. (sorry, that was pathetic, it'll never happen again)
JB Cox: His success is even sweeter knowing Craig Hansen has allowed 38 baserunners in 30.2 IP this year.
Steven White: Pitched into the 7th in each May start, and only once gave up more than 2 ER. Oh yeah, he only gave up only 8 line drives in 32 IP (Mets lovechild Mike Pelfrey gave up 21 liners in 21.2 IP).
TJ Beam: Would it be the worst thing in the world to call him up to the bigs right now to give Scott Proctor a breather once in a while?
Brett Gardner: Slowed down a bit after a hot start, but he's still 4th in the organization with a .333 BA and 7th with a .884 OPS.
Tyler Clippard: He still scares the crap out of me (6'3", 170 lbs - did he ever hear of a Ring Ding???), but when you strikeout 25 and give up only 21 hits in a month, you're doing something right.
CJ Henry: It's not all about K's and E's, his OBP was almost 100 points higher than his BA in May.

Both Short-Season Staten Island and the Gulf Coast League Yankees kick off their seasons on the 20th of June, less than 3 weeks away. The GCL team is always fun to check up on, because it's usually chock full of very young, very talented players just plucked from the draft or the international market.

It needs to be said...

2006-06-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Moose for All-Star Game starter.

There, I said it. Just look at the other options:

Johan Santana? .500 record
Jose Contreras? missed a couple weeks while on the DL
Justin Verlander? higher ERA than Moose in almost 15 less IP
Schilling & Beckett? both have ERAs at least 1.5 runs higher than Moose
Halladay, Buehrle or Zito? nah, over-rated and nah

The only other legit option is Scott Kazmir, but he's got 2 more losses than Moose and has given up 69 hits in 69.1 IP compared to Moose's 65 in 81.2. So unless Ozzie Guillen plans to start Crapelbon in Pittsburgh, he's gonna have some serious splainin' to do about bypassing Moose.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus scheduled off day

Double-A Trenton
(Game 1: 4-0 win over Portland in 7 innings)
Gabe Lopez: 0 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 3 K - OPS dipped below .900 for first time with the Yanks (.898)
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Felix Escalona: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
Vincent Faison: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B
Steve White: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 B, 4 K - another gem from the ex-Baylor Bear
(Game 2: 4-2 loss to Portland in 7 innings)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 4, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 3, 1 BB
Shelley Duncan: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Felix Escalona: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 E (missed catch)
Kevin Howard: 2 for 3, 1 SB, 1 CS
Jeremy King: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Francisco Butto: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
JB Cox: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - ERA down to 1.49

High-A Tampa (4-1 win over Lakeland)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 K, 3 SB
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 5, 1 SB - batting third with a .204 BA...?
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Edwar Gonzalez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Hector Made: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Jeff Marquez: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K - 8-0 GB/FB ratio, finally, something positive
Josh Schmidt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Phil Thorp: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (10-6 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 3, 3 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
Jose Tabata: 1 for 5, 3 RBI
CJ Henry: 0 for 4, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) - the error total is starting to get real ugly (14 in 31 games)
Eduardo Nunez: 0 for 4
Tim Battle: 2 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Edgar Soto: 1 IP, 5 H, 7 R , 7 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 2 HB - that's 9 baserunners in 1 inning
Dave Seccombe: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 9-4 GB/FB ratio

A much better Yanks minor league resource than IGWT is going bye-bye soon. Some one take it over, pleeeeeease!

Bullpen Report

2006-05-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Via Buster Olney:

New York Yankees

Mariano Rivera: 21 games, 27.1 innings
On track for: 71 games, 89 innings

Scott Proctor: 25 games, 34 innings
On track for: 81 games, 110 innings

Kyle Farnsworth: 25 games, 24 innings
On track for: 81 games, 78 innings

Thoughts: Joe Torre earned a whole lot of praise for the way he handles players emotionally, finding ways to take pressure off them; he was a hugely important figure during the Yankees' dynasty. His handling of the bullpen the last five years has been a problem, and it's a problem again this year. He effectively overworked Paul Quantrill, Tom Gordon and Tanyon Sturtze, and he's doing it again with Proctor this year. He simply doesn't trust enough relievers, relies on too few, and by August and September, the workhorses are exhausted. Rivera pitched three innings Tuesday, which is the kind of thing that feels right in May and can really hurt a team later in the summer

Question over here Mr. Torre (raising hand). Why did you let Mo throw a third inning when you had a 5 run lead, Ron Villone sitting in the pen (only 27 pitches the night before), and no off day for another 12 days, effectively putting him on the bench for the next 2 games against the best team in baseball?

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-2 win over Buffalo)
Kevin Thompson: 0 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Carlos Pena: 1 for 3, 1 K, 1 HBP
Rob Stratton: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Jason Conti: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Wil Nieves: 1 for 3
Ramiro Mendoza: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - 56 of 84 pitches were strikes (66.7%)
Matt Childers: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Trenton (7-5 win over Portland)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 5, 1 R, 2 K - hovering just over the Mendoza line at .214
Felix Escalona: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R - threw a runner out at home from CF
Jeff Karstens: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 WP
TJ Beam: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - first time all season he allowed more than 1 R

High-A Tampa (7-6 win over Lakeland in 12 innings thanks to 8 Lakeland errors)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 5, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SB - 1 hit in last 14 ABs, threw a runner out a second from CF
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 5, 1 RBI
Edwar Gonzalez: 1 for 5, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB
Ben Himes: 1 for 6, 2 RBI
Brett Ssmith: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - 12-5 GB/FB ratio
Chase Wright: .2 IP, 3 , 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Elvys Quezada: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Low-A Charleston (6-5 loss to Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB - threw a runner out a home from CF
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 0 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
CJ Henry: 0 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (throwing)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 E (fielding)
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 2 E (both fielding)
Zach Kroenke: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
Wilkins Arias: 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Back...

2006-05-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

...and this time it's for good.

I got to thinking on my drive back out West, and so far one of the big stories of the 2006 baseball season has been the fall of the closer. Francisco Cordero, Brad Lidge, Keith Foulke, Danys Baez. These are all former big time closers who've lost their job this year, and I wonder how much of this is because of the new ban on Amphetamines.

The big thing with "greenies" is that they help a player recover quicker, and who needs more help recovering than a pitcher than only knows pressure situations day after day. Just a thought...

Weekly Poll: It's been a while since I last updated the Weekly Poll, but rest assured, a new question is now up. As far as last week's (and the week's before that) question, more than 56% of you think Phil Hughes is the Yanks best pitching prospect since Andy Pettitte, while just over 21% think he's best since Gator, less than 7 % think he's the best since Whitey, and just under 15% of you think he's the best ever. I personally don't know who Hughes is the best pitching prospect since, but I do think it was before Pettitte. To help justify myself, check out BA's Top 100 lists, where Hughes topped out at #39 (so far), and Pettitte topped out at #49 in 1995. Anywho, thanks as always for voting.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus
(Saturday: 10-3 win over Buffalo)
Kevin Thompson: 2 for 4, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Kevin Reese: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Carlos Pena: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Rob Stratton: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Jason Conti: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 BB
Darrell Rasner: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 8-10 GB/FB ratio (61-29 on the year)
Matt Smith: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
(Sunday: 9-4 loss to Buffalo in 11 innings)
Kevin Thompson: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kevin Reese: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Russ Johnson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jason Conti: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Nick Green: 1 for 5, 1 2B
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 1 WP, 1 HB - 2-9 GB/FB ratio
Mark Corey: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - closer doesn't falter often, but did this game
Jose Veras: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Colter Bean: .1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - allowed both inherited runners to score
(Monday: 12-9 loss to Buffalo in 10 innings)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
Kevin Reese: 3 for 6, 2 R, 2 K, 1 E (fielding) - threw a runner out a 3B from LF
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 BB
Rob Stratton: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Russ Johnson: 3 for 5, 1 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Wil Nieves: 2 for 6, 1 R, 1 RBI
Danny Garcia: 2 for 5, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Jorge DePaula: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - 3-9 GB/FB ratio
Matt Smith: .2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
Mark Corey: 1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - ERA ballooned over 2 runs in 2 days
Colter Bean: .2 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K - quick, get him to the majors!
Matt DeSalvo: .1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - relegated to mop-up duty

Double-A Trenton
(Saturday: 6-3 win over Binghamton)
Gabe Lopez: 3 for 3, 1 R, 2 RBI
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 K - threw a runner out a first from RF
Ranfy Ruiz: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 K
Justin Christian: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Omir Santos: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - organization's top catching prospect is batting .200
Vincent Faison: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 K
Phil Hughes: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HB, 1 E (throwing on a pickoff play) - 9-2 GB/FB ratio; decent start, but silver lining is he issued only 1 BB
TJ Beam: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Justin Pope: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
(Sunday: 5-4 win over Binghamton in 10 innings)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 0 for 5, 2 K
Felix Escalona: 2 for 5
Justin Christian: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 SB - scored game winning run on WP
Danny Borrell: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HB - held his own against Mets phenom Mike Pelfrey (picked off 2 runners at first)
Charlie Manning: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
(Monday: 4-3 win over Binghamton)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Kevin Howard: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 RBI - drove in game tying R in the bottom of the 9th
Vincent Faison: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding) - drove in GW run in the bottom of the 9th
Tyler Clippard: 7 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
JB Cox: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 5-1 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa
(Saturday: 1-0 loss to Lakeland)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 2B
Ramiro Pena: 2 for 3, 1 BB
3 thru 8 hitters: 0 for 18, 1 BB, 4 K
Phil Coke: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP
(Sunday: 4-0 win over Lakeland)
Ramiro Pena: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B
Grant Plumley: 2 for 5
Rudy Guillen: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI - picked off first
Cody Ehlers: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Edwar Gonzalez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
PJ Pilittere: 1 for 4, 2 R
Jason Jones: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Justin Kennard: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
(Monday: scheduled off day)

Low-A Charleston
(Saturday: postponed due to rain)
(Sunday: 5-4 loss to Savannah in 11 innings)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 BB
Jose Tabata: 1 for 6, 2 K
Brett Jones: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 BB
CJ Henry: 1 for 5, 1 K, 1 SB
JT LaFountain: 0 for 4, 3 K
Jim Conroy: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 WP, 1 E (missed catch)
Garrett Patterson: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
(Monday Game 1: 12-0 loss to Savannah in 7 innings)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 2 K, 1 E (fielding) - first error of 2006
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) - ditto Jackson's comment
Eduardo Nunez: 0 for 3, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
CJ Henry: 0 for 3, 1 K
James Cooper: 1 for 3, 1 2B
Rolando Japa: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Bryan Rueger: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K - 5-0 GB/FB ratio
Abel Gomez: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
(Monday Game 2: 8-3 loss to Savannah in 7 innings)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 2, 1 BB
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 3
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 SB, 2 E (missed catch, throwing)
CJ Henry: 1 for 3, 1 RBI
Mario Holmann: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Jason Stephens: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HB
Eric Wordekemper: 2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Better than I remember

2006-05-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I did something I hadn't done in a long, looooong time. It's been over 5 years since my last encounter in fact. It was expensive, wet, sticky but kinda slippery, and followed by a nap. Last night, I went to a Yankee game at Yankee Stadium (what'd ya think I meant?).

How long has it been since I went to a game at the Stadium? The last time I went Denny Neagle was the starter, Glennallen Hill hit a homerun, and Jose Canseco batted cleanup. Yeah, it's been a while. In between then and now, I've gone to a bunch of Yankee games in Oakland, but that doesn't even come close to the Stadium experience.

With my little brother in tow, I headed out to the House that Ruth Built, expecting to see my Yankees pummel the "barely recognizable as a Triple-A team" Royals. We left during the rain delay, but we did get to see the second greatest Yankee of my generation lace a frozen rope into the gap, a ball hit so hard he was held to a single for his 2,000th career hit (hey, that's what it looks like in the box score). Alas, I still have yet to see Mariano Rivera pitch in person (counting the games I went to before 2000, I'm in a 30+ game Mo-less drought), the closest I've come is seeing him warm up in the 'pen in Oakland.

It may not be that big a deal to most of you out there who probably go to a dozen or so games a year, but for me it was a big deal, and not just because I haven't been to a game in the Bronx for a while. It was my brother's first ever game, so I got to explain to him everything about Monument Park, all the history at the Stadium, etc. He had a blast, and it's hard not to have fun when an 8 year old is having the time of his life.

It'll be a while before I get to another game at the Stadium, especially with the vast majority of my Yankee game experiences expected to occur in LAnaheim for the foreseeable future. It was good to be there again, and it was great to see DJ get his 2,000th. Congrats Derek, hopefully you have another 1,500+ hits left in that bat.

PS: Kyle Farnsworth should be fined $50,000 everytime he throws 2 sliders in row. Dude, 100 mph fastball, use the damn thing!

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-2 loss to Rochester in 7 innings)
Jason Conti: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Andy Cannizaro: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 E (fielding)
Carlos Pena: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB
Mitch Jones: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Russ Johnson: 2 for 3, 2 RBI
Nick Green: 2 for 3, 1 K, 1 SB - former Braves farmhand came over in a deal with a D-Rays
Tommy Phelps: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Jose Veras: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - 9 of 11 pitches were strikes

Double-A Trenton (3-2 loss to Binghampton)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 2, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Shelley Duncan: 0 for 3, 1 BB - BA down to .220
Tommy Rojas: 0 for 4, 3 K
Steven White: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - ERA down to 2.05 in 61.1 IP
JB Cox: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 5-1 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa (4-3 loss to St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 5, 1 K
Ramiro Pena: 1 for 4, 1 3B, 1 K - boosts his BA to .083
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 K
Hector Made: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB
Chris Malec: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 1 WP, 1 HB - those walks just keep killin' him (27 in 43.2 IP)
Chase Wright: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Low-A Charleston (8-6 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 5
Jose Tabata: 1 for 5, 1 K, 1 SB
CJ Henry: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 3 E (all throwing)
JT LaFountain: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Tony Roth: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K - wins a game in relief on Saturday thanks to 2 perfect innings, goes 2 for 2 with 2 R, 2 BB and a SB as a 1B on Sunday, now goes 3 for 4 with a RBI as a 2B on Friday. Talk about a complete player
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HB
Edgar Soto: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - 4-1 GB/FB ratio

I'm taking off for yet another cross country move (2nd one in a week!) this afternoon, so I figure I'll hit the land of tree-hugging metrosexuals that don't eat meat (a.k.a. California) sometime late Monday or early Tuesday. I'm not sure if Memorial Day is a big travel holiday, but I should be in the desert most of the day in hopes of avoiding any congestion (ugh, my poor car...)

I'm staying with a friend until I get a place of my own (which I hope will be very soon since the first of the month is right around the corner, prime move-in time), and he's a big technology nut, so I'm sure he'll have internet access I can use. I'm shooting for Tuesday, but I'll be back to IGWT by Wednesday the latest.

This...

2006-05-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

...sounded a whole lot worse than it really is:

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has a torn hamstring tendon in his left knee and will be sidelined at least a few days.

Posada wasn't placed on the disabled list following his MRI exam that revealed the injury, but the club said Thursday that it planned to call up a catcher from the minor leagues on Friday. Posada is scheduled to be evaluated in the next few days.

When I first read "torn hamstring tendon" I was thinking months, not days. Phew. Here's the pertinent Yankee stuff Jim Callis mentioned at Wednesday's ESPN.com chat:

Jeff (New Orleans): Who gets drafted first Almonte or Maier?
Jim Callis: Danny Almonte has a higher ceiling than Jeffrey Maier. If Almonte were considered unsignable, it's possible Maier could go ahead of him.

Chip, NYC: Melky Cabrera or Jose Tabata?
Jim Callis: Cabrera now, Tabata for the long term.

Chip, NYC: Steven White or Alay Soler
Jim Callis: Soler. Never been a big White fan.

Alex (columbus, oh): Clemens: Astro or Yankee?
Jim Callis: Astro.

Jason, New York: Cano or Anderson Hernandez
Jim Callis: Cano by a mile. Not even close.

Alex (marlboro, nj): Cano or Kinsler?
Jim Callis: Cano. Look, I've picked Cano TWICE today.

Chip, NYC: Melky Cabrera = a young Bernie Williams?
Jim Callis: Noooooooooo.

Jeff (Iowa): Best looking CWS girls - South Carolina or Texas?
Jim Callis: Can I go with my alma mater and say Georgia? [from what I saw last year, I'd say Texas, but there's really no wrong answer]

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus suspended due to rain

Double-A Trenton (6-2 win over New Britain)
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K
Felix Escalona: 3 for 4, 1 R
Kevin Howard: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K - .227 BA, but I'd still rather have him than Womack
Todd Self: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Jeff Karstens: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HB
Justin Pope: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

High-A Tampa (10-5 win over St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 SB - threw a runner out at 3rd from CF
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Edwar Gonzalez: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Ben Himes: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K - .239 BA, but I'd still rather have him than Womack
Grant Plumley: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 1 E (throwing) - closest thing to a porn star name in the organization
Jeff Marquez: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Mike Martinez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - allowed both inherited runners to score

Low-A Charleston (9-2 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 K, 1 CS - picked off first, threw a runner out at home from CF
CJ Henry: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (throwing) - 9th error in only 25 games
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K - back from injury to show Vechionacci what a real number 3 hitter looks like (threw a runner out at 3rd from RF)
Brett Jones: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 R
Tony Roth: 1 for 1, 2 BB
James Cooper: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 3 K - threw a runner out at 3rd from LF
Wilkins Arias: 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Zach Kroenke: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 WP - picked a runner off at first

Farm system update

2006-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

As if I needed another reason to dread staying with my mother the next few days, it turns out she doesn't have the YES Network. Errrrr.......

Here's what the kids did while I was on my little road trip.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus
(Thursday: 7-0 loss to Richmond)
Jason Conti: 1 for 4
Terrence Long: 1 for 4 - Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!! What's the matter, were Adam Piatt and the rest of Billy Beane's rejects not available?
Robert Stratton: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 E (fielding) - what a coincidence, another Beane reject
Mitch Jones: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K
Koyie Hill: 0 for 4, 3 K, 1 PB
Matt DeSalvo: 4 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K - 3 of his last 4 starts = crap
Matt Childers: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
(Friday: 7-6 win over Richmond)
Russ Johnson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Rob Stratton: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Ramiro Mendoza: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HB
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
(Saturday: 4-3 win over Toledo)
Terrence Long: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Carlos Pena: 3 for 6, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Danny Garcia: 2 for 5, 1 R
Tommy Phelps: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP
Jose Veras: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 3-0 GB/FB ratio
(Sunday: 6-1 win over Toledo)
Russ Johnson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Rob Stratton: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Wil Nieves: 2 for 3, 1 R
Danny Garcia: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B
Darrell Rasner: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Matt Smith: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Matt Childers: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - sent to the 'pen
(Monday: scheduled off day)
(Tuesday: 4-0 win over Rochester)
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 3, 1 BB, 1 CS
Carlos Pena: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Rob Stratton: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 HBP
Mitch Jones: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kris Wilson: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 WP - 14-7 GB/FB ratio
(Wednesday: 2-0 loss to Rochester)
Jason Conti: 2 for 4, 1 K
Carlos Pena, Rob Stratton, Mitch Jones: combined 0 for 12, 5 K
Wil Nieves: 1 for 2, 1 BB, 1 E (throwing)
Jorge DePaula: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K - 3-13 GB/FB ratio

Double-A Trenton
(Thursday: scheduled off day)
(Friday: 6-1 loss to Bowie, Adam Loewen made the Thunder look like a bunch of Little Leaguers this game)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 CS - picked off first
Bronson Sardinha: 0 for 4, 3 K
JT Stotts: 1 for 3, 1 K
Tyler Clippard: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 6 K - 9-3 GB/FB ratio
(Saturday: 1-0 win over Bowie)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 5, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 K
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 5, 1 K
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 SB
Jeff Karstens: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
TJ Beam: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
(Sunday: 15-3 win over Bowie thanks to 6 errors by Bowie)
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 6, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Randy Ruiz: 3 for 5, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Felix Escalona: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 K - send me to Double-A will ya...
Vincent Faison: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Steven White: 8 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
(Monday: 7-4 win over New Britain)
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Gary Sheffield: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 K - could you imagine being a kid pitcher in Double-A facing Sheff?
Kevin Howard: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Justin Christian: 2 for 5, 1 R
Omir Santos: 2 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Phil Hughes: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 E (throwing)
Charlie Manning: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
(Tuesday Game 1: 6-0 loss to New Britain in 7 innings)
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 3
Feliz Escalona: 0 for 3, 2 K - batted cleanup, what the fu...?
Kevin Howard: 1 for 3
Danny Borrell: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
(Tuesday Game 2: 6-1 loss to New Britain in 7 innings)
Randy Ruiz: 0 for 2, 1 BB, 1 K
Justin Christian: 2 for 3
JT Stotts: 1 for 2, 1 R
Jeremy King: 2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER,0 BB, 0 K
JB Cox: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP - was it Mighty Mouse that had the "Here I come to save the day!" theme music?
(Weds: 5-2 win over New Britain)
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K
Kevin Howard: 2 for 4, 1 2B
Vincent Faison: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 CS
Tyler Clippard: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
TJ Beam: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - scoreless innings streak ends at 37.1 IP

High-A Tampa
(Thursday: 3-2 loss to Vero Beach)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Grant Plumley: 1 for 4, 1 K, 1 SB
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 K
Matt Carson: 1 for 4, 1 K
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Mark Carroll: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B
Jason Jones: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Elvys Quezada: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Mike Martinez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
(Friday: 2-1 loss to Daytona)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 K
Ben Himes: 2 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Brett Smith: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Chase Wright: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
(Saturday: 6-4 loss to Daytona)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K
Chris Malec: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP - cancer survivor was called up so Vechionacci could be sent down
Rudy Guillen: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
PJ Piliterre: 1 for 4, 1 2B
Ben Himes: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jeff Marquez: 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
(Sunday: 6-5 loss to Daytona)
Brett Gardner: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 SB
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 4, 2 RBI, 1 K
Jared Greenwood: 0 for 3, 3 K
Leo Nunez: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Alan Horne: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Justin Kennard: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
(Monday: 5-3 win over Daytona)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 K
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Hector Made: 3 for 4, 1 2B, 1 SB, 1 CS
Phil Coke: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 HB
Josh Schmidt: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
(Tuesday: 3-1 win over St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 2, 2 BB, 1 K
Matt Carson: 0 for 2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Edwar Gonzalez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
PJ Pilittere: 1 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS
Jason Jones: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Phil Thorp: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
(Weds: 3-1 win over St. Lucie)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - threw a runner out at 3rd from CF
Matt Carson: 2 for 3, 1 BB
PJ Pilittere: 0 for 4, 1 R - playing well behind the dish, but a backstop is still priority #1 come draft time
Mark Carroll: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
Brett Smith: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 HB - 7-3 GB/FB ratio
Elvys Quezada: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Low-A Charleston
(Thursday: 7-1 loss to Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 K - demotion finally came, better late than never I guess
CJ Henry: 0 for 4, 2 K
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 K - see Vechionacci's comment
Estee Harris: 0 for 3, 3 K, 1 E (throwing)
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Edgar Soto: 2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HB - 10 baserunners in 2 IP, always nice to see from a reliever (5-0 GB/FB ratio)
(Saturday: 12-2 loss to Rome)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 K
CJ Henry: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jim Conroy: 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 WP
Garrett Patterson: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 WP - 4-0 GB/FB ratio
(Sunday: 7-6 win over Rome in an 18 inning marathon)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 8, 1 BB, 2 K - ouch
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 8, 1 R, 1 SB, 1 HBP
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 7, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Brett Jones: 3 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
CJ Henry: 0 for 6, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP
Tim Battle: 2 for 7, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 SB - the rarely seen, but greatly feared Platinum Sombrero
Reegie Corona: 6 for 7, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Irwil Rojas: 2 for 4, 1 R
Joseph Muich: 1 for 2, 1 RBI, 2 BB - drew bases loaded walk to the end the game
Abel Gomez: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 0 K, 1 WP
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K - 7-2 GB/FB ratio
Cory Stuart: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Tony Roth: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - oh yeah, he's actually a first baseman
(Sunday: 7-5 win over Rome)
Austin Jackson: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 K - nice rebound from 0 for 8
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 5, 1 R
Brett Jones: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Tony Roth: 2 for 2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
Zach Kroenke: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 WP - allowed 3 HR
Wilkins Arias: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K - 8-3 GB/FB ratio
(Monday: 3-2 win over Rome in 10 innings)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 2B, 2 K
Reegie Corona: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 CS
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - walkoff double to score Corona
CJ Henry: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 3 K
Edgar Soto: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
(Tuesday: 5-3 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Marcos Vechionacci: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Garrett Patterson: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 WP, 1 HB
Jim Conroy: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HB
(Weds: 12-4 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB - Jose Tabata gets all the love, but Jackson has been awesome as well
Mario Holmann: 1 for 5, 2 RBI
Brett Jones: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 1 K, 1 E (fielding)
Tony Roth: 0 for 3, 1 K
Rolando Japa: 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
Abel Gomez: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

Back...

