MVN - Most Valuable Network

Winter Ball Recap, 10/7

Peoria defeats Surprise, 10-3

• Phil Hughes ended up going 5 innings, giving up no runs and just 1 hit, while walking 5 and striking out 7.  The 5 walks indicate that he struggled with his control, perhaps the result of a long layoff, but his stuff was apparently still good.
• Austin Jackson started his AFL season off on the right foot, going 2 for 4 with 4 RBI’s, a triple, and a sac fly.  He played center in an outfield with 2 other impressive centerfield prospects, Cincy’s Drew Stubbs, and Seattle’s Greg Halman.
• Kevin Russo, playing 3rd and batting 9th, was 0 for 3 with a walk and a steal.

Waikiki defeats Honolulu, 8-4

• Damon Sublett was the only Yankee who appeared in this game.  He went 1 for 4 with a double and is hitting .333 so far in the HWB season.

Phil Hughes is pitching for Peoria right now

• Through 3 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, a wild pitch, and 4 strikeouts for Phil.  Sounds about right.  It’ll be interesting to see how many innings they have him throw.  Austin Jackson, starting is center and hitting 3rd, is 0 for 1.  You can follow the game on Gameday.

Arizona Fall League Play Begins Tomorrow

While the Hawaiian Winter Baseball league has already gotten underway, the higher level of the two American leagues, the Arizona Fall League, will begin on Tuesday at 12:35 local time (3:35 Eastern).  The Yankees have sent a number of intriguing prospects to play for the Peoria Javelinas of the AFL.  Phil Hughes headlines a strong group of Yankee pitching prospects that also includes starter Jeff Marquez, Humberto Sanchez (will he start or relieve?), and reliever Kevin Whelan.  Austin Jackson is the top position player prospect for the Yankees in Hawaii, and in addition, 2b Kevin Russo and 1b Juan Miranda will be on the team.  This talented group of Yankee prospects will be joined by top prospects from other organizations including Milwaukee catcher Angel Salome and starter Jeremy Jeffress, Seattle SS Carlos Triunfel (age 18) and OF Greg Halman, and Cincy centerfielder Drew Stubbs.  It is also worthy of note that Scott Aldred, the pitching coach at AA Trenton, will be part of the team.

The AFL is known to be a hitter-friendly league with a high level of competition, so it will be interesting to see how the Yankee prospects fare.  All eyes will be on Hughes, to see if he is able to dominate the (albeit strong) minor league competition that he will be facing, and there will be questions asked if he struggles.  It should be a good opportunity for Phil to work on his cutter and changeup and get some more innings under his belt.  It will be a nice test for Whelan and Sanchez to see how they handle the AFL batters, and it will be interesting to see if Sanchez is used in the bullpen or as a starter.  To be honest I don’t expect much from Marquez at this point, but hopefully he proves me wrong.  Jackson and Miranda are expected to put up big numbers in the hitter-friendly environment of the AFL, and I anticipate Miranda getting an opportunity to show off his impressive power.

It’s hard to put too much stock in winter ball performances, but it could give us a sense of how these prospects are evolving and improving as players.  With a number of these guys potentially competing for a spot in the majors next season, the pressure will be on to perform.

Hawaiian Winter League Update, 9/27-10/4

Sorry for the lack posts and updates. EJ, Eric, and I have been really busy lately. Things will get back to normal soon. I promise! Now here are the numbers our Yankees prospects have put up in Hawaii so far:

9/27

• Andrew Brackman got the start for the Waikiki Beach Boys first game and got shelled. In just 2 1/3 innings of work, the 2007 first rounder allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 in the process. He threw 71 pitches!!, 45 for strikes. Big time bust? I don’t think so.

9/28

• Jeremy Bleich got the start in this one and didn’t pitch too well. In 2 2/3 innings of work, Bleich allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2 in the process. He threw 51 pitches, 23 for strikes. He did however pick off a runner at first base.
• 20 year old stud catching prospect Austin Romine was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Austin also had a so-so day on the defensive side of the ball, throwing out 2 out of 3 potential base stealers while also having 2 passed balls.

10/1

• Twenty three year old Damon Sublett was 1 for 2 with a double and a strikeout. Sublett only played 43 games this season due to a serious ankle injury earlier in the year.

10/2

• Austin Romine was 2 for 3 with a RBI and 2 walks.
• Damon Sublett was 2 for 4 with a double, run scored, walk, and 4 RBIs.

10/3

• Andrew Brackman got the start and was excellent. In 5 shutout innings of work, AB allowed just 3 hits and a walk, striking out 5 in the process. It took AB only 63 pitches, 42 of them going for strikes. He also had a 6-4 groundout-flyout ratio. Baller status anyone?
• Damon Sublett was 1 for 3 with a RBI and 2 strikeouts.

10/4

• Jeremy Bleich got the start and continued to struggle. In 3 1/3 innings of work, Jeremy allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out only 1 in the process. Jeremy threw 69 pitches, 39 of them for strikes, and did however have a 7-1 groundout-flyout ratio.
•  Damon Sublett was 1 f0r 5 with 3 strikeouts.

Also, expect a couple of prospect interviews in the future! Trust me, I’m a man of my word.