System Overview: New York Yankees

November 1, 2008

System Overview: New York Yankees

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Today, we continue our survey of MLB farm system with one very different from the Detroit Tigers, a system that appeared to be an emerging minor league powerhouse year ago, but after a bad year holds a future a little more cloudy.

Overview: The Yankees have sunk a ton of money into their farm system, with interesting yet slightly disappointing results. They are experiencing a surge of young pitching to the major leagues, but few have worked out. Young pitchers like Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain have all worked through a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness, leading to the Yankees having to adjust their game plan. They also still struggle to produce position players, after having to trade away top outfielder Jose Tabata following his own mental struggles. The Yankees will always rely on a cadre of expensive free agents to make up their team core, but they have realized that these acquisitions must be supplemented with cheap, young talent. That have made that adjustment, now its all about the execution.

Strengths: The two identificable strengths of the Yankee system are in catchers and relief pitchers. The Yankees have, by far, the best assortment of young catchers in all of minor league baseball. Jesus Montero, has yet to turn 19 years old, but hit .326/.386/.491 in full season A ball this year. He projects to hit 30-35 home runs as a catcher, and more if converted to 1st base. Higher up, Francisco Cervelli projects similar to the Ray's Dioner Navarro, but with a better arm. The Yankees have three or four other good catching prospects, and should have a surplus in the coming years. For relief pitchers, the Yankees have been rewarded following a risky new pitching regime for their bullpen arms. Yankee relievers in the minor leagues have been trained to throw for multiple innings per appearance, on a set schedule. Yankee rookie David Robertson pitched 2.89 innings per game in the minor leagues, while potential closer Mark Melancon pithched 2.14 per. It remains to be seen whether or not the Yankees will be able to wholesale translate this increased length to the major leagues, but it is certainly encouraging.

Weaknesses: Despite showing sporatic discipline, the Yankees have resorted to their old pattern of rushing pitchers to the major leagues in order to serve immediate need. While it is debatable whether or not this is a good strategy, it is not debatable that it throws off a player's development. Phil Hughes went to the majors early, got injured, and has been off his game since. Joba Chamberlain has had to have weird rules and innings limits due to his hurried shift to the bullpen. Ian Kennedy would be been better served to sit in the minors this season following struggles, but never got his rhythme. The Yankees need to take a breath and allow their prospects to develop. Besides pitchers, they also have a problem in the hitting department. The Yankees haven't developed a true power prospect since Alfonso Soriano, and he was ready-made for them. They have big gaps at a number of positions including shortstop, where Derek Jeter may have to be replaced relatively soon. The Yankees have struggled in the beginning part of the draft in recent years, failing to sign 1st round pick Gerrit Cole in 2008 and signing Tommy John victim Andrew Brackman in 2007.

Bottom line: They've got the right idea, but haven't pulled it off yet. Smart money is on the big money succeeding in the long run.

Tags: Milb, MLB, New York Yankees, System Overview

Discussion

4 Comments on "System Overview: New York Yankees"

Posted by KO, November 1, 2008 12:10 PM

Drafting at the bottom of the pile year in and year out means that the blue chippers are long gone each year by the time its your turn. There have been a couple of organizations that have still been able to get results drafting at the bottom in recent years (the Red Sox and Angels), but they're the exceptions. They also developed a philosophy of drafting "un-signable" blue chippers and then signing them with overwhelming offers. Moving forward, that will be much harder for them to do because now other teams, such as the Yankees, have also adopted that strategy. The Yankees can't build a winner thru the draft alone. International free agents is the other way of bringing in young talent and, again, the Yankees have disappointed lately. They missed out on the big name guy a couple of years ago, Matsusaka, and the Red Sox intelligently grabbed him. You can make a case that if the Yankees had gotten him rather than the Red Sox that the Yankees would have made the playoffs rather than the Red Sox. Last winter was a disaster for the Yankees on the international front as Billy Beane stole Inoa, a potential Randy Johnson, out from under their noses and the Reds and Padres of all people outbid them for most of a top crop of youngsters. The Yankees have a few minor league position players who look like they may have a shot at being high quality big leaguers - AJax, Montero and Romine, but they're all pretty far away from there right now.

Posted by Gerry`, November 1, 2008 5:26 PM

The Yankees aren't alone in rushing players to meet immediate needs. IMO, the Red Sox Hansen, Buchholz, Sanchez, Ellsbury are a few of those who would have benefited from more time in the oven. Every team does it, and wastes their long-developing talent in so doing.

Posted by viridiana, November 2, 2008 7:05 PM

Very poor job, IMO.

You lump Joba in with Ian Kennedy to make an invalid point. Joba is argualbly one of the top three young pitchers produced by ANYONE in the last two yeares, having performed brilliantly both as a starter and reliever. His emergence alone vindicates the Yankee development system. Then there's Phil Coke, who was not even MENTIONED. The guy merely gave up one run last year in roughly 14 innings. Indeed, the Yankees have already rebuilt their bullpen with their own youngsters-- and there's much more on the way.

This rather superficial "system overview" also neglects a critical point. Four or five of the Yankees best arms were or are recovering from surgery. Let's wait and see how Brackman, Sanchez, Horne and Garcia do this year. It seems to me there are roughly 25 major league organizations that would be thrilled to have this type of quartet on the mend and on the rise.

You are absolutely correct on one point -- Yanks are deficient in position prospects-- except at catcher.

I predict the rest of baseball will be trying to pry loose some of that young Yankee pitching over the next several years.

Posted by EdB, November 3, 2008 2:11 PM

Obviously the minor league system is a function of the big league team's anticipated needs. They have an aging catcher so there is a wealth of young catchers (all the way down to Weems and Higashioka). Jeter may still have a couple years at SS but they have been aggressive in bringing in guys like Angelini and Lassiter hoping on the upside but knowing they've got a while before they have to make a decision. The OF was going to be the most immidiate need so they stocked Tabata and Jackson and so on.

I'd say the team has done a great job in setting up the farm system based on where they draft every year. There has been a focus on SP, C, and SS-three of the hardest positions to fill in the early rounds. If we are to assume Ajax is in line for a shot at CF then the only position of need they have not really been addressing is 1B which of course is the traditional landing ground of the aging slugger (which the Yankees have many).

All in all I'd say that's a team with a plan. Whether its a good one or not remains to be seen. But most will tell you the easiest positions to fill via free agency are 1B and corner OF and those coincidently are the team's biggest weaknesses.