2006-05-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

...but not for long.

I went on one hell of a bender this weekend to celebrate my victory over higher education (each time I go I'm more and more convinced that Vegas is nothing but pure evil in city form), but in between killing braincells it became more and more obvious that I was going to be moving to San Diego sooner rather than later.

Not to keep going on about this, but I've pretty damn miserable without Amanda these past few days despite being back in the place I grew up (the fact I won't shutup about her is enough proof of how much she means to me). I figure that it's best to make the move now before I'm locked into a lease and am still getting myself established at a new job. So after I make the rounds and visit family and friends I haven't seen for a while, I'm going to pack up the car (again) and head out west (again) to get myself setup before she comes home from her trip. I'm also gonna make a pit-stop at Tiffany's, because unless something completely unexpected happens the next few days, I'm going to ask her to marry me in the not-to-distant future (good think she doesn't read my blog, eh?).

On to baseball: Apparently I missed some dynamite pitching performances from personal fave Matt Cain, and the always-fun-to-watch Jake Peavy while I was gone, but oh well. Phil Hughes had another good outing, but not the type of dominant outing we've come to expect. He'll be fine, it's still just May.

I'll wrap up all of the minor league events from the days I was gone either today or tomorrow, but I've still got a boat load of things to take care of, so I'll see you then.

Moving

2006-05-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Not the blog, but me. I'm done with school, and I'm skipping the whole graduation ceremony this weekend since I already went through it once at Penn State, plus my friend told me he spent over $1700 on tickets and cap & gown rental. Screw that noise.

Since a whole lotta people seemed interested/concerned over my little plight with Amanda, here's an update:

I didn't talk to Amanda at all on Tuesday, which was the first time since I met her in November that I hadn't talked to her at least once over the course of a day. And you know what? It fuckin' killed me. I was completely miserable all day, and thank God I didn't have a final that day cause I was not in the right frame of mind. Call me a wuss if you want, but I was a frickin' wreck.

She works late on Wednesdays, so I went home after my final and killed time by packing and helping the new kid move into my apartment and stuff like that. Ten o'clock rolled around and I headed over to her house to see if she'll talk to me. I was sure her sorority sisters had a field day bashing my the past couple of days, and that was verified with a nice little "Mandy (apparently they call her Mandy) doesn't want to see your worthless ass" welcome phrase as I approached the front door. Ouch, my pride. I managed to avoid the swarm of obscenities thrown my way and made it door, and her little sister Rachel answered. It's not her biological sister, but in sororities and stuff the new pledges are "adopted" by one of the older members who looks out for them and stuff during their time at in the sorority.

Rachel is the only girl in the house besides Amanda that knows me as more than just some guy dating one of the girls, so luckily she hears me out and goes to see if Amanda wants to talk to me. While I'm waiting my spirit is half broken from what all the other sorostitutes are saying to me (man, girls are friggin' vicious), but thankfully Amanda eventually made her way down the steps (still in her scrubs, yummy) to come talk to me. Completely unprepared as usual, I just kind of stood there in silence for a couple of seconds before she asked me if I wanted to grab a bite to eat.

I'm a sucker for comedy - standup, slapstick, any kind really - but more often than not a good comedian provides some valuable life lessons in the midst of their hilarity. Take this line from Van Wilder for example: "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." Now tell me that's not the truth. I'm bringing this up because a couple months ago I saw Kevin James (the fat guy from King of Queens) do a standup on Comedy Central, and he mentioned something every man should take full advantage of: notice something special about you girl during some special event - first date, first anniversary, whatever - and bring it up at a later date.

So we're at this little Mexican joint waiting for the food and it's kinda awkward. There's not much more than small talk going on when she asked me if I remember the first time we went to this restaurant. After accessing the memory bank, I come back with "Yeah, that was the time you wore those contacts that made your eyes the same purple color as the dress you wore. You looked beautiful that night." Hook, line and sinker. "Oh my gosh, you remember that?"she asked as she practically melted in her seat. "Of course I remember that, how could I forget" I replied in my most caring voice. That completely broke the ice (thanks a ton Kevin James), I apologized for being a douchebag and we started talking about us and everything.

I turns out she was just as miserable as me the day we didn't talk (booya! score one for my ego), and we've decided tokeep things going between us once we both move. Even though I said I wouldn't do a long distance relationship, I'm going to give it a shot because I realize how much she means to me. If things don't work out, then so be it. If I end up moving to San Diego in a year or she moves to NY, then that would be great. Chances are I'd move there, cause she'll be in medical school and there's no way I could ask her to leave that. All I know is that without her, I'm a disaster. She keeps me sane and makes everything so much better when I can share it with her. (awwww, how cute)

So I'm driving her home to San Diego later today and I'll be there with her until Saturday morning when she leaves for her 2 week trip to Europe with one of her girlfriends that she's been planning forever. Hopefully when we go to beach this time I won't scream like a little girl when I see a shark that in actuality is nothing more than a little 3 foot baby dolphin (dude, the fin was sticking out of the water). Anywho, after she leaves I'm driving up to go meet up with some buddies at the most beautiful and most romantic place on Earth: Las Vegas. After a night in Vegas, I'm going to go visit one of my old roommates from Penn State where he lives in Denver (ah the Sunshine State) for a day, then from there it's back to Jersey.

I made it from my mother's house in Jersey to Chico in 58 hours last time I drove across the country, but I hit snow and ice in Nebraska and Wyoming, otherwise I think I could have made it in 50 hours flat. Based on that, I think I can make it from Denver to Jersey in 35 hours, putting me on schedule to arrive in the Tri-State Area sometime Tuesday evening/night. If that holds up, I'll return to IGWT sometime next Wednesday. If I don't return ever, that means either a) I died in a horrible car wreck somewhere in Iowa, or b) I hit it big in Vegas and am currently in negotiations with Mr. Steinbrenner to become the principal owner of the Yanks.

So long California!

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (2-1 loss to Richmond in 12 innings, I don't think the Yanks would be dumb enough to flat out bench Eric Duncan for this long, so he must be nursing something)
Kevin Thompson: 0 for 5, 3 K
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 HBP
Jason Conti: 0 for 5, 2 K
Rob Stratton: 0 for 5, 3 K
Carlos Pena: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K
Mitch Jones: 0 for 5, 2 K
Danny Garcia: 1 for 4, 1 R
Wil Nieves: 1 for 2, 1 2B
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HB - 11-6 GB/FB ratio
Matt Smith: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A Trenton (7-3 win over Portland)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 4 for 5, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K - he's been a godsend for this team (.923 OPS)
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K
Omir Santos: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Kevin Howard: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
Justin Christian: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - on pace for 70 SBs, and he just might do it
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Carl Pavano: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - what a complete waste of $40M. I hope he cashes those $417,000 checks every 2 weeks with a paper bag covering his head.
Jeremy King: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
JB Cox: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - scoreless innings streak ends at 21, but that's like picking on the Mona Lisa for her smile (44-13 GB/FB ratio on the year)
Justin Pope: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - stranded all 3 inherited runners

High-A Tampa (3-2 loss to Vero Beach)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 5, 1 K, 1 SB - 37 games into the season and he's still getting on base more than 50% of the time (.504 OBP)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) - on pace for 51 errors this year
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 2, 3 BB - the Jason Giambi of the Florida State League
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 BB
Hector Made: 2 for 4, 2 SB
Tim Battle: 0 for 4, 2 K
Phil Coke: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 14-6 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (5-2 win over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 1 R
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 K - led the GCL in SB last year, yet he was replaced with a pinch runner in 6th inning of this game (I hope he didn't get hurt)
CJ Henry: 2 for 3, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
Chris Malec: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Wilkins Arias: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - 9-1 GB/FB ratio
Zach Kroenke: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - 6-1 GB/FB ratio

Is this not the most annoyingly catchy song in the history of recorded music? I don't listen to this kind of crap, but it trapped me in the car last night and it hasn't left my head since. Dammit.

Done!

2006-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

No more school for me. Ever. Oh happy day.

By the way, I got an email inviting me and my family to be on a Yankee version of Trading Spouses. Here's the text of the email:

Hello Yankee Fan,
I am writing because I came across your email address online through YankeeBlog Sites, and you appear to be a big Yankee Fan. I am a Casting Directorfor the hit Reality show on Fox called Trading Spouses, and we are nowsearching for the Ultimate Yankee Family for our upcoming third season.
If you're not familiar with the show, it's a kind of a foriegn exchangeprogram for moms. Two families have the experience of a lifetime when theirmom changes places with another mom from another totally different family.
Find out more at our website www.fox.com/tradingspousesIn exhange for your families participation, you will receive $50,000 compensation.
GET PAID FOR WHAT YOU ALREADY ARE: The Ultimate Yankee Family! We're lookingfor a family with Mom, Dad, and kids, (Step-parents, two-moms, it doesn'tmatter, just a family with kids!) so if you or anyone you know is right forour show, don't hesitiate to contact us.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email me back or call medirectly at 323-802-0489. ACT NOW, we are operating under a major time crunch!
Best,

My family can't be on that show because we don't meet the 2 parents with kid criteria, plus my mother is Italian and old school, she'll beat the livin' daylights out of the other families kids if they talk back. If you're interested, email me at ingeorgewetrust@gmail.com and I'll forward you the email. Do it quick, cause I won't be around much after Friday.

Posada=my hero

2006-05-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

So, was I the only one holding my breath after Big Tex plowed into Posada last night? The Baseball Cube has Teixeira listed at 6'3", 225 lbs, but I went to a game A's-Rangers game in Oakland last year, and there's not a chance in hell he's that size. He's more along the lines of 6'5" 240. The Yanks narrowly escaped a return to the "Bernie batting cleanup" era last night.

I've got a final to study for, so here's the minor league update:

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (7-5 win over Richmond, where art thou Eric Duncan?)
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B
Jason Conti: 2 for 3, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB - getting a chance to play with Melky and Reese in the Bronx, and he's making the most of it
Robert Stratton: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Carlos Pena: 2 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Mitch Jones: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K - last year, he was second in all the minors in strikeouts...(to be continued)
Wil Nieves: 1 for 3, 1 R - count'em up, allowed not 1, not 2, but 6 SBs
Darrell Rasner: 4.1 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K - hey, he did pitch better than Chacon
Colter Bean: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Trenton (2-1 win over Portland in 11 innings)
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 5, 1 RBI
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 5, 3 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 CS
Vincent Faison: 0 for 2, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K
JT Stotts: 1 for 4, 1 RBI - walkoff fielder's choice (not the most exciting way a game could end) Phil Hughes: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 WP - once he gets his control back in order...
TJ Beam: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - last time he gave up a run? 30.1 IP ago...(his ERA is a Playstation-esque .28)

High-A Tampa (7-1 win over Vero Beach)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 K - back in the 3 hole
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 3 K, 1 SB - ...and he led the minors in strikeouts
PJ Piliterre: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K - I've got a soft spot for this guy, and it's good to see his offense is coming around (.910 OPS)
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HB - 9-2 GB/FB ratio
Chase Wright: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 0-4 GB/FB ratio
Josh Schmidt: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (4-2 win over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 3, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Brett Jones: 2 for 2, 2 R, 2 BB
CJ Henry: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI - raised his average 92 points since coming off the DL
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HB - 45-11 K/BB ratio, 11.27 Kper9 this year
Abel Gomez: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
David Seccombe: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

I appreciate everyone's concern over my little plight from yesterday's post, but I know what I'm going to do, and since everyone seems so interested, I'll update you tomorrow.

Update: No Maas depicts the comeback, PhotoShop style. Great stuff, classic.

Warning...

2006-05-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

...this post has absolutely nothing to do with baseball or the Yankees - with the exception of the Weekly Poll and minor league updates at the end. I'm going to commission IGWT to vent some frustration about a weird and unexpected evening I had last night, so if you don't want to bother reading about my pathetic personal life, I suggest you head elsewhere.

So I'm sitting in my apartment last night with my wonderful girlfriend Amanda, watching her beloved Padres lose a heartbreaker to the D-Backs when my phone rings. I recognize the number, but I can't remember who's it is, so I answer. It's an ex-girlfriend of mine (I won't give her real name, but I'll refer to her as Kate cause it's easy to type) from about a year ago. She's in town and was wondering if I wanted to meet up for dinner and catch up. I agree, and I tell Amanda I'm going to meet up with an old friend for dinner - which is the truth.

Now, it may not be evident from the blog, but I'm an extremely friendly and altruist person; I always put others first, to the point that it's a fault, and I haven't met a person I can't be friends with yet. It's been a little over a year since Kate and I split up, and over than time I've changed a bunch like I'm sure most of us have. I've lost a nice amount of weight, I bought a new car (mines an '05, not an '06) and I've got a fresh set of sleeves that are less than 9 months old (which I have to say I wish I had gotten them so much earlier, cause they are total chick magnets. If you wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt and cuff the sleeve so about 3 inches of the ink shows, it kicks their libidos into overdrive for whatever reason. It's good for my ego). So I take a shower and get dressed to kill (you know how it goes with an ex, you have to show them what they're missin'), which of course makes Amanda a bit curious. I tell her nothing's up - which is the absolute truth - and we''ll get together and go out after I get home from dinner. She concurs and we head out.

I drop Amanda off back at her crib and head to dinner. I pull up to the restaurant and I see Kate with some dude hanging all over her. I'm thinking to myself "great, how awkward is this going to be with her new boyfriend here." Well we head into the restaurant, get a table and order drinks and everything when it comes to light that this schlep is in fact her husband and not her boyfriend, which is uber-awkward. I didn't want to be a prick and mention anything Kate and I had done in past - you know, rehash old memories - so I just kept it simple; how's it going, how's your family and your hot mother (Kate's mom was a total MILF, I used to joke that every time Kate frustrated me I would take it out on her mother's ass that night), blah blah blah. Kate brings up some stuff like "remember the time we went to this place, or that place, or did this, or did that," stuff like that, which I can see clearly infuriates her husband.

I dated Kate for about 14 months, so for a long time she was a huge part of my life and I cared alot about her, but I can tell when she isn't happy and she looked it last night. Her husband was a complete jerk, trying to boss her around and shit which just ain't cool. We finish dinner and are outside in the parking lot getting ready to say goodbye when Kate asks her husband to give her a minute alone with me - which for me was like "uhhh...can't I just go home please." He gets all pissed off and says whatever she had to say to me she could say in front of him, so she says "fine, I wanted to tell him that I miss him and I wish I could find someone who treats me as great as he did." I'm like "that's it, it was great to catch up, but I 'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball."

I start to walk away when her husband grabs me by the arm and tells me he's not "finished with me." I'm from Brooklyn, so I'm genetically predisposed to having a short fuse, but I manage to warn him to let go of my arm before I pound him into the pavement. He lets go, and Kate grabs him and they walk away. I get in my car and I'm just trying to decifer what the hell happened. I drive off and pick up Amanda, hoping to end the night in a "happier way."

She gets in my car and says "we need to have 'The Talk'." Crapola. "The Talk" is what Amanda and I have come to refer to as the inevitable conversation we must have about what happens between us after graduation and I head home (meaning back east) and she heads home to San Diego. We've done a good job of keeping it on the back burner, but it's always been in the back of my mind, and I'm sure it's been in the back of her's. Amanda is great, she's everything I could possibly ask for in a woman; she's smart, funny, beautiful and best of all, she loves baseball. She manages to bring out the best in me and we get along great; we've never had a single little spat or fight or anything. Plus I met her in church so her folks think I'm a saint. Basically, she's way out of my league.

We get back to my place, and she tells me she was kind of upset that I went to see my ex-girlfriend (which my roommate was nice enough to tell her, thanks jerkoff), but I assured her there was nothing to it and that Kate actually brought her husband. She's like "fine, whatever, but we need to talk." We start talking and I tell her than there is no way in hell I'll do a long-distance relationship, and there's no way I'm staying in California. She looks at me and says "well you can't just expect me to leave the place I've lived my whole life so I could move back east with you."

Then it happened. I did something every man on the planet has been guilty of at least once. I opened my mouth despite the glorious absence of a thought process, meaning I talked without thinking. Without missing a beat I said to her "not for nothing, but I never asked you move back east with me." She got the "you son of a bitch, you're going to burn in hell" look and demanded I take her home. After some useless attempts at apologizing, I oblige and take her home. In the car my phone rings and it's Kate. I pick up the phone but I'm short, trying to get rid of her (picking up was a big mistake looking back on it). I say I had a good time at dinner but I need to go. Kate cuts me off and says she apologizes about her husband, and that she meant what she said about missing me. So if course, the fine acoustical work done by the Audi engineers allows Kate's voice on the other end of the phone to radiate through my car, just enough so Amanda could hear what she said. Amanda looks at me then promptly reminds me that I said nothing happened at dinner.

I told her everything about dinner, from the surprisingly tasty potato skins to Kate's asshole husband, but she's still furious with me thanks to my big mouth. Amanda lives in a sorority house, which apparently comes equipped with telepathetic powers because when we pulled up all her sorority sisters were giving me the evil eye, practically hissing and spitting at me. Amanda gets out of the car and tells me she had a great 5 months with me and wishes things could have turned out differently, but she never wants to see or hear from me again after the way I treated her that night, which apparently must have been pretty bad because she was fuming.

So now, the morning after, I'm fighting the urge to call Amanda and god knows I can't stop by her place to try to talk to her cause her sisters will cast some evil sorority spell on me before I reach the front gate. If you bothered to read this and have any ideas about how to rectify the situation, please, enlighten me.

Weekly Poll: An absolute landslide in last week's poll, as JB Cox received over 82% of the votes; confirming his status as the Yanks best relief pitching prospect. I figured Colter Bean would get more than 6 votes with all the Beaners out there. TJ Beam got shut out, ironic considering that's what he's been doing to opposition this year (hasn't given up an ER since April 7th, his first game of the season). The new question is up, and as always, screw you for voting (just kidding, wanted to see if you were paying attention. Thanks, really, I do appreciate it).

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (6-4 loss to Norfolk, Eric Duncan sat out again)
Danny Garcia: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jason Conti: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K
Robert Stratton: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 2 for 5, 1 R, 2 K
Tommy Phelps: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 1 K - plunked Lastings Milledge twice
Jorge DePaula: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 25 of 34 pitches were strikes
Matt Smith: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (8-0 win over Portland)
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - doing his best to shed the "first round bust" moniker
Omir Santos: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1K
Vincent Faison: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
JT Stotts: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Steven White: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HB - hey, if they won't back off the plate...
JB Cox: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K - nails in the coffin, he's allowed 1 ER in his last 19.1 IP (5-0 GB/FB ratio)

High-A Tampa (3-2 win over Vero Beach in 11 innings)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 3, 1 K
Matt Carson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 CS
Tim Battle: 0 for 3, 2 BB, 1 K
Ben Himes: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 K
PJ Piliterre: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K - walk-off sac fly
Jeff Marquez: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - ERA still above 5.00
Phil Thorp: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Jeff Kennard: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Low-A Charleston (8-6 win over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 4 for 5, 1 RBI
Reegie Corona: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 0 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K - reached base safely in 24 straight
CJ Henry: 0 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (throwing) - first hitless game since he came of the DL
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Jon Poterson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Garrett Patterson: 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HB - 8-0 GB/FB ratio
Jim Conroy: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HB

Mindblowing Jose Tabata stat-of-the-day: When was the last time Tabata went more than 7 ABs without a hit? It must have been last year, cause he hasn't done it this year.

That's the end of the MBJTSOTD, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

Down on the Farm

2006-05-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

I hammered out 3 of my 4 finals this morning, so while I had some free time I thought I'd update the goings on of the farm system the last few days.

I think my little "Games without a HR" feature on the left sidebar cursed Eric Duncan, because he's been benched since I put it up (unless he's hurt).

Triple-A Columbus
(Saturday: 6-0 loss to Norfolk, struck out 16 times as a team)
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 0 for 2, 3 K
Mitch Jones: 0 for 3, 3 K
Caonabo Cosme: 0 for 3, 2 K, 2 E (both fielding)
Matt DeSalvo: .2 IP, 0 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 0 K, 1 HB - 18 of 44 pitches were strikes (40.9%), the 5 BB were all consecutive, and all 5 R scored with 2 outs (here's the game log, cause that's a hell of a pitching line)
Matt Childers: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K - 6-2 GB/FB ratio
(Sunday: 1-0 win over Norfolk)
Jason Conti: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 CS
Robert Stratton: 0 for 4, 2 K
Carlos Pena: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Ramiro Mendoza: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - uncharacteristic 6-8 GB/FB ratio

Double-A Trenton
(Saturday: 6-2 win over Bowie)
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 R
Tommy Rojas: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K
Danny Borrell: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
TJ Beam: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
(Sunday: 4-3 win over Bowie)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 BB
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 5, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K
Kevin Howard: 1 for 4, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 SB - leads league with 21 SBs
Jeff Karstens: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - first start since being demoted (11-6 GB/FB ratio)
Charlie Manning: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

High-A Tampa
(Saturday: 3-2 win over Jupiter)
Eduardo Nunez: 0 for 4, 1 K
Brett Gardner: 0 for 0, 1 R, 1 BB - PH & scored go ahead run in the top of the 9th
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 4, 1 K
PJ Pilittere: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - C threw out 2 potential base stealers
Brett Smith: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 WP
(Sunday: scheduled off day)

Low-A Charleston
(Saturday: 4-3 loss to Rome)
Austin Jackson: 3 for 5, 1 RBI, 2 K - thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double
Mario Holmann: 2 for 3, 1 BB, 3 SB
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Brett Jones: 2 for 4
CJ Henry: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (throwing) - 6th error in 15 games
Edgar Soto: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Bryan Villalona: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
(Sunday: scheduled off day)

Mindblowing Jose Tabata stat-of-the-day: If you were worried about Tabata's plate discipline after he struck out 17 times and walked only once in his first 15 games, well, Tabs has struck out only 9 times and drawn 5 walks in his last 21 games...while registering 29 H and 17 RBI.

Finals week

2006-05-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Posting is going to be a little light here at IGWT for the next few days as I prepare to take the last round of finals in the my life.

Be sure to head over to Yankee Prospects to get your daily prospect update and minor league fix.

Also, Happy Birthday to Mo's heir apparent, JB Cox, who turns 22 today.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-3 loss to Norfolk)
Kevin Thompson: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 4, 2 K
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 8-4 GB/FB ratio
Colter Bean: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Double-A Trenton (4-1 win over Bowie)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Randy Ruiz: 0 for 3, 1 RBI
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 K, 1 SB
Rudy Guillen: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K - threw a runner out at third from LF
JT Stotts: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Carl Pavano: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K - now just do that against ML hitters (10-1 GB/FB ratio)
TJ Beam: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (5-1 loss to Jupiter)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 4
Eduardo Nunez: 0 for 4, 2 K
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 4
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 1 E (throwing) - 11th error already
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 SB
Phil Coke: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 3 WP, 1 HB - 10-2 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (3-1 loss to Rome)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 2 K
Reegie Corona: 0 for 4, 2 K
Jose Tabata: 0 for 2, 1 BB, 1 K
CJ Henry: 1 for 3, 1 R, 2 K, 1 SB
Chris Malec: 1 for 2, 1 RBI
Zach Kroenke: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 WP - 6-1 GB/FB ratio
Wilkins Arias: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Mindblowing Jose Tabata stat-of-the-day: Of SAL hitters with at least 130 ABs, Tabata's .356 BA is the best...by 33 points.

Michael Kay...

2006-05-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

...a man's man. Classic.

(hat tip lupe velez)

What now?

2006-05-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Torii Hunter? too expensive
Shannon Stewart? too moody
Aubrey Huff? too crappy

Those were the names mentioned as potential targets on the late Baseball Tonight following the Matsui injury (funny how a devastating injury makes the individual game feel insignificant, although Farnsworth was flat-out dealin'). The trade market is pretty bare, unless you want to pick up some dead weight like Shawn Green or Jeromy Burnitz or Matt Stairs (thanks, but no thanks). There's always the option of a guy like Reggie Sanders, who's been through the wars and wouldn't shy away from the New York spotlight. He'd be a good fill in until Sheff and Matsui were healthy, then he'd make one heck of a DH. But what would the Royals want in return for him? More than I'd be willing to pay, that's for sure.

Another potential option could be Eric Hinske (don't laugh, I'm serious) who's made the shift to the outfield this year to accommodate Lyle Overbay. Over the last year he's raked at Yankee Stadium and raked against the Red Sox. What more could you ask for from a 12 week fill-in (hopefully it's just 12 weeks)? For whatever reason, Hinske has always struck me as one of those guys that was born to wear pinstripes, even back when he was a Cubs prospect. Toronto is looking for any excuse to dump him, maybe Cash could pull off a minor miracle and get Hinske for nothing of real value (i.e. Tanyon Sturtze). Hey, he did manage to get not 1, but 2 players for Tony Womack.

The biggest loser in this whole Matsui-Sheff injury situation is A-Rod, cause he's not going to get a damn thing to hit now. It might be best if Torre flip-flops A-Rod and Giambi in the lineup, because something tells me A-Rod is going to try to hit the proverbial 5 run HR each AB with Sheff and Matsui out. Giambi would give him some protection, and if there's one thing we know about Jason, it's that he'll stick to his game plan hell or high water. He'll continue to take his walks behind A-Rod, and continue to crush mistakes. Pitchers have to be a lot closer to perfect to get Giambi out than A-Rod.

All in all, let's hope Cashman gives Melky a chance to play in left and Bubba in right full-time for a week or so (or until they prove they can't handle it) before doing something drastic. The Yanks are going to have to start playing some more (gasp!) small-ball, because the offensive thunder has been reduced to partly cloudy with a chance of rain. I highly doubt a David Justice is going to ride in on a white horse and save the day this time (Shane Spencer, where art thou?). You never know, maybe Melky will be this year's Robbie Cano.

Bryan Smith at the great Baseball Analysts has this to say about the Yankees farm system:

So much for Eric Duncan's big turnaround as a prospect, huh? The first baseman is hitting .228/.295/.277 in a season when Jason Giambi has a .500+ on-base percentage. Duncan's strikeouts are down, which is nice, but where oh where are the power numbers? ... If you think the support Cole Hamels has gotten for his call-up has been extensive, think about Phil Hughes' upcoming promotion. No, it won't be too soon, but an August injury could bring a phenom to New York.

If not Hughes, then who's this phenom they're going to call up? Darrell Rasner and Matt DeSalvo are the one's likely to get the call if needed, (in that order) and they ain't phenoms.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-2 win over Richmond in 12 innings)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 5, 1 K, 1 SB
Kevin Reese: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 SB - called up after the game
Russ Johnson: 2 for 5, 1 R
Carlos Pena: 2 for 5, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 E (fielding)
Mitch Jones: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 5, 1 K - I'm begging you, please send him back to Trenton so he can get back on track
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI - walk-off HR from the guy with the same number of career HR in 6 years as vowels in his name
Darrell Rasner: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HB - 73 of 105 pitches were strikes, 12-1 GB/FB ratio (sorry Nats, no trade-backs...unless we get Fonsy)
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Matt Smith: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - seems like he has an easier time getting big leaguers out than Triple-A guys

Double-A Trenton (3-2 loss to Bowie)
Gabe Lopez: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Bronson Sardinha: 0 for 4, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 0 for 4, 2 K
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 K, 2 SB - dropped to 6th in the order
Omir Santos: 1 for 2, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Tyler Clippard: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HB
JB Cox: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB - 14.1 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 12 K last 6 outings

High-A Tampa (2-1 win over Jupiter in 11 innings)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - scored GW run (who else would it be?)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 5
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 5, 3 K - 7 game hit streak snapped, his BA dropped 34 points during the streak, that's how hot he was in April
Matt Carson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP - drove in Gardner with a GW sac fly
Tim Battle: 1 for 4 - thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double (dumbass)
Jared Greenwood: 0 for 5, 1 K - as if that wasn't bad enough, C allowed 6 SBs
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HB - if you're keeping track at home, that's 15 IP, 6 H, 18 K combined during his last 3 starts
Josh Schmidt: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HB - bouncing back from season starting slump

Low-A Charleston
(Game 1: 3-1 loss to Rome in 7 innings)
Action Jackson: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 3B, 1 K
CJ Henry: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 E (fielding)
Chris Malec: 0 for 3, 2 K
Garrett Patterson: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HB - first appearance since being promoted from extended spring training (7-3 GB/FB ratio)
Abel Gomez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
(Game 2: 7-0 win over Rome in 7 innings, perfection was nothing more than first inning leadoff single away)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 1 R, 2 K
Reegie Corona: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB
Jose Tabata: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP - 9 game hit streak ends, reached base safely in the last 14 however
Brett Jones: 2 for 3, 3 RBI, 1 K
CJ Henry: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K - .357-.400-.571-.971 since coming off the DL
Wilkins DeLaRossa: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jim Conroy: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Rolando Japa: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K - now that's domination

Mindblowing Jose Tabata stat-of-the-day: Sometimes the numbers just speak for themselves:

David Ortiz: .256-.377-.627-.987 in 43 ABs with RISP
Jose Tabata: .541-.561-.757-1.318 in 37 ABs with RISP

This is the best thing to hit the intranet since this ;-)

As if the Matsui injury wasn't bad enough, I was killing some time before the game by playing MVP 2006, and my 25 HR, 60 RBI, Gold Glove RF/cleanup hitter tore his ACL in the first game of the Conference Tournament. The Yankees will survive Matsui's injury, my team is screwed.

Moose-terful

2006-05-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

After a thorough beat-down on Tuesday, the Yanks pitched their way to a win in a game that appeared to be heading south by the top of the 2nd. I was going to keep track of Moose's velocity, but the ESPN radar gun was all over the place, reporting 100+ mph fastballs and 50 mph curves before disappearing all together in the 5th. I did keep track of first pitch strikes, which more often than not shows you how each pitcher was doing, and guess what:

Moose didn't throw a first pitch ball until the leadoff batter in the 3rd inning, the 10th batter he faced. He had the Sawx hitters off balance all night with the way he mixed up his pitches, 4 of his 5 K's were of the called strike 3 variety. The only blemish in his game was David Ortiz, who managed to go 4 for 4 on the night before being rolled back into the ocean. He looked like the Moose of old, minus the 93-95 mph fastball.

Melky Cabrera was damn impressive. His outfield play was adequate, as he got a smattering of sarcastic/encouraging cheers after each fly ball he tracked down. He's got a real quick bat at the plate, and even though he didn't get a hit, he engaged Curt Schilling in some serious battles in his 2 ABs against the Sox ace. He fouled off a total of 8 pitches in those 2 ABs (4 when he had 2 strikes), working deep into the count both times. It looks like he's put last year's call-up well behind him.

As far as Melky's prospect brethren, Jose Tabata was featured in yesterday's Daily Dish by BA:

It was just another night for the Yankees' Jose Tabata. The 17-year-old had three more hits, including a double, for low Class A Charleston to extend his hitting streak to eight games and raise his season line to .368/.398/.552.
"He is just a pretty special kid," Charleston manager Bill Mosiello said. "He uses the whole field, and his power numbers are going to get even better as he learns to command the strike zone. "He has great barrel awareness. (He) always gets the fat part of the bat on the ball."
The outfielder's name is littered among the South Atlantic League leaders. He ranks third in hitting with a .368 average while leading the league in hits (46), and he's second in RBIs (31), doubles (14) and extra-base hits (17).With just four walks as opposed to 23 strikeouts, plate discipline appears to be his only flaw as a hitter. But when you are hitting .338 in your pro career, that just seems like nitpicking.
"For his age, he just needs at-bats," Mosiello said. "He puts the ball in play so often, he doesn't get so many walks because doesn't miss his pitches when he gets them."
"Last year he had one more walk than strikeout, so it is not like he has a history of not walking."
...
"He needs to see the difference between swinging at strikes and swinging at your strikes."
If he does learn the difference, the sky is the limit, because simply swinging at strikes has been a successful formula thus far.

And in grand Thursday tradition, here's the highlights from Jim Callis' ESPN chat:

Mike A. (Chico, CA): Thanks for taking our questions Jim - Jose Tabata has been tearing the cover off the ball with a .950 OPS; only 8 players in baseball have more RBIs than the 17 yr old (5 of them are in the bigs). Do you think the Yankees will rush him and promote him to Tampa sometime this season? Being rushed certainly didn't help Eric Duncan any. Thanks again.
Jim Callis: Duncan got rushed primarily to try to boost his trade value. Tabata is younger, and I would hope the Yankees would have the sense to let him tear up low Class A for a while. If he continues to do so, I could see promoting him in mid-July or so. Duncan was having a good but not great year when he got promoted, and he was older to boot.
Jordan(CT): Robinson Cano or Rickie Weeks
Jim Callis: Let's go to the lightning round of either/or questions . . . Weeks. Neither guy looks like a 2B, though.
James(NYC): Lester or Hughes, and if you say Lester after how he's pitched this season I might flip out...
Jim Callis: Don't flip out. I'd take Hughes right now, too.
aaron (allston ma): AA: 148.1 ip, 163k, 57bb, 10HR, 2.61 ERA or HiA: 30 ip, 30k, 2bb, 0 hr, 1.80 ERA. You just chose the latter because of a slow start in AAA?
Jim Callis: I'm fickle. There's not a huge difference between Lester and Hughes, and right now Hughes is throwing better.

Andrew (Boston, MA): Tabata or Andrus?
Jim Callis: Jose Tabata.
pete, nyc: tabata or fernando martinez?
Jim Callis: Fernando Martinez
Carl(Boston,MA): Beckett or Schilling as your Game 7 WS starter? Same Question Mussina or Johnson?
Jim Callis: Schilling and Mussina.
Rick H. (Yakima, Wa.): Whats wrong with the Big Unit? Hurt or washed up?
Jim Callis: Neither. He's lost something off his fastball but he can still win if he trusts it more.
Reggie (New York): Jim Leyland or Joe Torre?
Jim Callis: Torre.
Henry(Hartford, CT): how can Papelbon be compared to Mariano rivera when papelbon has what is it,10 saves?? Come on now!!!
Jim Callis: Agreed. Anyone who does that is getting way ahead of himself. Now I'm heading back to the draft phones . . .

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus rained out

Double-A Trenton (5-2 win over Portland, I coulda sworn there was a doubleheader yesterday, but I guess not)
Justin Christian: 0 for 5, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 CS - first time caught stealing all year (18 attempts)
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB
Randy Ruiz: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - if only he could rub some of that off on the other Duncan
Tommy Rojas: 1 for 4, 1 RBI
Phil Hughes: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 WP - allowed 1st HR in over a year (2nd career)
TJ Beam: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - the first of hopefully 300-400 times we see Beam relieve Hughes
Charlie Manning: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (3-2 win over Jupiter in 14 innings)
Brett Gardner: 4 for 6, 2 R, 1 K, 1 CS - why is he not in Trenton yet?
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) - XBH parade continues
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 6, 3 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB
Matt Carson: 2 for 6, 3 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 5, 1 BB, 2 E (throwing & fielding)
Tim Battle: 0 for 5, 2 K
Ben Himes: 0 for 4, 5 K
Jeff Marquez: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K - troubling 3-8 GB/FB ratio for the sinkerballer
Phil Thorp: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Gerardo Casadiego: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jeff Kennard: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston rained out (doubleheader today)

Mindblowing Jose Tabata stat of the day (I'll try to keep this going for as long as possible, I'm shooting for 7-10 days): When Tabata drives in a run, Charleston is 14-4. When he doesn't? 5-9.

Update: I may be able to keep the MBJTSOFTD going longer than expected, since I just found this via RLYB.

Hughes update

2006-05-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Phil Hughes started the first game of today's doubleheader for Trenton (to make up for yesterday's rain-out), and he's cruising through 5 innings:

5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 WP

His control has been better than his last start it seems. The lone run he's given up was with 2 outs (after back-to-back called strike 3's to start the inning), and resulted from a single, a wild pitch then another single - so they didn't exactly pound him.

In case you were wondering, the team he's facing (Portland) is middle-of-the-pack offensively, sporting a line of .239-.319-.349-.668.

Go gettem' Phil.

Update: Thaaaaaaa Thunder wins! Hughes gets a no decision, but goes 6, gives up 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER and 1 BB while K'ing 5. Hughes also gave up a solo HR, only the second HR he's given up as a pro. Not bad Phil, not bad at all.

A Melky situation

2006-05-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Baseball Analysts takes a look at injuries and subsequent minor league call-ups. Sheff and Melky get a mention:

When the Yankees acquired Johnny Damon this winter, Bronx fans were convinced their days worrying about the outfield was over. Durability problems from Damon, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui were hardly anticipated. The days of Bubba Crosby and Bernie Williams' weak arm were thought to be behind them.

Unexpectedly, Gary Sheffield now is on the DL, out with problems in his wrist. Rather than turning to Crosby or Williams, the Yankees recalled Melky Cabrera, the prospect that gave the Yankees a very forgettable cup of coffee in 2005. Cabrera's reputation had previously been tarnished in New York, but with early positive results from Columbus, the Yanks knew they had no better options.

As is his strength, Cabrera has magnificently kept his strikeout numbers down in 2006, whiffing just 9 times in 122 at-bats before his call-up. His contact skills should be a plus at any level, keeping his average at an acceptable level. His patience is decent enough; concerns have always focused on his power, or lack thereof. However, with 12 extra-base hits in his 31 International League games, some are wondering whether Cabrera could be more than a fourth outfielder.

The answer: doubtfully. Cabrera is a fine fill-in at the bottom of a fantastic lineup, capable of putting the ball in play consistently. But without any real strength to speak of, it's unlikely his power could ever support a full-time spot in a corner outfield spot. In center, his mediocre defense -- which looked poor in his first 2006 MLB game -- would be exposed.

In basketball, Cabrera would be a 6-6 power forward, or a 5-11 shooting guard; in other words, he's your classic tweener. Expect the Yankees to bear his play for the next two weeks, but don't expect him to be featured in any future plans besides trades or a bench spot.

I like Melky, but that pretty much sums it up. I think Melky will ultimately end up being a 4-A type player, meaning he'll eventually catch on with a team like the Royals and get regular playing time. I'm hoping for the best though.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (8-1 loss to Richmond)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 SB - took over CF for Melky
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 2B - I guess he didn't opt out of his contract
Mitch Jones: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K - threw a runner out at home from RF
Eric Duncan: 0 for 4
Jeff Karstens: 5 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 Balk
Scott Erickson: 0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 WP - 8 of 24 pitches were strikes, the magic seems to have worn off
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HB - .44 ERA more closely resembles my bank account balance than an actual ERA

Double-A Trenton rained out (Phil Hughes was scheduled to start)

High-A Tampa game cancelled due to "wet grounds"

Low-A Charleston (8-6 win over Asheville)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
Reegie Corona: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 SB - let's see, what mindblowing stat can I come up today? How about this: Tabata has had 15 multi-hit games this year...and only 7 hitless games
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS
Joseph Muich: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 2 K - allowed 5 SBs
Chris Malec: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Mario Holmann: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K - picked off first
Bryan Villalona: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Eric Wordekemper: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

More from the minors

2006-05-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

While no Yankee pitching prospects were honored, Melky Cabrera took home IL Offensive Player of the Week honors:

International League
Melky Cabrera, Columbus
.458 (11-24), 3 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 SB, .833 SLG
The 20-year-old Cabrera has been swinging a hot bat all season, but this week he flexed a little muscle as well. The Clippers' center fielder went yard on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday to increase his season total to four. Cabrera now leads the International League in hits (44) and RBIs (24), while his .376 average ranks second.

Jose Tabata got snubbed for SAL honors; here's how his numbers from last week stack up against those of the winner:

Eric Campbell: .385 (10-26), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 SB, .808 SLG
Jose Tabata: .423 (11-26), 5 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 SB, .846 SLG

Tabs had a higher BA, SLG and 2 more SB, but scored 1 fewer run, which can't be enough to justify the second place finish (of course, I'm not exactly unbiased here). Campbell had a great week, no doubt about it, but Tabata is 3 years younger than Campbell, and that has to be worth something.

Melky was also mentioned in this week's Hot Sheet by BA, ranking as the 4th hottest prospect in the minors:

Melky Cabrera, of, Yankees (Triple-A Columbus)
After a disastrous cup of coffee in 2005, could be in line for a callup if Sheffield goes on the DL. After hitting .458 last week, is now hitting .376/.423/.564 with only eight strikeouts in 117 at-bats.

Brett Gardner recieved honorable mention:

Brett Gardner, of, Yankees (High Class A Tampa):Second in the minors with a .512 on-base percentage. Not surprisingly, fourth in walks with 25.

John Sickels put Robbie Cano in the Crystal Ball, be sure to stop by and tell him what you think.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (7-3 loss to Richmond)
Kevin Thompson: 0 for 3, 2 BB, 1 K
Melky Cabrera: 3 for 5, 1 K
Russ Johnson: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB – back at first base, but for how long?
Koyie Hill: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Danny Garcia: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Matt Childers: 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 1 HB – just keeping the rotation spot warm for Sean Henn once he returns
Ramiro Mendoza: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 5-0 GB/FB ratio (watch your back Tanyon)

Double-A Trenton (5-4 loss to Portland)
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB – now 15 for 15 in SB attempts
Bronson Sardinha: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 HBP
Vincent Faison: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K – threw a runner out at second from LF
Shelley Duncan: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K
Kevin Howard: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Steven White: 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB (1 intentional), 2 K
Francisco Butto: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

High-A Tampa (8-6 loss to Brevard County, everyone in the starting 9 had at least 1 hit)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 RBI
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 5 - still mashing, just not at his ungodly April pace
Matt Carson: 2 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 CS – picked off first
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 K, 1 SB
PJ Pilettere: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - .858 OPS, his O is starting to catch up to his D
Brett Smith: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HB
Phil Thorp: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 0-5 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (5-4 loss to Asheville)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 3 K, 1 SB
Reegie Corona: 1 for 5, 1 K – played personal fave Chris Malec out of the 3B job
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB - another day, another XBH
Ben Jones: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
CJ Henry: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB 1 K – triumphantly returns from the DL
Chris Muich: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI – allowed 4 SBs
Wilkins Arias: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Zack Kroenke: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 5-2 GB/FB ratio

In case you don't know by now, I frickin' hate Blogger.

Notes from the minor leagues

2006-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

From this week's International League notebook:

"We're losing every game by one run. If we were being blown out, it would be different. It's a bad bounce here or somebody doesn't do his job. Nobody wants to be in Triple-A; everybody wants to be in the big leagues. If you're down here, you don't want to be losing."
--Clippers RHP Colter Bean to the Columbus Dispatch on May 5 after a loss to Norfolk dropped Columbus to 3-12 in one-run games.

From the Eastern League notebook:

"It wasn't bad for the first time out," Hughes told MLB.com after his first Double-A start. "I wasn't throwing strikes, though, and that was frustrating. I struggled early, and I couldn't find the zone."

Carl Pavano pitched well, but took the loss in his rehab start:

The right-hander, who now has 30 days to complete his rehab assignment, gave up a home run in the outing, also allowing three stolen bases.

"Hopefully five days from now, he's pitching another ballgame," manager Joe Torre said before Sunday's game. "I'm happy he's starting the clock, because he seems like he's ready, both emotionally and physically."

Later on, the same article goes on to say that both Kevin Thompson and Melky Cabrera are candidates to be called up should Gary Sheffield need a DL stint. In my opinion, I'd give Melky the call, because he has a much better chance of providing the team with offense. If they do that however, Melky's uses up another option, meaning he'll have only 1 option left after this season, and before you know it he'll have to clear waivers each time he goes from the Bronx to Columbus, and someone would certainly pluck him off the wire I believe.

Weekly Poll: Relatively close race in last week's poll as 14 of you (31.8%) think Eric Duncan is most deserving (or in need of, depending on your point of view) of a demotion, followed by Tim Battle with 12 votes (27.3%). Both Jeff Karstens and Marcos Vechionacci received 9 votes (20.5%) to wrap up the poll. The new question is up, and as always, thanks for voting.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-1 win over Norfolk)
Kevin Reese: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB
Kevin Thompson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Mitch Jones: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB
Eric Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 HBP (retaliation for Colter Bean plunking Lastings Milledge) - second straight game back at the hot corner
Wil Nieves: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 E (throwing)
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - lowered his ERA to .48
Mark Corey: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton (3-2 loss to Connecticut)
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Justin Christian: 1 for 4 - moved from leadoff to the 3 hole
Kevin Howard: 1 for 4, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
Omir Santos: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jeremy King: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
TJ Beam: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K - allowed only inherited runner to score
Charlie Manning: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K - stranded both inherited runners

High-A Tampa (4-2 loss to Brevard County)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 2 K
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 E (throwing) - 11 errors in 28 games
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4
Irwil Rojas: 1 for 3 - allowed 4 SBs
Carl Pavano: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HB - 3-7 GB/FB ratio
Jason Jones: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Josh Schmidt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - first 1-2-3 inning of the year

Low-A Charleston (2-1 loss to Asheville in 10 innings)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4 - threw a runner out at second; only Pujols (38), Berkman (36) and Thome (32) have more RBIs than Tabata (31) in all of baseball (holy shit Batman!)
Ben Jones: 1 for 4, 3 K
Mario Holmann: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 SB
Rolando Japa: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP
Jim Conroy: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Go here for a good laugh.

Just what the doctor ordered

2006-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Gammons on something other than the Red Sox (of course, you have to dig for it):

Yankees coaches feel Johnny Damon has changed the Yankees, and not as a leadoff hitter. They feel that the team had become too serious and sometimes tight the last three years, and Damon has come in -- a little goofy, sincere, always fun-loving, accountable and media-friendly -- and loosened everyone up and changed the team's personality. For four years in Boston, Damon played hard, played hurt, was fan-friendly and ever-accountable, and when he came back to Fenway was showered not just with boos, but obscenities. ... No matter how shaky the Yankees' starting pitching may be, they already have the major league lead in run differential (+56 as of May 5, with Detroit second at +50 after outscoring the Twins and Royals 44-5 in a five-game homestand). And their lineup may be so good that they can win enough 6-5, 9-6 postseason games to get to the World Series, which is why, despite his recent minor setback, Octavio Dotel's return for the second half may be the best in-season acquisition any team could make.

I'll admit it, I hated the Damon signing when it was first announced. A whole lot of us did. The thought of him in pinstripes made me die a little inside. He's certainly earned my respect now, with his faceplants and the way he's made the lineup absolutely lethal from top to bottom.

In other news, Victor Zambrano is out for the year, so now's the time for Cash to give Omar Minaya a ring and offer up Jaret Wright for a half-decent prospect (which is all the Mets have)before Minaya realizes Wright isn't Hispanic.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-0 win over Norfolk)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 4, 1 K - back in the 3 hole
Carlos Pena: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Mitch Jones: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Eric Duncan: 0 for 3 - played third base (you can thank Carlos Pena and his .212 BA for that)
Caonabo Cosme: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K - just called up from Trenton
Wil Nieves: 2 for 3
Darrell Rasner: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K - 29-6 K/BB ratio on the year
Matt Smith: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jose Veras: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (6-4 loss to Connecticut)
Justin Christian: 1 for 5, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 5, 1 R - still thisclose to becoming another first round bust
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 R, 2 BB (1 intentional), 1 K
Kevin Howard: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 E (fielding)
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Tommy Rojas: 2 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
Danny Borrell: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - 4-10 GB/FB ratio
JB Cox: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - 4-2 GB/FB ratio
Justin Pope: .2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - allowed both inherited runners to score

High-A Tampa (3-1 win over Brevard County)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 R, 3 K
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 E - .180 BA, but is 3rd in the league with 25 RBIs
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Matt Carson: 1 for 3, 1 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 1 for 3, 1 RBI
Ben Himes: 0 for 3, 2 K
Tim Battle: 1 for 3, 1 K
Phil Coke: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K - took Phil Hughes' rotation spot and deserves it
Jeff Kennard: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston (10-3 loss to Asheville)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI - .423-.464-.846-1.310, 3 HR, 9 RBI since last Sunday
Ben Jones: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Jose Gil: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Abel Gomez: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HB
David Seccombe: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Bryan Rueger: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Steve Schroer: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Breaking News

2006-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Jose Tabata is good. Scary good. After a 3 for 4 showing yesterday which included a homer and 3 steaks, here's where he ranks amongst Florida State League statistical leaders:

.370 BA - 2nd, behind leader by 12 points (the leader is almost 7 years older than Tabs)

40 H - leads league by 4

12 doubles - 2nd, behind leader by 1

29 RBI - leads league

58 total bases - 5th despite at least 5 fewer homers than each of the guys ahead of him

Despite the gaudy numbers, the talk of the FSL is Fernando Martinez of the Mets, not Tabata. That's fine with me, let Martinez have all the pressure of the limelight while Tabs flies under the radar.

Knock knock. Who's there? Tampa by July if he keeps this up, that's who.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-2 loss to Norfolk)
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Kevin Reese: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K - threw a runner out at the plate
Eric Duncan: 0 for 3, 2 K
Danny Garcia: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K
Andy Cannizaro: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 K
Matt DeSalvo: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 Balk, 2 HB - 7-3 GB/FB ratio, but control problems continue (48 of 97 pitches were strikes)
Colter Bean: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Jose Veras: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - given up 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB in last 2.2 IP (told you not to get excited)

Double-A Trenton
(Game 1: 7-3 win over Connecticut in 7 innings, makeup for April 23rd rain out)
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K - 14 K in 11 games with the organization
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Gabe Lopez: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Vincent Faison: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Tommy Rojas: 1 for 3, 1 R
JT Stotts: 0 for 1, 2 R, 2 BB
Tyler Clippard: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HB - 32 K and only 23 H allowed this season
Charlie Manning: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
(Game 2: 3-1 loss to Connecticut in 7 innings)
Justin Christian: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
Omir Santos: 1 for 1, 2 BB
Jorge DePaula: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K - 5-8 GB/FB ratio
Francisco Butto: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

High-A Tampa (4-1 win over Clearwater, 3 pitchers combined on a 1 hitter)
Brett Gardner: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - .530 OBP, only 2 points behind Giambi for the highest OBP on the planet
Matt Carson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - threw a runner out at third
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 2 K, 1 E - batted cleanup after recent surge (bad idea)
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 2 K - 35 K to 19 TB this year, geez
PJ Pilittere: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B - allowed 3 SB
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K - just needs to cut down on those walks
Chase Wright: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Gerardo Casadiego: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Low-A Charleston (7-1 win over Greenville)
Action Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Jose Tabata: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Mario Holmann: 2 for 4, 1 CS - picked off first
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - 3-8 GB/FB ratio, but got away with it
Elvys Quezada: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

How do you know it's summer in California? When you put $10 worth of gas in your car and get less than 2 and half gallons of regular...

More on Hughes

2006-05-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

From Baseball America:

"Well, it's been better," Hughes said. "I was just having trouble getting ahead of hitters throughout the game. It was one of those things--my velocity was good, my stuff was good, but my command of my pitches obviously wasn't so good."
...
“I give the hitters credit for what they did—I made them more patient because I didn’t have good control of my pitches,” Hughes said. “And I didn’t help myself out much at all. It seemed like I was forcing myself into situations to get out of the majority of the time.”
...
"I just didn't help myself out or work out of jams like I normally would," Hughes said. "I gave in (to hitters) at times, I think. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I just didn't throw the ball like I know I'm capable of doing. I didn't do my job, and that's the bottom line.

"I thought my changeup was good and that might have been my best pitch in terms of my confidence in it and commanding it. My curveball was OK--there were some good ones and there were some bad ones. I had a little trouble finding my release point and that's just one of those things I need to be more consistent with. It was a little different atmosphere (than in the Florida State League)--I guess I had more of a comfort level there. But that's what this is all about--moving up to the next level and rising to the challenge. I just didn''t do that tonight and hopefully that will get better as we move along."

It's good to see him take responsibility and not blame the umpire for squeezing him or stuff like that. He's always been a stand-up kid (hard not to be at 6'5"), and I fully expect this start to be the exception rather than the norm.

Trenton debut for Mr. Hughes

2006-05-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

After weeks of rumors that Phil Hughes was being called up to Trenton, it was made official as possible last night when he took the mound for the Thunder. Hughes easily had his worst start of the year (by his standards), going 6 innings and giving up 7 H (2 XBH) and 4 R (all earned), while only striking out 3 against 2 walks (matching his season total). Again, it was Hughes' worst start of the year, but he did pitch well enough to get the win.

I didn't see the game obviously, but box scores tell you a whole lot. Hughes control is what sets him apart from other 19 year olds, and from the looks of it he just didn't have it. Not only did he issue 2 free passes, but he also uncorked a wild pitch, something he hadn't done since his Low-A Charleston days in the first half of 2005. Maybe it was just one of those days, maybe he had a hard time with the more advanced hitters (I doubt it, Reading's aggregate line is .229-.294-.311-.604), or maybe he was just nervous, and who would blame him? He's a 19 year old kid playing in a league with an average age around 22.

On the bright side, Hughes still hasn't given up a long ball - he's given up only 1 HR in his 127.1 career IP - and managed to keep the ball on the ground, posting a 9-4 GB/FB ratio, which is exemplary for a power pitcher. Surprisingly, attendance was down for Hughes' debut - just over 4,700 fans showed up, about 300 fans less than average.

Overall, I'm not worried about the performance, it was his first start at the level and it was just one start - he's allowed to have a "bad" game now and then. Even if his next 2 starts resembled this one, I still wouldn't be too worried. If his control comes back for his next start against Portland, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he was back to his 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 K dominating self. Either way Phil, ignore the media nazis and know there's a whole lot of us backing you, win or lose.

FYI: I'm not going to bother separating Hughes' Tampa and Trenton stats in the Phil Hughes Watch, so those numbers you see are his combined season totals. Unless there's a massive public outcry, it'll stay like this for the rest of the season.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (5-1 loss to Norfolk)
Melky Cabrera: 0 for 3, 1 BB
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 2, 1 BB, 1 K
Danny Garcia: 0 for 3, 3 K, 1 E (throwing)
Jeff Karstens: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 3-8 GB/FB ratio
Ramiro Mendoza: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 4-0 GB/FB ratio, stranded both inherited runners

Double-A Trenton (5-3 loss to Reading)
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R - threw a runner out at second
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 1 E (throwing)
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 CS
Phil Hughes: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP
TJ Beam: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (8-2 loss to Clearwater)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 1 SB
Cody Elhers: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Matt Carson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 SB - after 0 for 44 slump, he's now 4 for his last 8
Tim Battle: 0 for 3, 1 K
Jeff Marquez: 5 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - 3-9 GB/FB ratio, and he's a sinkerballer
Mike Martinez: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (4-2 win over Greenville)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 BB, 1 CS
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB
Jose Tabata: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 CS, 1 HBP
Joseph Muich: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Zack Kroenke: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Wilkins Arias: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

The Big O

2006-05-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

As in Over-rated:

Derek Jeter smiled at the news that his peers named him the most over-rated player in the big leagues.

In a Sports Illustrated poll of 470 players, Jeter was named on 9 percent of the ballots as the most over-rated. Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran was second with 7 percent and Alex Rodriguez was third with 6 percent.

It's funny how many people hate on Jeter. Of those 42 players that voted him most over-rated, I'm sure not a single one ever wore the stripes and has seen Jeter play day-in day-out. When was the last time you saw Jeter not touch first on a ball he put in play regardless of the outcome? Exactly.

A-Rod just can't win because the expectations placed upon him are so unreasonably high. He can go .375-60-180 this year and he'd still wouldn't catch a break because "that's what he's supposed to do with that contract." Cut the dude some slack, it's not like he held out for the $252M, it was offered it him. And no one in there right mind would turn that down.

Highlights from Jim Callis' chat over at ESPN.com (lots of good stuff this week):

Tom (Hartford): How would you rate their performance this year: Andrus/Martinez/Tabata
Jim Callis: (2:18 PM ET ) Fernando Martinez has been a revelation in the Sally League. Ranking the three 17-year-olds there, Jose Tabata would be second and Elvis Andrus third.

Andy (Austin): Are we any closer to televising the draft?
Jim Callis: (2:23 PM ET ) Nope. But I'm available if ESPN is interested. Really, there's no reason they couldn't take 3-4 minutes between picks and spent two hours televising the first round.
Jim Callis: (2:23 PM ET ) Let me add to that answer . . . it also would be easy to get video of all the top picks and provide interesting commentary/discussion.

David (Maryville, TN): Why can't the draft have a salary cap and you get your bonus based on where you're drafted and not who you're drafted by. The MLB draft will always be a farce until this occurs.
Jim Callis: (2:26 PM ET ) There has been talk of an NBA-like slotting system. And while I believe in the free market, I've come to hope for the same thing. Let teams draft based solely on talent. Though some might object at having to shell out more money than they wish if they have a bunch of early picks. I don't think the MLBPA would mind less money going to draftees (who aren't part of the union), but I don't know if they'd sign off on a restricted market for draftees when they vigorously oppose it for big leaguers.

Peter (Albany): I love baseball, but the only reason the NFL and NBA drafts are watchable is because the players chosen will be playing NEXT season, not 5 years down the road.
Jim Callis: (2:30 PM ET ) That's a good point on one hand, Peter. But I think the first round would hold enough interest, and it's got to be much more watchable than the second day of the NFL draft (and I love the NFL) or the second round of the NBA draft.

Alex (D.C.): Why not have an age limit on the draft? That way these kids are closer to playing and we'd minimize the detriment for those who can't make it to the big league level and forego their education.
Jim Callis: (2:31 PM ET ) What about the kids who can't go to college or don't want to? Very, very few players get a full scholarship to play colelge baseball.

Don (Pa): Gardner or Ellsbury [that's Jacoby Ellsbury of the Sawx for those that don't know]
Jim Callis: (2:52 PM ET ) Ellsbury, though Brett Gardner is having a nice year.

Dean NJ: Hughes or Pelfrey?
Jim Callis: (2:55 PM ET ) Pelfrey.

Alex (marlboro, nj): Better Career: Craig Hansen or CJ Henry
Jim Callis: (2:56 PM ET ) Bitter Yankees fan? I'll take Hansen, but Henry is talented as well.

AB (NYC): Randy Johnson or Sandy Koufax?
Jim Callis: (2:57 PM ET ) Peak: Koufax. Career: Big Unit.

jon (ny): jim, you know you took hughes over pelfrey last week, right? check the transcript
Jim Callis: (3:00 PM ET ) This ain't rocket science! They're close. Ask me again next week.

Alex (marlboro, nj): Yeah Hansen would have been good coming from St. John's to the Bronx-just a little bitter...what do you tihnk of Cox vs Hansen though?
Jim Callis: (3:00 PM ET ) Still Hansen, but Cox should be a good second-round pick. Nothing wrong with those picks for the Yankees.

Dave (Palmyra, PA): '07 strike or lockout?
Jim Callis: (3:04 PM ET ) Neither. I don't think either side will let a work stoppage happen.

Wayne (NYC): Stud prospect or solid pro?
Jim Callis: (3:05 PM ET ) Relative to each other, the solid pro is going to be underrated and the stud prospect overrated by most fans.

Derek Jeter (Tampa): Over or Underrated?
Jim Callis: (3:07 PM ET ) Great player, but somewhat overrated.

Bobcat (Cleveland): Sowers or Philip Hughes? Why?
Jim Callis: (3:08 PM ET ) Hughes, better arm. I do like Sowers, though. [I have to admit, I was kinda surprised by this one]

Down on the Farm (2 days worth of stats):

Triple-A Columbus
(Tuesday: 4-2 win over Louisville)
Melky Cabrera: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI - boy, he must really love the leadoff spot
Eric Duncan: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K
Kevin Thompson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 HBP
Wil Nieves: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Matt Childers: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 10-4 GB/FB ratio, lowered his ERA to 8.44
Matt Smith: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - back in the minors despite not allowing a baserunner in 2.1 innings for the big league squad
(Weds: scheduled off day)

Double-A Trenton
(Tuesday:10-7 loss to Reading in 14 innings)
Justin Christian: 1 for 7, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K - picked off first
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 6, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Randy Ruiz: 3 for 6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB (intentional), 1 SB, 1 E (missed catch)
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Kevin Howard: 1 for 6, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Charlie Manning: 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - quietly dominating
Francisco Butto: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Justin Pope: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K - just demoted from Columbus
Michael Brunet: 2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
(Weds: 3-2 win over Reading, walk off style)
Bronson Sardinha: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI - walk off 3 run HR in the bottom of the 9th
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4
Kevin Howard: 0 for 3, 1 BB
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 4, 2 K - threw a runner out at third
Steven White: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
JB Cox: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 6-1 GB/FB ratio, he's just about ready for Columbus

High-A Tampa
(Tuesday: scheduled off day)
(Weds: 8-5 win over Clearwater)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB - lowered his BA to .370
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB - 10 of 19 hits have gone for extra bases
Cody Ehlers: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Matt Carson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K, 1 E - breaks out of slump with a Grand Slam
Tim Battle: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 CS - BA is creeping up, slowly but surely
Brett Smith: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 WP - 2-10 GB/FB ratio
Phil Thorp: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - just demoted from Trenton
Saydel Beltran: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 Balk

Low-A Charleston
(Tuesday: 5-2 win over Greenville)
Action Jackson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI - the nickname fits him so well it's not even funny
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 1 RBI
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 CS
Jon Poterson: 2 for 3, 1 R
Mario Holmann: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Abel Gomez: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K - pitching his way back onto the prospect radar
David Seccombe: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
(Weds: 5-2 loss to Greenville)
Action Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K
Reegie Corona: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 K - .843 OPS at short, CJ who?
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 BB - 2nd in the league with 25 RBIs (the dude in first is almost 6 years his elder)
Kyle Larson: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Jon Poterson: 0 for 4, 3 K
Mario Holmann: 3 for 4, 1 R, 4 SB, 1 E - doubled his SB total for the year
Jim Conroy: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - not flashy, but gets the job done
Rolando Japa: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 WP

Update: I recieved this email this morning:

Hope your day is going well. I am a co-founder of ArmchairGM, http://www.armchairgm.com. We are looking for fans to adopt the Yankees. We're looking for 2 to 5 Yankees fans to update news, rosters, and breaking stories. If you're interested or if you think your readers would be interested click here.

I don't have the time to handle the additional "workload", but if anyone's interested either click on the link or email me at ingeorgewetrust@gmail.com and I'll forward you the email.

Giambi returning to...well...Giambi

2006-05-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Another ESPN article that's about 2 weeks behind the times:

It's a remarkable story of a hitter so dangerous, he's forced the Yankees to overlook his defensive shortcomings. And even that deficit, Giambi says, doesn't seem so ugly anymore.

"I feel healthier overall, and it's helped me in the field, too," Giambi said Monday evening, before the Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Red Sox.
...
But the Yankees will tell you Giambi's offensive explosion is a primary reason they're leading the East in runs, second in the AL only to the Indians, and why there's no compelling reason to find a new first baseman.
...
"Jason is one of the top five offensive forces in the game right now," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "With the combination of power, on-base percentage and his walks, he's lethal."
...
Just how long can Giambi keep hitting at this rate? He's not crazy enough to venture a guess, convinced only that working with hitting instructor Don Mattingly has paid an enormous benefit.

Being healthy for an entire year has helped, too. Giambi said, "After [the 2004] season, I was too tired to do anything until December, but last year I was able to go home and start working out right away. I was able to stay with it."

Giambi is also flying beneath the steroids radar, which has allowed him to focus on baseball -- for now, anyway. While the investigation of Barry Bonds intensifies, both on the federal level and in the commissioner's office, Giambi is living controversy free.

Unlike Bonds, who may have perjured himself in his testimony to the BALCO grand jury two winters ago (at least according to the book "Game of Shadows"), Giambi was completely honest about his past use of steroids.

The Yankees have had no comment about the contents of the book, and don't appear to be conducting any investigation of their own. Left on his own, Giambi has enjoyed a mini-renaissance that's fulfilling the Bombers' dream of a thousand-run summer.

But if there's really a need to explain the emergence of the New Giambi (which is actually the Old Giambi) he doesn't discount this theory: being reunited with Damon, a former A's teammate and his best friend in pinstripes, has created an uncharacteristic hipness in an otherwise corporate and uptight clubhouse.

"Johnny is definitely a missing piece of the puzzle here," Giambi said. "I've known him for a long time, he's a great guy and a great teammate. He adds an element to this clubhouse."

Controversy-free. I never really considered what kind of affect a steriods cloud could have on a player, but it certainly seems like Jason is finally comfortable in pinstripes.

Thanks for nothing Joe

2006-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

I tell ya, that was one hell of a frustrating loss yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out why Torre decided to bring Ten-run Sturtze in to face Mark Loretta instead of the $17M flamethrowing investment known as Kyle Farnsworth; but something tells me we'll never know why. I firmly hang this one on Torre's head.

Making matters worse was the completely unlistenable ESPN broadcast (and I thought Joe Buck was bad), which featured such pearls of wisdom as "when I think of Manny, I think of sellouts", or "if the pitch is out of the zone, don't swing at it", or my personal favorite "David Ortiz didn't win the MVP last year because he didn't make enough plays in the field." I swear, you'd think the most exciting think that has happened in the recent history of the Yanks-Sawx rivalry was Doug Mirabelli's arrival, cause the ESPN guys just wouldn't shut up about it. Of course we all know that if the Yankees chartered a private jet and police escort for a backup catcher, it would be another example of them "flexing their corporate muscles" or how they're "ruining the game with their freespending ways." ESPN makes me appreciate the genius of Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow more and more with each game they broadcast.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-3 loss to Louisville)
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 4, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 HBP - picked off first, but seems to enjoy the leadoff spot
Mitch Jones: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 E
Carlos Pena: 2 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 HBP
Wil Nieves: 0 for 5, 1 RBI - .154 BA, and Torre wanted his guy on the big league team?
Eric Duncan: 1 for 1- pinch hit single in the 8th
Kris Wilson: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Colter Bean: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - .56 ERA, if only he wasn't 29 years old

Double-A Trenton (7-4 win over Reading, 5th straight win, 7th win in 8 games)
Justin Christian: 0 for 5, 1 K
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Vincent Faison: 1 for 1, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI - pinch hit 2-run HR in 8th
Danny Borrell: 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
TJ Beam: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - allowed both inherited runners to score

High-A Tampa (2-1 loss to Sarasota)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - leadoff HR was Tampa's only offense
Ben Jones: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4 - hitless in 43 ABs, holy crap
Tim Battle: 0 for 4, 1 K
Brett Gardner: 1 for 1, 1 2B - pinch hit double in bottom of the 9th
Phil Coke: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - just as I gave him praise yesterday
Jason Jones: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Chase Wright: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Low-A Charleston (1-0 win over Kannapolis)
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 SB, 1 E (throwing) - thrown out at first by an outfielder
Mario Holmann: 1 for 4, 1 2B
Jose Tabata: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB
Bryan Villalona: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Bryan Rueger: .1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - how do you know when your career is going nowhere? when you're a situational lefty in the low minors
Edgar Soto: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Minor league pitchers and hitters of the week were announced, and Duncan was honored (not that one):

Eastern League
Shelley Duncan, Trenton
.474 (9-19), 4 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB, 1.000 SLG
Duncan provided Trenton with some thunderous offense, as six of his nine hits on the week went for extra bases. The most crucial of these hits was a walk-off two-run homer against New Britain on Saturday. Duncan's 11 doubles lead the Eastern League, while his .545 slugging percentage ranks fourth.

Update: BA's Prospect Hot Sheet for this week is out, a couple of Yankee prospects make appearances, albeit for different reasons:

Jose Tabata, of, Yankees (Low Class A Charleston): Hitting .440 over the last seven games, Tabata still doesn't walk--with just two compared to 20 strikeouts.

Philip Hughes, rhp, Yankees (Double-A Trenton): We haven't seen him in Double-A yet, but the Florida State League version was nearly impeccable with a 30-2 strikeout-walk ratio.

Marcos Vechionacci, 3b, Yankees (High Class A Tampa): Hitless since
April 18, Vechionacci is now hitting .136/.226/.185 in 81 at-bats.

Farm system report: April

2006-05-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

The minor league season is now a month old - give or take a couple of days - and as always there's been some interesting developments, including Radhames Liz and his ridiculous K totals, Gaby Sanchez and his bat, and a born-again JR House's return from prospect limbo (and college football). As far as the Yankees system goes, here's a wrap-up of the first month of the season (all stats, etc. are as of May 1st).

Triple-A Columbus (9-15, 4.0 GB)
Top pitching performance:
Darrell Rasner (April 10): 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K - 61 of 85 pitches were strikes
Top hitting performance:
Russ Johnson (April 12): 4 for 5, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Heading into the season there wasn't too much to get excited about regarding the Yankees Triple-A affiliate thanks to the organization's lack of talent in the upper levels. Unfortunately that hasn't changed much, as the only reason to check up on the team is to see how Eric Duncan and Matt DeSalvo are doing in their first foray at the level. Arguably their 2 best pitchers aren't even with the team anymore as lefty reliever Matt Smith was summoned to the big league squad barely a week into the season, and fellow southpaw Sean Henn hit the DL with an arm injury 3 days later.

Duncan has been far from impressive, as he's struggling to keep his BA in the .240-.250 range. Even more troubling is his power - or lack thereof - as he's smacked only 4 XBH (zero HR) in 79 ABs, a rate that would give him 30 XBH over 600 ABs, or 15 less than Brady Clark had leading off for the Brewers last year. In terms of highly-touted, power-hitting third basemen that moved across the diamond, Duncan is significantly closer to being the next Jamie D'Antona than the next Mark Teixeira at this point. The Yankees unjustifiably promoted Duncan to Triple-A this year when he clearly needed at least another 100 ABs or so at Double-A, and are now seeing his stock drop somewhat significantly because of it.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year so far has been Scott Erickson version 56,498,723. To say the 38-yr old has taken to new role as a set-up man would be understatement, as he's allowed only 7 hits and 6 walks in 15 IPs. His Kper9 of 6.60 is the highest he's posted since 1994 (with at least as many IPs at any given level), and just as important is his GB/FB ratio, which is hovering around a solid 2.0. The feeling on my part is that he could be effective for the Yankees in a short relief role, or at least more effective than Tanyon Sturtze has been.

Double-A Trenton (7-14, 6.0 GB)
Top pitching performance:
Steven White (April 11): 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 11-3 GB/FB ratio
Top hitting performance:
Kevin Howard (Opening Day): 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K

The Yanks Double-A affiliate started the season off in dreadful fashion, going 10 games before logging their first W on April 17. Since then they've gone 7-4, including a current 4 game winning streak. The Thunder have gone 6-1 in their last 7 games, but still find themselves in the Northern Division's cellar. So what happened on the 17th to spark the turn around you ask? Justin Christian happened.

Christian had been receiving erratic playing time early in the year (like most of the team), but manager Bill Masse decided to permanently shift Christian to the leadoff spot and the team has taken off. Christian himself hasn't seen a drastic improved in his stats, however his affect on the rest of the lineup is readily apparent. Prior to the 17th, the team had an aggregate line of .196-.245-.288-.533 and averaged 2.0 runs a game; since Christian moved to the leadoff spot, the team's aggregate line has improved to a respectable .252-.335-.355-.690, and they are now averaging 4.91 runs a game.

Call it a coincidence if you want, I see it as a team finally feeling comfortable with a lineup and reaping the benefits of having a guy hit in front of them that gets on base (.321 OBP) and creates havoc when he gets there (14 for 14 in SB attempts, best in all of baseball).

High-A Tampa (10-14, 4.5 GB)
Top pitching performance:
Brett Smith (Opening Day): 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 9-4 GB/FB ratio
Top hitting performance:
Matt Carson (April 24): 4 for 4, 4 R, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 15 total bases

This team figured to be the focus of the Yanks minor league season this year with all it's talent, and they've managed to surpass expectations thanks to the law firm of Hughes, Gardner & Ehlers. Not all has been good however, as two players with tremendous talent in Tim Battle and Marcos Vechionacci are, ahem, "struggling" in there first venture into the world of High-A ball.

The Yanks have turned Phil Hughes loose this year, allowing him to resume throwing his slider while refraining from babying him with IP limits and unreasonable pitch counts. He sports an ungodly 30-2 K/BB ratio, a Mariano Rivera-like .70 WHIP (.02 off the league lead) and a 32-27 GB/FB ratio, which is good for a power-strikeout guy (don't believe me? Look at the career GB/FB ratio of the Rocket, the Big Unit and the Big Mouth). Oh yeah, (ready for this) he's given up only 2 XBH (0 homers) all season, and both of those came off the bat of the same batter (Drew Anderson of Sarasota) in the same game. Most importantly, he's been completely healthy. Hughes recently earned himself a trip to Double-A, and this time it's for real. It's Phil Hughes' farm system, we all just follow it.

In addition to Hughes, Brett Gardner has been tearing up Florida State League pitching, recorded a hit in 19 of the 23 games he's played, and reaching base safely in 22 of 23. He recently put together a 12 game hit streak, which was the second longest in the minors this year behind the aforementioned JR House's 18 game hit streak. Gardner leads the league by a considerable margin in OBP (.515), and even after 2 hitless games he still ranks second in the league in BA (.364), short of first by only 3 points. Gardner hasn't shown much power, collecting only 6 XBH (0 HR), but power isn't his game anyway. He's offset his high K totals with equally high BB totals (25-23 K/BB ratio) and has proven himself lethal on the basepaths with 9 SBs, putting him on pace for 64 over a typical minor league season of 500 ABs.

While Gardner has been getting on base at a mindblowing rate, Cody Ehlers has been the one driving him in. After a 4 year career as two-way player at the University of Missouri, Ehlers seems to have found his niche as an offense-first first basemen. Ehlers has a mean game of Scrabble going, as he leads the Florida State League in HR (7), RBI (26), SLG (.687) and OPS (1.091). By the time May's farm system report rolls around, there's a good chance both Ehlers and Gardner will have already joined Hughes in Double-A.

Poor Tim Battle. After being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft, Battle was diagnosed with bone cancer only to have George Steinbrenner pay his medical bills and bring him to the Stadium as a special guest during the 2003 World Series. He had what typically would be considered a breakout year in 2005 with Low-A Charleston, clubbing 60 XBH and stealing 40 bases in 134 games. The problem? He struck out 195 times. For his career, Battle's KA (strikeout average - it's the same as BA just with K's instead of H's) is .360, or 107 points higher than his BA. The problem continues to manifest itself this year, as Battle's KA is .409, which is higher than his OPS (.399).

Marcos Vechionnaci's season may not be going as badly as Battle's, but it's likely Vech isn't writing home about his performances. He's hitting only .136-.226-.185-.411 with a 22-9 K/BB ratio. After starting the year as the team's number 3 hitter, he's been demoted to 5th, then 6th, and now he's hitting 7th. His defense at the hot corner - by far his best attribute - hasn't been up to par with his skills as he's already committed 6 errors this season, putting him on a pace for 40 errors over the course of the season. It's painfully obvious Vechionacci wasn't ready for High-A level pitching, especially after last year's less than awe-inspiring performance.

Low-A Charleston (14-9, 3.5 GB)
Top pitching performance:
Phil Coke (April 9): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - hit batter ended perfect game
Top hitting performance:
Austin Jackson & Jose Tabata (doubleheader on April 9): combined 10 for 15, 4 R, 10 RBI

Heading into the season there was cause for great excitement by Yankee fans regarding this team as 3 of the organization's top 5 prospects were ticketed for Charleston. Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata and CJ Henry - a trio so talented they should really have a nickname, just not the "Three Amigos" cause that's been beaten to death, plus it's kinda gay (not that there's anything wrong with that) - started the year occupying the River Dogs leadoff, 3rd and 5th spots in the lineup respectively. While Henry hit the DL with an undisclosed injury (Reegie Corona is filling in admirably), Jackson and Tabata have been a 2 man show.

Jackson is proving why many considered him the second best high school player (behind Justin Upton) available heading into the 2005 draft (he fell to the 8th round because of a commitment to play basketball at Georgia Tech). Despite batting leadoff, he's second on the team in RBI with 12, and he's stealing bases (9 SBs) when he reaches base (.396 OBP). He is striking out more than twice as much as he walks, but the plate discipline will come eventually, as will his over-the-fence power (although he did chip in a solo HR this past Saturday). His outfield play has been impeccable, as he's catching everything that comes his way and then some.

As good as Jackson has been, Tabata has been even better. The lone negative has been Tabata's plate approach and discipline, which was considered one of his strongest skills heading into 2006. He boasts a Phil Hughes like 20-2 K/BB ratio, but he's still getting on base at a .368 clip thanks to a superb BA of .344. He has hit only 1 HR this season (which came yesterday), but power is considered his weakest tool and he doesn't project to hit more anything more than average power anyway. He's still a threat with the bat, ripping 10 doubles (2nd in the league) and driving in runs at a staggering pace (23 RBI in 23 games, good for 2nd in the league). Tabata looks like he could become one of those rare 100+ RBI guys who hit less than 20 HRs a year. Once again he's the second youngest player in his league, this time at age seven-frickin'-teen, and he's only 14 days older than the youngest player - Elvis Andrus of the Braves.

Not to get lost in the Jackson-Tabata lovefest has been the ascension of Phil Coke - a 26th round draft choice in 2002 out of San Joaquin Delta College - from suspect to prospect. Coke's allowed only 14 baserunners (10 hits) in 17 IP while striking out 19 this year. He's put up a rock solid 20-10 GB/FB ratio, but maybe most impressive of all is that he's been perfect in 7 of his 17 IPs this year (41.2%), which simply is an inhuman rate. To help put that in perspective, consider this: during Mo's great 2005 campaign, 32 of his 78.1 IP were of the 1-2-3 variety, or 40.9%. I'm not in anyway saying Coke is the next Rivera, but his performance up to this point in the season has been tremendous and warrants great praise.

In-Season Top 10 Prospects (based on April's performance):

Phil Hughes and no one's even a close second.
Brett Gardner is turning into the next Kenny Lofton (when he was with Cleveland) right before our eyes.
Jose Tabata looks like he'll be worth every penny of that $500,000 price tag.
Austin Jackson could have easily been prospect #3, but Tabs gets the nod cause he's 18 months younger.
Steven White went from a potential flameout to potential stud in a mere 4 weeks.
Justin Christian is working all his magic despite changing positions from second base to the outfield.
Cody Ehlers looks like he could hit big league pitching right now (I said looks like, not could).
Phil Coke is making hitters look like Sammy Sosa - the 2005 version.
Tyler Clippard has pitched significantly better than his 0-4 record suggests.
Melky Cabrera has slowed down after a hot start, but he still sports a .903 OPS.

Notably Absent: JB Cox, Eric Duncan, Christian Garcia, CJ Henry, Eduardo Nunez, Marcos Vechionnaci

Rivalry renewed

2006-05-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Buster Olney blogs about the Yanks-Red Sox rivalry, which as you know begins a new chapter tonight:

Mariano Rivera carries himself as if emotion could never breach his outer defenses, but he sat in front of his locker at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and said that nothing experienced in the regular season could ever compare with games between the Yankees and the Red Sox. The fact is the players feed off this rivalry as much as the fans do.

"The games force you to compete at a higher level," he said. "Actually, it's good to have that. You're faced with a challenge and you have to go out there with your best stuff."

Rivera shook his head and smirked a little at the notion that intra-city games between the White Sox and Cubs or the Mets and Yankees might compare with Red Sox vs. Yankees. The intensity of this series, he said, "is between the players."

Which Red Sox player has Jorge Posada enjoyed playing against the most? Jason Varitek, he said. "He's good, he's solid," said Posada. "He plays hard." Posada said that during games, he and Varitek will say hello, nothing more than that, but a few years ago, he and the Red Sox catcher chatted at length at an All-Star Game, talking about Varitek's glove.

Rivera is very old school about fraternization, and doesn't have any particular favorite competitors among the Red Sox. "I've pitched to [David] Ortiz, I've pitched to Manny [Ramirez]," Rivera said. "They're all the same." In other words, whoever is standing in the batter's box at the moment is the competitor he is most concerned with.

Rivera says that he'll say hello to Red Sox players before games, remain polite, and then he'll walk away.

The Red Sox player against whom Derek Jeter has enjoyed playing is Pedro Martinez. "Because of the whole build-up," he said. "Everybody was into it, the fans were into it, there was always so much talk."

Even with all the brushback stuff?

Jeter nodded: "It was always fun. Always a challenge."

Weekly Poll: Almost half of you (48%) feel Phil Hughes is the prospect most deserving of a promotion, followed by Brett Gardner (33%), Cody Ehlers (14 %) and Steven White (5%). The new question is up, and as always, thanks for taking the time to vote.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (8-7 win over Indianapolis)
Melky Cabrera: 4 for 6, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Koyie Hill: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K - DH'ed - picked a runner off at first
Danny Garcia: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 E (throwing)
Darrell Rasner: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Jose Veras: .2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 K - 14 of 40 pitches were strikes (35%)

Double-A Trenton (3-2 win over New Britain, walk-off style)
Justin Christian: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB - scored gam winning run
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K
Kevin Howard: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K - game winning single in the bottom of the 9th
Jorge DePaula: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 4-9 GB/FB ratio
JB Cox: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 5-2 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa (4-1 win over Sarasota)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K - hitless for 2nd straight game
Hector Made: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 2 K - BA down to .136
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K - don't look now, but he's kinda hot with the bat
Alan Horne: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Jeff Kennard: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K - 6-3 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (7-5 loss to Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 K
Reegie Corona: 1 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI - traded in his usual double for his first HR of the year
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI
Joseph Muich: 2 for 4, 1 K
Estee Harris: 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Jon Poterson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 K
Wilkins Arias: 2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Elvys Quezada: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB
Zach Kroenke: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K - first strong outing of the year comes in long relief

Time for a new SS?

2006-04-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Steve over at Was Watching discusses the possibility of Jeter moving off short:

Wild thought of the moment: If New York does become concerned about Jeter's defense at SS, then sign Julio Lugo after the season.

Lugo, while not in the class of Adam Everett or Jack Wilson with the glove at SS, would be an improvement over Jeter.

Then you move Jeter to 2B in 2007. And, you can either trade Cano (who would be a legit trading chip - given his age and contract) or move Cano to the OF in 2007. (With Sheffield - assuming they extend him - becoming the full-time DH in 2007.) Cano goes to LF and you move Matsui to RF.
...
I know that many are thinking now "What about A-Rod at SS?" While that might make some sense, I don't see Jeter moving off SS for Alex. Yes, it's an ego thing. Think Derek doesn't have an ego? He might move for a new free agent or a kid coming up, but, with A-Rod, that's an admission of "He's better than me" that I think Jeter would have a hard time accepting.

I completely agree about the whole "admitting A-Rod is better than him" thing, but I just can't see the Yankees asking Jeter to change positions with what he is to the franchise. I could see him moving if he volunteers to shift to 2B, but I think that's the only way a position change for Cap'n Clutch is going to go down.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (7-5 loss to Indianapolis)
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B
Russ Johnson: 0 for 5
Kevin Thompson: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 1 for 5
Danny Garcia: 1 for 3, 2 RBI
Matt DeSalvo: 4 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 7-2 GB/FB ratio
Colter Bean: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Scott Erickson: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - 14 of 18 pitches were strikes

Double-A Trenton (4-2 win over New Britain)
Justin Christian: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B
Shelley Duncan: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Tyler Clippard: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HB
Francisco Butto: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K - 0-4 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa (6-2 loss to Sarasota)
Brett Gardner: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 2 K - miscalculation on my part yesterday, hit streak ends at 12 (not 13)
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Tim Battle: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS - BA at .125, highest it's been all year
Irwil Rojas: 2 for 3
Jeff Marquez: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K - 8-0 GB/FB ratio, strongest outing of the season

Low-A Charleston (4-3 win over Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SB
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB - took over league lead in RBI
Jose Gil: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 3 K
Wilkins DeLaRossa: 0 for 4, 4 K
Rolando Japa: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 2 HB
Jim Conroy: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

This is the last time I'm going to blab about the draft, I promise. Overall, I think Mangini did a good job with his first draft as a head coach, nabbing the best available players at 2 positions in D'Brickashaw (I had no idea he was a local kid, so I like the pick even more now) and Nick Mangold. I like the Kellen Clemens pick alot, but I'm pretty miffed about the Anthony Schlegel selection simply because I think he was drafted at least 1 round too soon. Mangini definitely went offense first in the this draft, taking only 2 defensive players at the time of this writing (the Jets still have 2 picks right now).

Power Rankings

2006-04-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

ESPN's latest Power Rankings have the Yanks at number 6 despite a less than stellar record:

Derek Jeter is batting a whopping .408, and has more three-hit games (four) than no-hit games (two).

The first player was suspended under MLB's new steroid policy, and he's a Met (ha!):

Mets minor-league pitcher Yusaku Iriki was suspended for 50 games Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, making him the first player to be penalized under Major League Baseball's toughened steroid rules.

The 33-year-old Iriki agreed to a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Mets in January after spending his entire career in Japan. He was playing at Triple-A Norfolk this season and was on the Mets' 40-man roster.

I gave myself a good 24+ hours to mull over this whole Delmon Young bat throwing incident, and I've got to say that not for nothing, Young had a reason to be angry cause Lester's pitch was about a foot off the plate. In the spirit of Chris Rock: I'm not saying he shoulda threw the bat at the umpire, but I understand.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-2 loss to Indianapolis)
Felix Escalona: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 1 for 4, 2 K - back at first
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Jeff Karstens: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 4 K, 1 WP - only 53 of 104 pitches were strikes (51%), has issued 17 BB in 24.2 IP this season

Double-A Trenton (6-0 win over New Britain)
Justin Christian: 0 for 4
Shelley Duncan: 3 for 4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 SB
Omir Santos: 1 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Vincent Faison: 1 for 3, 3 RBI, 1 K
Steven White: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K - pulled due to high pitch count
Charlie Manning: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
TJ Beam: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (3-1 loss to Dunedin)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - extends hit streak to 13 games
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 3, 2 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 3, 2 K - it may be time to send him back to Charleston
Phil Hughes: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HB - went 20 IP between walks, at his current pace, if he tosses 150 innings this year (about right for a minor leaguers) he'll issue only 10 free passes

Low-A Charleston (8-0 win over Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Reegie Corona: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - I'm just going to start copy and pasting the whole 2 for 4 with a double thing, tied for league RBI lead
Kyle Larson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Jon Poterson: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Abel Gomez: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP
Phil Coke: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - geez Phil, only 2 perfect innings this time? (3-0 GB/FB ratio)
Erick Wordekemper: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 4-0 GB/FB ratio

Needless to say I'm pretty pleased with the D'Brickashaw pick, but I've got to say that Matt Leinart fell into a pretty sweet gig. He's got 2 very good young receivers to throw to, the Edge behind him and Kurt Warner mentoring him. If that's not enough, he's a 45 minute flight from home. Some guys just have all the luck...

I received my first degree at Penn State, so I'm glad to see fellow Nittany Lion Tamba Hali taken in the first round and join another great Penn State alum (Larry Johnson) in KC. We are...PENN STATE!!!

I'm signed on to AIM right now, so if anyone wants to talk draft or baseball or anything along those lines just send me an IM at IGWTMike. I'll be around for another 2 hours or so.

The Great Gardner

2006-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've been giving Brett Gardner praise since the day this blog started, and it's certainly not going to stop now with the way he's playing. I had some time to kill so I decided to do some number crunching, calculating the BA-OBP-SLG-OPS since the start of 2004 through today for each outfielder drafted before Gardner in the 2005 draft:

	Drafted (Rd/Pk/Tm)	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Trevor Crowe	1/14/CLE	.334	.413	.533	.946
John Mayberry	1/19/TEX	.288	.376	.507	.884
Jacoby Ellsbury	1/23/BOS	.360	.455	.498	.953
Travis Buck	1/36/OAK	.363	.450	.542	.992
Eli Iorg	1/38/HOU	.334	.382	.540	.922
Daniel Carte	2/52/COL	.301	.378	.516	.896
Brad Corley	2/59/PIT	.316	.371	.509	.880
Nolan Reimold	2/61/BAL	.338	.446	.659	1.105
Kris Harvey	2/64/FLA	.322	.359	.559	.916
Brian Pettway	3/86/TOR	.309	.390	.530	.921
James Boone	3/91/PIT	.318	.402	.501	.903
Sergio Pedroza	3/106/LAD	.306	.411	.573	.983
Brett Gardner	3/109/CLE	.376	.458	.505	.963

High schoolers Cameron Maybin (1/10/DET), Andrew McCutchen (1/11/PIT), Jay Bruce (1/12/CIN), Colby Rasmus (1/28/STL), John Drennen (1/33/CLE) and Jordan Schafer (1/107/ATL) were not included because high school stats are just too hard to find, plus they're skewed as each of this guys probably hit close to .700 with a 2.000 slugging percentage or something ridiculous like that.

So of all the guys drafted before him, none has had a higher BA or OBP since the start of 2004, and only 3 guys have a higher OPS over that span. Gardner's best tool is his speed - which we all know can't be taught and doesn't go into a slump - which ensures he'll at least have a shot each and every year of posting high BA's. He should be hitting the Bronx in about 14 months, and I for one can't wait to see him play in person.

Graphing Jeter

2006-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

How good has Jeter's start to the season been? Just look at the graphs.

Don't miss No Maas's exclusive interview with Joe Torre.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (7-2 win over Louisville)
Melky Cabrera: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Eric Duncan rode the pine again
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 2B
Danny Garcia: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 3B
Aaron Small: 7 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 63 of 88 pitches were strikes (71.6%)
Scott Erickson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - he must be slipping, he actually allowed a baserunner this game

Double-A Trenton scheduled off day

High-A Tampa (9-7 win over Dunedin)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB - pulled a Messier (11 straight games with a hit), .403 BA leads league by over 40 points, .545 OBP leads league by 88 points
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - second in league in RBIs despite .200 BA
Cody Ehlers: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 K - leads league in RBI, TB, SLG and OPS
Ben Himes: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI - still hitting under .100
Brett Smith: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - 5-10 GB/FB ratio
Josh Schmidt: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston
(Game1: 3-1 win in 7 innings over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 2, 1 BB
Reegie Corona: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Jose Tabata: 2 for 3 - he's simply a hit machine
Edgar Soto: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
David Seccombe: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
(Game 2: 5-2 win in 7 innings over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 1 K - hard to believe for was 0 for Thursday
Reegie Corona: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 E (throwing)
Jose Tabata: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 HBP
Kyle Larson: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Estee Harris: 2 for 3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

With the NFL draft tomorrow, I just wanna take a second to say that if the Jets don't take D'Brickashaw Ferguson, I might have to spend my last $300 to fly home and give Eric Mangini a nice little "Welcome to New York" smack upside the head. Not only would Ferguson fill the Jets biggest need - which happens to be at the most important position on the field - he's also the kind of dominant lineman that could go to a dozen Pro Bowls over his career. And besides, the last time an athlete out of Virginia went 4th overall it worked out pretty well (that would be Ryan Zimmerman).

As far as their second pick in the first round, Nick Mangold out of Ohio State seems like a good fit to play alongside Ferguson, but if Lendale White is still around, it would be hard to pass him up, questionable hamstring or not.

I'd wait for next year to take a QB, especially if Brady Quinn will be available. Unlike Leinart and Young, we know Quinn can play consistently well in cold weather.

Yanks vs Sawx

2006-04-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hot Chick edition (I'll take the ugly one)

Hat tip to Scott from Rival Fish. Thanks for the email.

In need of mo' Mo

2006-04-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Why did Mo get knocked around last night? Joel Sherman thinks it's his light workload:

So far this season, Rivera has become the Maytag Repairman, such is his lack of work.

But, as Rivera explained, "Playing catch is good. But there is nothing like being in the game.''
...
Rivera had been mostly idle because, of the Yanks' 10 wins this season, eight have been by five or more runs. That the Yanks did not generate another blowout last night to make Rivera irrelevant once again will drive them bonkers.
...
This was just Rivera's sixth outing of 2006. However, for his few appearances, Rivera is now 0-2. Good thing he has a long memory for a short reliever. Last year, he blew his first two save chances, and he had just three saves and five tries through the Yanks' first 32 games. Yet he arguably went on to his best season, with 43 saves and a 1.38 ERA.

"There are five months and 140 games left," Rivera said. "I will pitch and pitch a lot.''
Starting next week, the Yanks begin to see the Red Sox and Mets a lot on their schedule. That foretells tightly contested, pressure games. Rivera is right, there will be plenty of opportunities. The Yankees need him to catch on to his usual excellence, and quickly.

I'm not worried about Mo. Never have been, never will be. I just think Torre needs to use him a little more aggressively, like when the Yanks are tied in the 9th or even trailing by run. With the offense this team has shown, it looks like Mo may only get 30 save chances or so this year.

Here's the highlights from Jim Callis' chat over at ESPN.com:

bill (new york): phil hughes has pitched very good so far although its only been 4 starts, given his talent and with the age and question marks in the yankees rotation, would you be shocked if he was in the rotation nect year?
Jim Callis: Assuming you're talking Opening Day, I would be shocked from the standpoint that the Yankees just don't rush prospects. With a payroll pushing $200 million, they don't usually turn to young guys unless they have no other choice. On the other hand, Hughes is very talented, and there are a lot of question marks in the rotation, so he could surface by the end of 2007. I'm not sure that's much of an answer.

Mike A. (Chico, CA): If health was a non-issue: Pelfrey or Hughes? [I had a on-going debate to settle]
Jim Callis: Hughes, because he has a better breaking ball. But right now, factoring everything in, I'd give Pelfrey a slight edge.

Phil (Portland, ME): ok lets get it started..... A-rod at 25 or Wright at 25?
Jim Callis: OK, we'll go to either/or five minutes early today . . . A-Rod at 25. If he hadn't moved, we'd be talking about A-Rod as the best shortstop ever by the time he retired.

Kevin (CT): long term, Pedroia or Cano? [he's referring to Dustin Pedroia, a Red Sox middle infield prospect in case you don't know]
Jim Callis: At the risk of angering two huge fan bases, both of these guys are good players but not as good as most fans think. Cano can hit, but he's not a good second baseman and will have to move to the outfield. At that point, his bat doesn't stand out as much. Pedroia is solid, but he's not an elite prospect and he's not going to be a
superstar. He'll be a solid second baseman when all is said and done. I guess I still have to pick . . . I'll take Cano, who has more upside.

In case you missed it, Delmon Young turned into Elijah Dukes.

If you're looking for a good book to read, you should be able to find one here.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-0 win over Louisville)
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB - batting leadoff instead of his usual 3rd
Kevin Reese: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Russ Johnson: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
Carlos Pena: 1 for 3, 1 RBI - played 1B, Duncan had the day off
Andy Cannizaro: 2 for 4, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 E
Kris Wilson: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K - 61 of 99 pitches were strikes (61.6%)
Scott Erickson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Jose Veras: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton (9-2 win over New Britain)
Justin Christian: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - 14 for 14 in SB chances
Bronson Sardinha: 1 for 4, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Kevin Howard: 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Vincent Faison: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - LFer threw a runner out at home
Tommy Rojas: 1 for 5, 2 RBI
Danny Borrell: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K - 7-3 GB/FB ratio
TJ Beam: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
JB Cox: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (10-4 loss to Dunedin)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 K - just another day at the office
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 2 K - you know you're struggling when Battle is protecting you in the order
Tim Battle: 1 for 3, 1 K
Ben Himes: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Zach Kroenke: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K - knocked around, again
Jeff Kennard: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Gerardo Casadiego: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston postponed due to rain, doubleheader today

If things go well I'll be showin' her my "Oh" face

2006-04-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Oooooooooooh! Oooooooooooh!

(Hat tip to Luke Halpert)

Update: Here's another good laugh.

Boss: "Me, worry? Ha!"

2006-04-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

King George isn't worried (who said he was?):

"I'm not worried about my team," Steinbrenner told a few reporters as he arrived at the Stadium hours before a 9-1 victory over the Devil Rays.
Just a few minutes after the demolition was complete, The Boss departed in a private car. But not before some more comments.

"It was a good win," he said. "Everybody's hitting, and they're doing well."

Asked about Mike Mussina, who allowed only one run on four hits over six-plus innings, Steinbrenner answered, "He was great. Moose carried us, and we did the rest. It was a good feeling."

Potential draft target Luke Hochevar finally caught on with an Indy team:

Hochevar has a deal to pitch for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association, which would give him the opportunity to make six starts in front of scouts before this June's draft. Hochevar remains eligible to sign with the Dodgers until a week before this year's draft, but after negotiations took an ugly turn last fall that seems unlikely.

You know, of all 750 players on Major League 25-man rosters right now, I'd have though Moose was the most likely to not be affected by the whole "contract year" phenomenon, but he's proving me wrong. And I love it.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus
(Game 1: 7-3 loss to Indianapolis, this was the completion of the Monday's game that was suspended due to a power outage)
Thompson/Pena/Cabrera: combined 0 for 9, 2 BB, 4 K - error for Thompson
Russ Johnson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI
Eric Duncan: 1 for 2, 1 K
Koyie Hill: 1 for 3, 1 2B 1 PB
Felix Escalona: 1 for 3, 1 2B
Matt DeSalvo: 4 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 WP - only 50 of 101 pitches were strikes
(Game 2: rained out, no makeup date announced)

Double-A Trenton rained out, no makeup date announced

High-A Tampa (6-5 loss to Sarasota)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - lowered his BA to .400
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Cody Ehlers: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Tim Battle: 0 for 4, 3 K - just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier...
Ben Himes: 2 for 4, 1 K
Alan Horne: 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - 0-5 GB/FB ratio
Mike Martinez: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - 4-1 GB/FB ratio, stranded both inhereted runners
Josh Schmidt: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (5-0 win over Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K - what'd I say about him yesterday?
Chris Malec: 1 for 4, 1 K - batted cleanup for maybe the first time in his life
Joseph Muich: 2 for 4, 1 2B
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, 1 R
Estee Harris: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Jason Stephens: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP - 8-3 GB/FB ratio
Wilkins Arias: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Sorry my posts have been lacking depth of late, the semester is winding down so that's consuming just about all of my time and attention.

Thank You!

2006-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

IGWT eclipsed a milestone recently, receiving it's 10,000th hit (5,744 more than Pete Rose!). Thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to read my rants and often pathetic analysis. I never imagined this blog would take off like it has; it's success has far surpassed any expectations I had.

I have to send a big thank you out to the crew at Yanksblog, Bronx Banter and Steve from Was Watching for linking to IGWT early on and helping it get off the ground.

Thank you again for the continued support,

Mike

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus game suspended due to power outage (will be resumed today)

Double-A Trenton (6-1 loss to New Britain)
Justin Christian: 0 for 4
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, 3 K - 29 yr old DH that just caught on with the Yanks after being with the Royals, don't get excited
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 E (throwing)
Tyler Clippard: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP
Paul Thorp: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP

High-A Tampa (8-6 win over Sarasota)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 2, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 SB - hitting .411 with a .554 OBP
Matt Carson: 4 for 4, 4 R, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB - 15 total bases
Hector Made: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Tim Battle: 0 for 4, 2 K - BA down to .074
Ben Himes: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Jeff Marquez: 2.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 2-3 GB/FB ratio for sinkerballer
Jason Jones: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Michael Gardner: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - save (1), took the closer's role from the struggling Josh Schmidt

Low-A Charleston (4-3 loss to Savannah)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB - seems like he goes 2 for 4 with a SB everyday
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - seems like he goes 2 for 4 with a 2B everyday
Joseph Muich: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B - threw out 2 potential basestealers
Jim Conroy: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 7-3 GB/FB ratio

Thanks to those who said a little Matt Cain prayer yesterday - he was perfect for the first 5 innings before Kaz Matsui squeaked a seeing-eye ground ball up he middle past Omar Vizquel of all people.

Update: BA's Hot Sheet for this week is out, and Phil Hughes shows up as the 7th hottest player (not just pitchers) in the minors:

Ridiculous secondary numbers . . . Hughes is off to his best start as a pro with the biggest number being his 24-1 strikeout-walk ratio. He's been uber-efficient with his pitches lately as well, working into the sixth and seventh innings over his last two outings.

Justin Christian gets honorable mention:

minors-best 13-for-13 steals on the season

Tim Battle makes an appearance on the Not-So-Hot Sheet:

Peaking at .094 . . . It doesn't get much worse than Battle so far this season, whose average has dipped to .080 with 22 whiffs in 50 at-bats.

Small step closer

2006-04-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Aaron Small is heading to Triple-A on a rehab assignment:

Small, who tossed four scoreless innings in his first start, on Monday, will pitch on Thursday for Triple-A Columbus, taking on Louisville.
...
Small, who has been on the disabled list since the start of the season with a strained right hamstring, will likely return to the Yankees during their next road trip. He will probably head to the bullpen as the long reliever and an emergency spot starter.

Weekly Poll: Exactly half of you think Phil Hughes has gotten off to the best start this year, followed by Melky Cabrera (30%) and Jose Tabata (20%). No love for Austin Jackson, who didn't receive a single vote. It's cool, maybe he'll use that as motivation. The new question is up, and as always thanks for voting (stats in the poll are as of this morning).

FYI: Blogger is a piece of crap. If it were a person, I'd punch it in the face.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-3 loss at Toledo, 7th straight loss)
Kevin Reese: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B
Carlos Pena: 0 for 1, 1 RBI, 4 BB
Eric Duncan: 0 for 5, 1 K - just as he supplants Russ Johnson as the #5 hitter
Russ Johnson: 2 fir 5, 1 2B, 1 K
Jeff Karstens: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Double-A Trenton rained out (just as they were getting hot...)

High-A Tampa (7-5 win vs Sarasota)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 1 K - dropped from 3rd to 6th in the order
Tim Battle: 1 for 4, 1 K, 1 SB - BA up to .080, he's too talented to suck this much
Ben Himes: 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 BB
Phil Hughes: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K - worst start of the year, but still damn good

Low-A Charleston (5-1 win over Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI - played in the field for the first time in over a week
Chris Malec: 2 for 4, 2 R
Joseph Muich: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB - quietly hitting .333
Eric Wordekemper: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Phil Coke: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K - dominant, again

Proof that the fantasy Gods hate me: The Reds decided to start Aaron Harang on 3 days rest yesterday unbeknownst to me. Without him in my lineup, he promptly dominates the Brewers and hurls a 5 hitter, his best game of the year. Errrrr......

Finally, if you frequent his blog on a regular basis you're well aware that my favorite prospect/pitcher in the game isn't even a Yankee. I'm asking you to say a little prayer to the baseball gods that Matt Cain absolutely dominates the Mets tonight at the Phone Booth, just so I can rub it in to every Mets-loving member of my family (which happens to be all but 1 of them). Thanks...

From the Boss to King George

2006-04-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Good article on Steinbrenner by Bill Madden:

In a rare exclusive interview, the Yankee Boss told the Daily News he is both "gratified" and "humbled" at the Yankees becoming the first baseball team to be worth $1 billion according to the latest financial team evaluations by Forbes magazine. Not bad for an original investment of $8.7 million.

"This is all very gratifying," Steinbrenner said by phone from Tampa. "I'm truly humbled. I've been very lucky in life, and more than anything this is the product of surrounding yourself with good people. That's always been my philosophy. I've had a lot of good people with me the whole time."
...
"I re-member," said Steinbrenner, "when I told my father I had bought the Yankees, he said to me: 'You're better off sticking to shipbuilding.'"
...
"I could have never envisioned all this," Steinbrenner said. "All I knew when I went into [then-CBS chairman] Bill Paley's office was that I wanted a baseball team."

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (3-2 loss to Toledo)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 2 K
Melky Cabrera: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Eric Duncan: 1 for 1, 3 BB, 1 CS - BA up to .271, but still no HR in 16 games
Matt Childers: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - lowered his ERA to 10.91

Double-A Trenton (10-3 win over Connecticut, holy crap - 2 wins in a row)
Justin Christian: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 SB
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
JT Stotts: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Steven White: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - impressive yet again

High-A Tampa (6-5 loss to Clearwater)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 2, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K - struggling badly, BA down to .193
Hector Made: 2 for 5, 1 RBI
Josh Schmidt: 2 IP, 2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Low-A Charleston (8-7 win over Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 CS
Mario Holmann: 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 K, 2 SB, 1 CS
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HBP
Reegie Corona: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - 8-3 GB/FB raito

The quest for Christian Garcia

2006-04-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

In keeping up with the goings-on of the farm system day-in day-out it's pretty easy to let someone get lost in the shuffle and not notice they're MIA. A comment from loyal reader Marcus yesterday said the following:

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.

To which I replied:

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.

So, where the heck has Garcia been? Plugging his name into milb.com shows him listed at High-A Tampa with a whole lotta zeros for stats (and not in a good way). A Pinstripes Plus search is essentially useless, as is one at the Yanks site and a swarm of google searches.

After spending way too much time surfing the infernet trying to find out what's up with Garcia, I stumbled across this post (dated April 5th) at NYYfans.com, which yielded this info:

P Christian Garcia - Nursing strained oblique. Will be on mound in 2 weeks, and in Tampa's rotation in about 4-6 weeks

Strained obliques are a moderately serious injury for pitchers, so hopefully he'll take the proper amount of time to let it heal and get back on the mound sometime in the next 2-4 weeks for Tampa. That's all I've been able to come up with regarding Garcia, but if you have any more info I'd appreciate you sharing it with me via the comments section.

In other news, Octavio Dotel's rehab hit a snag:

Dotel felt soreness in his surgically repaired elbow after throwing an inning in an extended spring training game, Cashman said yesterday.

"It's nothing to get alarmed about," Cashman said. "His body is telling him let's back
off a little bit."

The Yankees have always hoped to have Dotel back in June, though the pitcher has been more optimistic. "We've said the summer," Cashman said. "He's got a lot to do before he can come to us."

Super, we get to enjoy Tanyon Sturtze that much longer.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (4-3 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Carlos Pena: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B - DH'ed
Melky Cabrera: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Eric Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Kris Wilson: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K - called up from Trenton on Thursday
Colter Bean: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K - not always pretty, but still effective
Scott Erickson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - continues to dominate

Double-A Trenton (7-1 win over Connecticut, break up the Thunder, that's their second win of the year)
Justin Christian: 1 for 5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 SB - tied for league lead in steals
Ramiro Pena: 0 for 4, 2 R, 2 K
Rudy Guillen: 2 for 4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Tommy Rojas: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB
JT Stotts: 1 for 2, 2 RBI, 1 BB
TJ Beam: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - .084 ERA
JB Cox: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP - 1-3 GB/FB ratio for groundball guy

High-A Tampa (6-4 loss to Clearwater)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 HBP - .388 BA, why isn't he in Trenton yet?
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 E - .208 BA
Cody Ehlers: 0 for 2, 2 BB, 1 K - starting to get the Barry Bonds treatment? Nah...
Hector Made: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Zach Kroenke: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Jeff Marquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston (6-3 win over Kannapolis)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Jose Tabata: 0 for 4, 2 K - so, is it bad that he's spent a week straight at DH?
Chris Malec: 2 for 4, 2 R - 16th round pick is looking like a steal
Jason Stephens: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

In case you were wondering, Short Season Staten Island kicks off their season on June 20th, as does the Rookie level GCL Yanks.

Return of the Rocket?

2006-04-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

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

You're welcome....bitches

2006-04-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

Baseball's economy is booming, and guess which franchise you can thank:

Baseball owners continue to slam the ball out of the park. Team values increased an average of 15 percent for the second consecutive year, to $376 million, in our 2006 survey of Major League Baseball's 30 franchises. Overall operating income increased to $360 million ($12.1 million per team) from $132 million ($4.4 million per team) the previous year, as revenue increased faster than player salaries.
....
But the biggest story is the effect revenue sharing is having on the league's economic landscape. Most of the money comes courtesy of the New York Yankees, which paid a record $77 million toward baseball's revenue sharing system.
...
But the league's reliance on Steinbrenner's Yankees goes far beyond revenue sharing. For example, a visit by the Yankees can increase a home team's ticket sales by as much as 25 percent. And the Yankees account for 27 percent of all league merchandise sales, the profits of which get shared equally throughout the league to the tune of more than $3 million per franchise. In effect, much of the league operates as subsidiaries of the Bronx Bombers.

But don't feel bad for the Yankees or the Red Sox. They sit atop our [Forbes'] rankings, worth $1 billion and $671 million, respectively, thanks to the revenue generated by their ownership stakes in regional sports networks. Steinbrenner's $62 million in cable money from the YES channel was by far the most in the league. Moreover, the Yankees will have a new cash-rich ballpark by 2009 -- perhaps adding another 20 percent to the team's valuation.

Prospect Retrospect: Jackson Melian

2006-04-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Name: Jackson Melian
Position: OF
Vitals: 6'2", 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: January 7th, 1980
Hometown: Barcelona, Venezuela
Signed: As an undrafted free agent (1996). Received a $1,600,000 bonus.

Background: Even though his father Vincent named him after some dude named Reggie, baseball was not always Melian's calling in life. Melian was a supremely skilled swimmer - at age 12 he set the Central American record in the 50-meter freestyle - with Olympic success in his not-to-distant future. However, he quit swimming after the Venezuelan national team asked him to move to it's new training facility, at which point he went from speedos to spikes. Barely a year later Melian had transformed himself into a 7-figure bonus baby and the best outfield prospect in the system of his father's beloved Yankees. Melian's family followed him throughout his career, traveling ahead of the team bus to be at each of his games. However, both Melian's parents were tragically killed in a car accident in just his second pro season, an accident that occurred directly in front of the bus carrying Jackson. Melian handled the adversity tremendously, never allowing the tragedy to affect his on-the-field performance.

Strengths: Just about everything. Melian was fast, powerful and graceful all at the same time. At the plate he made hard contact thanks to excellent bat speed, sending balls into the gaps with regularity. He was outstanding in the field, using his speed to cover plenty of ground in the outfield and firing balls back to the infield with a cannon that he kept attached to his right shoulder. He utilized his speed to terrorize pitchers as well, teasing them with big leads before stealing bases almost at will.

Weaknesses: Melian's biggest deficiency was his inability to control the strike zone. Although he drew a respectable amount of walks, his walk totals paled in comparison to his strike out numbers. Melian was always young for his league, which in turn hindered the development of his ability to make consistent contact.

Stats: Immediately after signing, Melian became a regular on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects lists, placing 40th in 1997, 98th in 1998, and 72nd in 1999. Jackson's talents were well-sought after as he was routinely asked for in trade talks - including a 2000 rumor that had him headed to the Cubs as part of a package for Sammy Sosa.

	Team	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	K-BB	BA	OPS
1997	GCL Yankees	213	56	11	2	3	36	52-20	.263	.707
1998	Greensboro	467	119	18	2	8	45	120-41	.255	.673
1999	Tampa	467	132	17	13	6	61	98-49	.283	.768
2000	Norwich	290	73	8	4	9	38	69-18	.252	.699
	Chattanooga (CIN)	6	1	0	0	0	0	0-0	.167	.334
2001	Chattanooga (CIN)	426	101	22	0	16	52	95-36	.237	.703
2002	Huntsville (MIL)	184	41	6	1	6	24	63-35	.223	.726
	West Tennessee (CHN)	234	72	17	0	4	26	62-17	.308	.807
2003	West Tennessee (CHN)	252	65	8	3	7	28	47-20	.258	.715
	Iowa (CHN)	129	23	4	0	3	9	27-8	.178	.505
2004	Greenville (ATL)	161	31	8	3	3	13	38-14	.193	.602
	Trenton	121	32	6	3	3	15	31-13	.264	.781
	Columbus	30	9	4	2	0	4	7-4	.300	.967
2005	Erie (DET)	23	6	2	0	0	1	5-1	.261	.628
2006	Lakeland (DET)	31	7	0	1	0	3	6-0	.226	.532
	Toledo (DET)	8	1	1	0	0	0	4-1	.125	.472

What Happened? In the midst of a run to their third straight World Series title and fourth in 5 years, the Yankees packaged Melian along with Drew Henson, Ed Yarnall and Brian Reith in a mid-season trade with the Reds for Denny Neagle and Mike Frank. After the trade, Melian joined then prospects Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns to form the "Gen-X" outfield, however Melian's bat never came around and he has not come close to reaching his enormous ceiling.

Melian was placed on waivers by the Reds to make room for Joey Hamilton after the 2001 season, at which point he was claimed by the Brewers, who soon after traded him to the Cubs for Robert Machado. Melian has bounced around from organization to organization since 2000, playing for a total of 6 different organizations and 11 different teams, including a second stint with the Bombers.

Melian is currently playing the Detroit Tigers system, where he began the year playing for High-A Lakeland before being promoted to Triple-A Toledo on April 16th. Melian is fulfilling DH duties, and as of April 19th he has a .205-.225-.282-.507 combined line to go along with zero SBs and a 10-1 K/BB ratio. Still only 26 years old, Melian will likely never reach the majors with any staying power.

Matt DeSalvo, groundball machine

2006-04-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

From today's Daily Dish at BA.com:

It's not often you'll see a pitcher record 15 of 16 outs on the ground, but that's exactly what Yankees righthander Matt DeSalvo did last night. He also whiffed four Red Barons.
DeSalvo took the loss against Scranton, but for his part he went seven innings, gave up six hits and allowed just two runs, one earned.
When he's on, DeSalvo relies on a power two-seam fastball, but his changeup might have been even better last night. He was able to command the pitch even when behind, which enabled him to induce lots of soft contact.
DeSalvo consistently threw first-pitch strikes, and even neutralized lefthanded batters, who had hit DeSalvo hard early on."The key is for him to get ahead of lefthanders," Columbus pitching coach Neil Allen said. "Because when he does, he'll throw all manner of changeups and balls with wrinkles at them."

Hughes traded!!!

2006-04-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really. But a new site out there - First Inning - focuses on the difficult task of projecting prospects and minor leaguers. The site is still in it's infancy stages and there's errors abound, which is why Hughes is listed as a member of the LA Angels organization (as if they need another elite prospect). I already reported the error, so don't waste your time.

Regardless, the site appears to be very intriguing, as evidenced by it's BsRA9 Primer, as well as it's positional rankings (here's the outfielders), organization reports (here's the Mets, the Yanks aren't yet available) and minor league player projections, like this one for Eric Duncan.

Stop by and check it out, it's frickin sweet. (Hat tip to Dave Studeman of Hardball Times)

Looking Ahead

2006-04-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Baseball Think Factory's "Looking Ahead to..." series rolled the Yankees way. I partook in the survey, so feel free to point and laugh at my answers.

	Kper9	K/BB	BAA	OPSA	WHIP	XBH allowed
Pitcher A	5.14	2.00	.211	.571	1.05	5
Pitcher B	7.99	3.50	.225	.560	1.01	2
Pitcher C	4.80	4.00	.236	.703	1.00	5

So, who do you want leading your staff? Identities are revealed at the end of this post, although I doubt they're much of a secret...

Just like every Thursday, here's the highlights from yesterday's ESPN chat with BA's Jim Callis:

Bob (North Hampton, NH): How's this years crop of draft eligible catching prospects looking?
Jim Callis: Not very good. The top catcher taken will be either Pepperdine's Chad Tracy (son of Pirates manager Jim) or California high schooler Hank Conger. Conger is a switch-hitter with power, but not a lock to stay behind the plate. Florida's Brian Jeroloman is a defensive specialist, while another Florida high schooler, Max Sapp, is more of an offensive player.
Mike A. (Chico, CA): Hey Jim, thanks for taking our questions. Where do you see Hochevar going in this year's draft? Would it be wise for a team that lacks upper-level talent (i.e. the Yanks) to take him in the 2nd or 3rd round considering the merely average draft class this year? Thanks again
Jim Callis: A lot is going to depend on how good he looks when he gets back on the mound in indy ball this spring. That may be a tall order, because he's coming off a long layoff and will face a lot of older hitters, many with Double-A and Triple-A experience. Hochevar, based on his 2005 form, would go in the upper half of the first round. But he probably won't be in that form, there still will be signability questions and you have to question his makeup after the Dodgers fiasco last year. So it's too early to tell where he goes. He might get to the Yankees at No. 41 after going No. 40 a year ago.
Paul (San Francisco): How predictive is a good farm system of a club's future big league success? For instance, do the clubs whos farm systems you rate in the top 5 in a given year generally do well 2-3 years in the future? I guess the real question is, how fired up can we be if our teams rate as having good farm systems?
Jim Callis: I recently looked at the teams we had ranked No. 1 over the last decade, and the last club to get that ranking and fizzle was the 1997 Pirates. All of the other clubs had a great deal of success (though some, like the Braves and Yankees were already successful when ranked No. 1). Unless the club's talent is being overestimated (in retrospect, that's what happened with the 1997 Pirates), an elite system should lead to big league success.

Down on the Farm (yesterday was an ugly day for the system):

Triple-A Columbus (2-1 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 1 K
Melky Cabrera: 0 for 4
Eric Duncan: 1 for 3
Matt DeSalvo: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - 15-1 GB/FB ratio

Double-A Trenton (9-3 loss to Altoona)
Justin Christian: 2 for 5, 1 SB - moved to leadoff spot a few games ago and took off
Rudy Guillen: 1 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K - .086 BA, you can stick a fork in him, he's no longer a prospect
Danny Borrell: 4 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

High-A Tampa (4-3 loss to Fort Myers)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Hector Made: 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 K
Jason Jones: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Low-A Charleston scheduled off day

Pitcher A: Josh Beckett
Pitcher B: Moose, but I’m sure you knew that already
Pitcher C: Roy Halladay

Prospect Retrospect: Drew Henson

2006-04-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Name: Drew Daniel Henson
Position: 3B
Vitals: 6'5", 222 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: February 13, 1980
Hometown: San Diego, California
Drafted: 3rd round (97th overall) in 1998 (Yankees 4th selection)

Background: A member of the 1998 All-USA baseball team in high school, Henson held national career records in RBIs (290), runs (250), grand slams (10), and homeruns (70 - since broken by current Mariners farmhand Jeff Clement). One of the most physically talented people on the planet, Henson spent his time after being drafted playing pro ball while attending the University of Michigan, where he quarterbacked the Wolverines to a share of the Big-10 title in 2000. A legitimate NFL prospect with Heisman trophy aspirations and first overall pick potential, Henson agreed to a $17M offer to play for the Yankees full-time in March of 2001 after initially declaring he'd return to Michigan for his senior season. Despite the contract, Henson was taken in the 6th round (192nd overall) in the 2003 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, yet he persisted that he was committed to baseball.

Strengths: Power, power, and more power. Henson's raw power was measured on the Ruthian scale, and not until Brandon Wood circa 2005 did a prospect flash as much slugging potential. Henson was a supreme athlete who had the work ethic, leadership abilities and off-the-field attitude that every club dreams of having in it's star player. Henson was a complete package, the definition of a franchise player.

Weaknesses: A less than stellar defender, to say Henson was decent at the hot corner would be a compliment. He made inconsistent contact as his .252 career minor league batting average would suggest. Henson's biggest problem was that he was too talented. The prospect of playing professional football always surrounded him, and the expectations that accompanied the $17M deal were extremely high and (unfairly) exaggerated by the media.

Stats: Henson's raw ability surely did not go unnoticed, as he was deemed the 9th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2002 season, ahead of notable big leaguers Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, Carl Crawford, Carlos Zambrano and Victor Martinez. However, Henson's abilities were far superior to his actual performance, as fans and experts routinely cited that 169 of Henson's 400 career minor league hits went for extra bases (42.3%), failing to acknowledge that 499 of his 1587 minor league ABs ended with either strike three or a double play (31.4%).

	Team	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	K-BB	BA	OPS
1998	GCL Yankees	38	12	3	0	1	2	9-3	.316	.844
1999	Tampa	254	71	12	0	13	37	71-26	.280	.831
2000	Tampa	21	7	2	0	1	1	7-1	.333	.935
	Chattanooga (CIN)	64	11	8	0	1	9	25-4	.172	.565
	Norwich	223	64	9	2	7	39	75-20	.287	.786
2001	Tampa	14	2	0	0	1	3	7-2	.143	.613
	Norwich	19	7	1	0	0	2	4-1	.368	.824
	Columbus	270	60	6	0	11	38	85-10	.222	.623
2002	Columbus	471	113	30	4	18	65	151-37	.240	.736
	NYY	1	0	0	0	0	0	1-0	.000	.000
2003	Columbus	483	113	40	2	14	78	122-32	.234	.703
	NYY	8	1	0	0	0	0	2-0	.125	.250

What Happened? Aaron f'in Boone happened. With their patience wearing thin, the Yankees unofficially pulled the plug on Henson's Yankee career by trading for the former Red and future one-time great Yankee (emphasis on one-time) third basemen in July 2003. The following winter Boone suffered a severe knee injury playing basketball that ending his 2004 season before it even started, creating a vacancy at third base. Despite the opening, Henson never received serious consideration for the job as the Yankees acquired Mike Lamb to plug the hole less than a week later. Henson all but saw his Yankee career come to end on February 16, 2004 when the Yankees acquired perennial All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who had agreed to shift to the hot corner.

Less than a month later, Henson's rights were traded by the Texans to the Cowboys, at which point Henson ended his baseball career by signing an 8-year contract with the Cowboys. After the deal was signed, Yankees GM Brian Cashman had this to say: "Michigan, the Yankees and the Cowboys. That's a pretty talented athlete to be with those teams...I'm happy for him. He was in a position where he had some control of his situation. He's with a good organization and good coach (Bill Parcells)."

Gimme the heat kid

2006-04-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since the Yanks had a young pitching stud come up to the majors and start blowing people away. Chien-Ming Wang was very good last year, but he didn't overpower people. Neither did Andy Pettitte. I'd love to see the Yanks trot out a young - as in closer to 20 than 25 - fireballer every 5 days that doesn't know he's not supposed to dominate major league hitters yet.

There's nothing more exciting in baseball to watch than a young pitcher who turns each start into an event just with his sheer ability. I want a Felix Hernandez or an Ervin Santana or a Joel Zumaya of my own to root for. Heck, I'd settle for a Zach Duke. Living where I have for the past 2+ years, I've been fortunate enough to witness the rise of Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, Danny Haren and Matt Cain, and there's always the occasional glimpse of someone like Justin Verlander rolling through the Bay Area (against the A's last night he was consistently hitting 98 on the gun in the 7th inning with his pitch count in the 120's), and it's spoiled me.

I know with the Yankees it's all about October, and the thinking seems to be that you need veterans who aren't scared of a little pressure (okay, alot of pressure) to thrive. The problem with that is young guys like me aren't really able to relate to the wiley old veterans going out to the mound, but seeing a young kid that's at the same point in life as me jog out there brings me that much closer to the game and the team.

Hopefully Phil Hughes could be that guy.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (9-8 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB - picked off first
Melky Cabrera: 1 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB
Eric Duncan: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI - rebounding quite nicely
Jeff Karstens: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Scott Erickson: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - pitching well enough for me think he's a better option than Jaret Wright

Double-A Trenton (3-1 loss to Altoona)
Bronson Sardinha: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Ramiro Pena: 2 for 4
Tyler Clippard: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K - ERA still hovering above 5.00
JB Cox: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 5-0 GB/FB ratio, first lights-out outing of the year

High-A Tampa (1-0 loss to Fort Myers)
Brett Gardner: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS - picked off first
Edwar Gonzalez: 2 for 4, 1 2B, 2 K
Phil Hughes: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K - talk about a tough luck loss

Low-A Charleston (1-0 loss to Augusta)
Jose Tabata: 0 for 4, 1 K - 4th straight day at DH, he must be nursing something
Chris Malec: 1 for 3, 1 BB
Phil Coke: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - rock solid yet again, where'd he come from?

Nothing to do with the Yankees, but I have a good friend - that happens to be a die hard Mets fan - that's been giving me a hard time day after day after day about Xavier Nady "finally turning the corner" and "living up to his potential now that he's been given a shot." Well, I took the liberty of crunching Nady's career numbers using Dave Pinto's Day-by-Day database:

March thru May: .298-.353-.494-.847
June thru October: .243-.297-.380-.678

Come August, Mets fans will be begging for Mike Cameron.

Don't call it a comeback...

2006-04-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

...he's been here for years:

Twelve games into the season, Jason Giambi is showing last year's sensational second half wasn't a fluke.

Noting his body hasn't felt this good in two years, the Yankees' first baseman was named AL Player of the Week yesterday.

"This is the best I have felt in the last couple of years," said Giambi, who was the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year. "From being sick [2004] and blowing out my knee [2003]. All the work I did rehabbing my knee was lost when I got sick [pituitary tumor]. It was nice to finish with a positive last year and the way I came in this year."

Giambi was 8-for-14 (.571) with four homers, 10 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .700 last week. It was the third time he has been named AL Player of the Week but the first time as a Yankee.

Later on the same articles gives an update on Aaron Small and that literal pain in the ass Carl Pavano:

Yesterday in Tampa, Carl Pavano (bruised butt) threw off a bullpen mound for the first time since the final week of spring training. He threw 48 pitches and is expected to repeat the process tomorrow.

Aaron Small (hamstring) took another step toward coming off the DL by throwing four shutout innings of an extended spring training game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit, didn't issue a walk and fanned four.

The Yankees show up at number 12 (up 3 spots from last week) on SI's power rankings:

By all rights, the Yankees probably should have won two out of three against the Twins. But Mariano Rivera blew a game on Saturday night in typical Rivera style -- sawing off a batter (Justin Morneau), breaking his bat and getting burned on a seeing-eye bloop single. "Maybe sometimes you want them to hit the ball harder so the outfielder can catch it," he said. "What can you do?"

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (10-1 loss to elite pitching prospect Jeremy Sowers and Buffalo)
Kevin Thompson: 2 for 4, 1 SB
Melky Cabrera: 0 for 4
Eric Duncan: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 GIDP
Matt Childers: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (9-0 win over Altoona - first win of the year, still 7.5 GB in the division after only a week and a half)
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 3 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
Kevin Howard: 2 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI
Vince Faison: 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI
Steven White: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K - 2 of 3 starts have been outstanding
TJ Beam: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa (15-10 win over Fort Myers)
Brett Gardner: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - future CFer is hitting .400
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI
Cody Ehlers: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
PJ Pilittere: 2 for 3, 3 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Brett Smith: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - 8-2 GB/FB ratio
Josh Schmidt: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (2-1 loss in 10 innings to Augusta)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 2 K
Jose Tabata: 0 for 4, 2 K - third straight game at DH, I wonder if he's hurt
Chris Malec: 0 for 4
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4 - replacement for CJ Henry, who went on the DL with an undisclosed injury
Eric Wordekemper: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Bryan Villalona: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

A commenter asked me about Tabata's defense: I can't find any fielding stats on either milb.com or riverdogs.com, but when I'm looking through the box scores I check to see if there's been any errors or OF assists or anything like that, and to my knowledge Tabata hasn't done anything too exciting in the OF. He's DH'ed for 3 straight games, so I guess it's possible his defense has been so bad they had to take him out of the field, although I highly doubt it. I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything.

Update: Minor league players of the week were announced, 2 Yankee hitters were honored (no pitchers made the cut):

International League
Russ Johnson, Columbus
.436 (17-39), 9 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 3 SO, 0 SB, .795 SLG
Columbus third baseman Russ Johnson had seven extra-base hits and hit safely in nine of 11 games. The 33-year-old Louisiana native went 4-for-5 with a homer and a triple while scoring twice to help the Clippers run away from Charlotte, 12-6, on April 12.

Florida State League
Cody Ehlers, Tampa
.343 (12-35), 8 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 3 BB, 7 SO, 0 SB, .829 SLG
Tampa first baseman Cody Ehlers smacked four homers, three doubles and a triple to drive in 14 runs and raise his slugging percentage to .829. The 24-year-old first baseman went 4-for-4 with four RBIs to lead the Yankees over Lakeland, 5-4, on April 8.

What are you doing Joe?

2006-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Back to the good old Sesame Street days: which one of these things doesn't belong?

Kyle Farnsworth: 4.1 IP
Tanyon Sturtze: 3.2 IP
Scott Proctor: 7.0 IP
Mariano Rivera: 3.1 IP

From John Donovan's Mailbag over at SI.com:

Are there any indications -- with Brian Cashman more in control -- that the Yankees are going to try to develop some of their own stars? Do they have any projected stars in the making in their system at present?-- Jack Gibson, Neepawa, Manitoba
Jack, Baseball America has the Yankees ranked 17th in their organizational talent rankings. Last year, two homegrown prospects, Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano, both paid off. But it looks pretty dry from there, at least in the high majors.

The Yanks' most talked-about prospects right now are outfielder Melky Cabrera and right-hander Philip Hughes. Cabrera had a cup last season, and he's on the 40-man roster now, but the 19-year-old Hughes still is way down in the minors. Not much chance you'll see him at all this year.

Since Donovan doesn't necessarily appear to be up-to-date on the Yanks system, I'll answer the question for him: Cashman has said that he's committed to rebuilding the team from within, and he appears to be sticking to his guns. He could have easily dealt away Phil Hughes and Eric Duncan at last year's deadline for Mark Kotsay, but he didn't, and he wasn't even sure if he'd be with the team in 2006. That tells you all you need to know about that. As far as prospects, the Yankees have a cache of young talent, but the problem is that they're way down in the A-ball ranks. Melky Cabrera has been HUGE in Triple-A (I said it once and I'll say it again - I couldn't have been more wrong about him in my Top 20 Prospects), but the organization's best hope for future stars lies in Hughes, Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata (more on him below) and CJ Henry, with special mention for Marco Vechionacci. As far as guys that are close to majors, JB Cox could make a cameo in September, Brent Gardner could hit in Bronx next year, and that's really it.

Be sure to take the "You are the GM" challenge over at Hardball Times!

Weekly Poll: Not a good sign for Joe Torre, as more than half of you would like to see someone new at the Yanks helm. On the bright side, more than 30% of you said you love the guy and want to see him around for as long as he wants to be here. The new question is up, thanks for voting as always.

Down on the Farm (2 days worth of stats):

Triple-A Columbus
(Saturday: 7-6 loss in 11 innings to Buffalo)
Kevin Thompson: 0 for 6, 3 K
Mitch Jones: 4 for 6, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 E
Darrell Rasner: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER 1 BB, 5 K - back to reality after 11 K game last week
(Sunday: 8-3 win over Buffalo)
Melky Cabrera: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Eric Duncan: 3 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 K - starting to rebound from the poor start, played DH
Sean Henn: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - left with an injury, no idea what happened
Colter Bean: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Trenton
(Saturday: 7-5 loss to Connecticut, now 0-10 on the year)
Kevin Howard: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Kris Wilson: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 3 HR
(Sunday: scheduled off day, mercifully)

High-A Tampa
(Saturday: 6-3 loss to Dunedin)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 5, 1 RBI - .196 BA
PJ Pilittere: 1 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K - catcher recorded an unassisted double play, how's that happen?
Zach Kroenke: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
(Sunday: scheduled off day)

Low-A Charleston
(Saturday: 10-4 win over Augusta)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 K
Mario Holmann: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 3 for 5, 1 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 1 CS
Chris Malec: 4 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI
Jim Conroy: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
(Sunday: 9-2 win over Augusta)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB
Jose Tabata: 3 for 5, 2 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 1 K - 2nd in league in RBI, tied for lead in 2B, only 17 yrs old
CJ Henry: 1 for 2, 1 RBI - .172 BA
Jason Stephens: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

A new 12th man

2006-04-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Matt Smith (3.2 IP, 0 H, 2 K at Triple-A) got the call:

"That dress code isn't going to work," [Triple-A manager Dave Miley] told a confused Smith.

"I thought maybe he was a stickler about the dress code being on the road," Smith said. "I said, 'What do you mean?' and he said, 'The dress code is a little different in the big leagues.' I thought he was joking, but I know a manager wouldn't do that to a guy in my situation, who had never been there."

Miley wasn't joking. Smith was recalled by the Yankees before Friday's game in Minnesota, giving New York a 12th arm on the pitching staff. To make room for Smith on the roster, the Yanks designated catcher Koyie Hill for assignment.
...
"First and foremost, I have to get lefties out; being a lefty, that's pretty much what you have to do. I really won't know how they're going to use me until I get out there. Right now, I could care less what they do."

Congrats to Matt for getting the call, nothing like watching a guy finally reach his lifelong dream.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (9-1 loss to Buffalo)
Kevin Thompson: 3 for 4, 2 SB, 1 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 4, 2 K, 1 E - .097 BA, dropped from 5th to 7th in the order
Matt DeSalvo: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
Justin Pope: 1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (4-0 loss to Connecticut, now 0-9 on the year)
Ramiro Pena: 0 for 4, 3 K
Gabe Lopez: 2 for 4, 1 K
Jorge DePaula: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

High-A Tampa (9-5 win over Dunedin)
Brett Gardner: 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 K, 1 CS
Eduardo Nunez: 2 for 5, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 4, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HBP
Alan Horne: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

Low-A Charleston (2-1 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Jose Tabata: 2 for 4, 1 RBI
CJ Henry: 0 for 4

Happy Easter everyone, I'll be back Monday.

Prospect Retrospect: Brien Taylor

2006-04-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

Name: Brien Taylor
Positions: LHP
Vitals: 6'3", 220 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: December 26, 1971
Hometown: Beaufort, North Carolina
Drafted: 1st round (1st overall) in 1991 (Yankees 1st selection). Received a $1,550,000 bonus.

Background: The child of a mason and crab processor, Taylor was the consensus top pitcher heading into the 1991 draft after a stellar high school career that was highlighted by a mind blowing 476 K's in 239 IP (that's 17.92 Kper9). Taken by the rebuilding Yankees first overall, Taylor was offered a $350,000 minor league deal (the going rate at the time), however he held out for more money thanks to advice from Scott Boras. Although his high school grades were poor and he didn't receive any college scholarship offers, Taylor threatened to attend junior college in lieu of signing if he didn't receive a bonus along the lines of that offered to top pick Todd VanPoppel the previous year (VanPoppel eventually headed off to Stanford after turning down a reported $1.5M bonus from the A's). Taylor signed for a then record $1,550,000 bonus hours before he was to attend his first day of class. The record bonus later became the subject of an entire segment of 60 Minutes.

Strengths: Taylor featured a very live arm and attacked hitters with the hard-harder-hardest mindset. He possessed an above average fastball that sat in the mid-90s and occasionally threatened triple digits. His secondary pitches were also very good, and he was a strikeout pitcher than missed plenty of bats. A prototypical flamethrower, Taylor was even more attractive because he was a southpaw.

Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Taylor was his makeup, evidenced by the signing bonus fiasco. He needed to improve his control and harness his emotions on the mound, as he would occasionally let jams snowball out of control, to which he quipped "In high school nobody ever got on base so I've got some adjusting to do."

Stats: Taylor ranked as the top prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America prior to the 1992 season, before he ever threw a professional pitch. Taylor's first few years in pro ball were very good as he was named the second best prospect in the Florida State League in 1992 (behind Carlos Delgado) and fourth best in the Eastern League in 1993 (behind Cliff Floyd, Manny Ramirez and Rondell White).

	Team	W-L	ERA	WHIP	G-GS	IP	H	R-ER	HR	K-BB
'88-'91	East Carteret High	29-6	1.25	-	-	239.0	-	-	-	476-?
1992	Ft. Lauderdale	6-8	2.57	-	-	161.0	121	-	-	187-?
1993	Albany-Colonie	13-7	3.48	-	-	163.0	127	-	-	150-102
1996	Greensboro	0-5	18.73	3.92	9-9	16.1	21	40-34	-	11-43
1997	Greensboro	1-4	14.33	3.07	8-7	27.0	31	47-43	-	20-52
1998	Greensboro	0-1	9.59	2.05	13-1	25.1	26	29-27	4	17-26
2000	Columbus (CLE)	0-0	27.00	5.25	5-0	2.2	5	11-8	1	2-9

What Happened? After the 1993 season, Taylor tore the labrum in his left shoulder defending his brother Brenden in a bar fight that also included close friend (and parolee) Ron Wilson. Taylor faced some misdemeanor charges, but they were eventually dropped. On the mound, Taylor's velocity, control and stuff all but disappeared, leaving the talented pitcher a shell of his former self.

After a failed comeback attempt that included an unsuccessful transition to the bullpen, the Yankees cut ties with Taylor after the 1998 season. He caught on with the Mariners (although he was released before spring training) and the Indians before finally calling it a career. Taylor holds the distinction of being 1 of only 3 first overall selections to never reach the majors, joining Steve Chilcott and Josh Hamilton (although there may still be hope for Hamilton).

So what did we learn from this kids? Always fight dirty in bar fights - hit with objects (not your hand) and avoid using your pitching arm. Death before dishonor kids, death before dishonor.

Boss on the Mets: "Who gives a sh*t?"

2006-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

George Steinbrenner isn't letting the Mets success get to him:

George Steinbrenner is well aware of the hot start the crosstown Mets are off to. The Yankees owner does not fear the Amazin's, though, saying his team will be prepared when the two squads face off next month.

"They're all right," Steinbrenner said of the Mets after yesterday's 9-3 Yankees victory over the Royals. "We'll be ready for them."
...
Then he said, "We'll be ready for them when we play them."

The Yankees and Mets play at Shea Stadium on May 19-21 and at Yankee Stadium June 30-July 2. The Mets are 7-1 this season, while the Yankees are 5-4.
...
"They're a good team," Steinbrenner said. "They're not going to lose 100 games."

Come talk to me about the Mets when they beat a team that at least has a shot at a .500 record this year.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (7-5 loss to Charlotte)
Melky Cabrera: 4 for 5, 1 2B, 1 RBI - I couldn't have been more wrong in my Top 20 prospects
Eric Duncan: 0 for 5, 1 K - .111 BA
Russ Johnson: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B - .556 BA leads league by almost 100 points
Jeff Karstens: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Double-A Trenton (5-4 loss to Connecticut in 10 innings, now 0-8 on the year)
Justin Christian: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - error
Danny Borrell: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
JB Cox: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K - blown save

High-A Tampa (10-6 loss to Dunedin)
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K - committed 6th error at short
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 K - average is starting to climb (.276)
Jeff Marquez: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K - 9-2 GB/FB ratio

Low-A Charleston (7-1 loss to Charlotte)
Austin Jackson: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB - .333 BA
Jose Tabata: 0 for 5, 1 R, 1 RBI - .296 BA
Reegie Corona: 3 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB - gave CJ Henry a day off a short
Mario Alvarez: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Prospect Profile: Phil Hughes

2006-04-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Name: Philip J. Hughes
Position: RHP
Vitals: 6'5", 220 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: June 24, 1986
Hometown: Santa Ana, California
Drafted: 1st round (23rd overall) of 2004 draft (Yankees 1st selection). Received $1,400,000 bonus.

Background: It took 3 months, but I finally caved and profiled the Yankees gem of a pitching prospect. Not to be confused with the evil Phil Hughes, the Yankees prospect grew up a Red Sox fan and made frequent trips to visit family in Rhode Island. Heading into the 2004 draft, Hughes was highly regarded by the Yankees, who had him rated higher on their draft board than where they landed him at number 23 overall. Hughes made his first appearance on Baseball America's annual Top 100 prospects list this year, landing at number 39. He ranked number 1 on all Yankees prospects lists around the web (except mine) and figures to remain in the top spot for the foreseeable future.

Strengths: Hughes has a potent combination of stuff and command. His fastball sits anywhere from 92-94 mph and has reportedly reached 96. Both his curveball and changeup are above average pitches at this point, with the potential for improvement still abundant. Hughes' slider reportedly puts his other pitches to shame; it's a power pitch that breaks hard and late and induces plenty of swings and misses, however the Yankees made Hughes keep it in his pocket in an attempt to develop his other pitches. Hughes has impeccable command with all his pitches, and also sports a frame that is a scout's dream. His delivery is smooth, effortless and easily repeated, leading to Hughes being dubbed "Mark Prior Lite". Hughes also has a very good work ethic and excellent makeup.

Weaknesses: Only one thing is holding Hughes back: his durability. Hughes has spent time at 3 levels since being drafted, ending each stint with an injury. Mature beyond his years, Hughes needs to start accumulating some innings as he's only thrown 91.1 as a pro prior to this season.

Stats: Hughes made a seamless transition to pro ball from high school, and has consistently dominated the competition at every stop:

	Team	W-L	ERA	WHIP	G-GS	IP	H	R-ER	HR	K-BB
2004	GCL Yankees	0-0	0.00	.80	3-3	5.0	4	0-0	0	8-0
2005	Charleston	7-1	1.97	.90	12-12	68.2	46	19-15	1	72-16
	Tampa	2-0	3.06	.68	5-4	17.2	8	6-6	0	21-4
2006	Tampa	1-1	0.00	.80	2-2	10.0	7	1-0	0	10-1
Total		10-2	1.87	.85	22-21	101.1	65	26-21	1	111-21

Outlook: The Yankees have babied Hughes to this point - which I hate seeing done to any prospect (you treat'em like babies and you get babies) - but they're turning Hughes loose this season and will allow him to start throwing his slider again. With the graduation of elite pitching prospects Justin Verlander, Matt Cain, Francisco Liriano, Joel Zumaya and Jonathan Papelbon, it's entirely possibly Hughes will become one of the top 3 pitching prospects in the game in 2007, with the distinction of being first an outside possibility. The history of high school righthanders taken in the first round of the draft isn't great, but Hughes has a chance to become the best first round selection the Yankees have made since Derek Jeter. If is health becomes a non-issue, Hughes has a high probability of reaching his ceiling as a top-of-the-rotation starter, and he figures to be in the Bronx for good by 2008, if not sooner.

You can watch Hughes' dominate some high schoolers in his scouting video here (first on the list).

Beat Down in the Bronx

2006-04-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I shouldn't have, the little devil on my right shoulder convinced me to skip class yesterday to watch the game - he must have put a hit out on the little angel on my left shoulder, because it was no contest.

Anywho, I charted Chacon's velocity, but this time I paid special attention to his fastball and curveball (his 2 main weapons), keeping the readings separate from his other pitches. Here's the data (all velocity readings are from ESPN's radar):

The dark blue indicates the average velocity of his fastball for the inning, the purple is the same for his curve, and the yellow is the average velocity for all pitches, not just his heater and curve. I intentionally left off the 2 pitches he threw in the 7th, because the radar gun reading didn't show for the first pitch and it wasn't worth accounting for one 87 mph fastball.

Will Chacon continue to increase his velocity as the game wears on in each of his starts this year? Of course not, but it's kinda weird how he threw harder as the game wore on. I wish I was able to see more games so I could keep track of Chacon and his velocities over the year, but alas, I can not.

Chacon was a mixed bag during the game, he was dreadful in the 1st and 5 th innings, but masterful in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th. For 3rd time this year the Yanks hung double digit runs on the board, meaning they're on pace to score in double digits 60 times this year. I was good to see them bury the Royals, a team that couldn't be the anymore their opposite.

Here's a couple of highlights from one of my favorite hours of the week, Jim Callis' chat on ESPN:

bill (new york): hey, who do you think will be the better player 10 years from now, austin jAckson or c.j. henry?
Jim Callis: C.J. Henry. But that's more of a gut feel, obviously, because both guys have barely played. Austin Jackson is a better basketball player, though (as well as a good prospect in his own right).
Rich (Brooklyn): Blast from the past - how good was Brien Taylor before he ruined it?
Jim Callis: Very good. Great arm, needed more polish but he was moving very quickly. Of the current crop of big leaguers, he was probably most similar to Scott Kazmir.
Shawn (PA): So far from this season, the Yankees once again look like they need better pitching...Johnson gives up home runs, Mussina doesn't have what he use to, and Wang didn't look too good yesterday...what do they do about the pitching?
Jim Callis: The better question would be, why didn't they do something about this in the offseason. The only close-to-dominant starter they had was Johnson, who's on the wrong side of 40 and has bad knees. Mussina is on the downside, and the rest of the staff is a bunch of question marks, most with low K/9 rates. For nearly $200 million, that's the best they can do? They'll still score a boatload of runs, probably enough to overcome mediocre starting pitching and middle relief. But if something were to happen to Mariano Rivera, they could be in trouble, and I don't think their rotation is the kind of rotation that's going to win three series in the postseason.
Matt (RI): About the Yankees starting pitching, who are their top pitching prospects in the minors that could make an impact in the majors in a couple of years?
Jim Callis: A real impact? Philip Hughes, if he stays healthy. And no one else.
Daniel (New York, NY): J. Brent Cox will have an impact in the yankee pen in the near future?
Jim Callis: I was thinking starters, but I do like J. Brent Cox. I think he can become a solid setup man for the Yankees. Please stop with all the questions about Darrell Rasner, Matt DeSalvo, Steven White--those guys are middle guys at best in my eyes.
Kevin (NYC): Philip Hughes or Mike Pelfrey?
Jim Callis: Pelfrey, if only because Hughes' health record scares me a little.
ed (new york): JETER OR DAVID WRIGHT?
Jim Callis: Wright.
David, DET: [The Tiger's Kevin] Whelan or JB Cox?
Jim Callis: Cox, but I really like Whelan as well. Nice name to throw out there, David!
Travis (SD): Could you explain that Jeter Wright pick?
Jim Callis: I can . . . Wright's got a lot more of his career left than Jeter does, and I think both are among the elite at their postions. So give me Wright.
KEvin (Austin): Build a team around? Arod or Pujols
Jim Callis: I'll take the stud SS (of course, he could still play there) over the stud 1B.
Sam (Toronto): Chien Ming Wang: One year wonder, or temporary struggles?
Jim Callis: Not as good as he was last year--that K/9 really bothers me--but better than he's going right now.

Down on the Farm:

Triple-A Columbus (12-6 win over Charlotte)
Melky Cabrera: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Russ Johnson: 4 for 5, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI
David Parrish: 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 K - first round bust is batting .400
Matt Childers: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Double-A Trenton (2-1 loss to Harrisburg, now 0-7 on the year)
1 thru 4 hitters: 1 for 18, 4 K
Caonabo Cosme: 2 for 3, 1 2B
Tyler Clippard: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

High-A Tampa (8-2 win over Fort Myers)
Brett Gardner: 4 for 5, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 K, 1 SB
Cody Ehlers: 3 for 3, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB
Phil Hughes: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - beat fellow Top 100 prospect Anthony Swarzak
Josh Schmidt: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston (3-1 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 3, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 CS - picked off first
Jose Tabata: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 2 K
Wilkins Arias: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Unimpressed

2006-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel about yesterday's win over the Quarter Pounders (that's a pathetic Pulp fiction reference for those wondering).

For the second straight start, Chien-Ming Wang went through the order with relative ease the first time, only to get tattooed his second time through (Gator, this is where you're supposed to do something). Wang allowed 10 baserunners in 6 innings, Tanyon Sturtze was somewhere between embarrassing and disasterous, and the hitters had to rely on an 8th inning rally capped off by Captain Clutch (oh by the way, David Ortiz had another "clutch" solo HR in the 7th yesterday with his team leading by 3) to over come a team that's a combined 170 games under .500 this century.

On the bright side, Wang had a stellar 13-4 GB/FB ratio, Mo got to pitch in a meaningful inning for the first time this year (but even that was adventurous), Mike Myers continued to get people out, and Jason Giambi actually squeezed in a HR between all those walks.

But Sheff, 0 for 5? Geez. You've now left 20 men on base this year, meaning you're on pace to strand 462 runners this year. But don't worry, Cash will be sure to hurry up and get you that contract extension.

The Yanks shouldn't just be beating teams like the Royals, they should be obliterating them.

Here's a little factoid regarding Jeter from Buster Olney's blog:

A note from Rob Tracy of the Elias Sports Bureau on the Jeter hit: It was only the second hit of Jeter's career in the eighth inning or later that drove in the tying and go-ahead runs. The other was in 1999 (including the postseason). During Jeter's tenure on the Yankees, Jorge Posada has five such hits and Scott Brosius had four. Jeter has had 56 chances to drive in a tying and go-ahead run in the eighth or later.

Down on the Farm (here's 2 days worth of stats; I had more important things to take care of yesterday since someone was nice enough to steal my car):

Triple-A Columbus
(Monday: 2-1 loss to Charlotte)
Kevin Thompson: 1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 BB - .389 BA
Eric Duncan: 1 for 4, 2 K - first hit in 12 plate appearances
Darrell Rasner: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K - 61 of 86 pitches were strikes (71.7%)
(Tuesday: 6-4 win over Charlotte)
Melky Cabrera: 1 for 4, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Eric Duncan: 0 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Sean Henn: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Jose Veras: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton
(Monday: 4-2 loss to Harrisburg)
Rudy Guillen: 0 for 5, 4 K
Shelley Duncan: 2 for 3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
JB Cox: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K
(Tuesday: 4-2 loss to H-burg in 10 innings, now 0-6 on the year)
Caonabo Cosme: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Vince Faison: 3 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Steven White: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K - 11-3 GB/FB ratio

High-A Tampa
(Monday: 5-1 loss to Fort Myers)
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 4, 1 K - error
Zach Kroenke: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Jason Jones: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
(Tuesday: 7-0 loss to Fort Myers)
Marcos Vechionacci: 0 for 3, 2 K - potential Gold Glover committed 3rd error in 4 games
Edwar Gonzalez: 0 for 3, 3 K
Chase Wright: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston
(Monday: scheduled off-day)
(Tuesday: 3-1 loss to Columbus)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 4, 2 K
Jose Tabata: 1 for 4, 2 K
CJ Henry: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Rolando Japa: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP
Jim Conroy: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K