MVN: Most Valuable Network

Sorry for the extended absence everyone but I'm just getting back from my weekend trip physically as well as mentally. So let's jump right into it, we're going to have up our System wide all-star teams sometime soon as well.

Kevin Russo-AAA-2B

2-for-8, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Russo doesn't really have an impressive line to muse on from last night's double header but I wanted to throw him in here anyway. Russo currently has reached base safely in 29 straight games and 35 out of 36 games this season. Russo has future utility infielder written all over him. Russo plays an above average 2B and also can hit a bit. He's an OBP guy without a ton of K's, very Gardner-esque (not much power) and can also run well. He's also only 25. The utility field is a bit muddled with Ramiro Pena's emergence this year. Nunez was the other name being tossed around earlier this year but he doesn't reach base like Russo and has also made 17 errors in 67 games this year. Russo and Trenton's Reggie Corona might be possibilities for future bench players.

Zach McAllister-AA-RHP

6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

That line isn't going to wow anyone but if you look at what he's done on the season prepare to have your jaw dropped. McAllister leads the eastern league in ERA with a 1.87 (yes, big pitchers park and all that) while racking up 72 K's in 86 innings with just 26 walks. As most of you know McAllister isn't going to blow anyone away with his stuff. He's more of a control guy who can work the zone and change speeds effectively. He gets a lot of ground balls with a good sinking two seam fastball and most of his success comes off of that. With Brackman completely lost and Betances not really dominating I think it's probably safe to assume McAllister has passed them on prospect lists. Coming into the season he was rated the 6^th best prospect by Baseball America. McAllister certainly doesn't have the upside of a Brackman or a Betances but he's furthest along, is only 21 and has dominated at every level (career 3.23 FIP in the minors).

Neil Medchill-R-OF

1-for-4, 1 R

Not a huge line for Medchill last night but the guy just keeps hitting and he's been the star of Staten Island so far. 3 HRs in his first 53 AB's is nice to see from the lefty and he's backed it up with a .360/.368/.604 line. Medchill HAS been striking out frequently but adjustments are necessary when switching to professional ball. A lot of guys had Medchill as a steal for the Yankees in the 11^th round and if he can keep this up he'll certainly live up to that label.

Kelvin De Leon-GCL-OF

2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBIs

De Leon has been tearing it up in his state side debut. He ranked 27^th on Baseball America's top 30 Yankee prospect list and figures to move up considerably if he continues on this pace. He has struggled a bit with the strike outs but that's to be expected from an 18 year old in his first baseball experience in the US. In his first 33 AB's he's stolen some bases (3), hit some HRs (2), hit for average (.364) and hit for power (.608 SLG). It's an extremely small sample size, yes, but it's a good start from a promising kid so it's certainly something to hang your hat on.

As you all know, Chien-Ming Wang went down with a shoulder strain yesterday and its being said that he will miss about a month. The Yankees have the luxury of having a few different options to use as their fifth starter.

1.     Phil Hughes

Hughes is an interesting option to fill the fifth starter roll and the debate is raging amongst Yankee fans on what to do with him. There are a few things at play when discussing returning Hughes to the rotation. Hughes needs innings. It seems like he has been around forever but he is still just 23 years old. While Hughes has been a marvel out of the bullpen, I think people are forgetting that he was pitching well in the rotation before moving to the pen, which was why the Yankees couldn't afford to send him down. In his four starts before shifting to a reliever, he struck out 23 in 23 innings while only walking 7, and had an ERA of 3.91.  One issue I have with Hughes returning to the rotation is bouncing him around too much. If the Yankees really think Wang will be back within a month, is it worth it to stretch Hughes out just to put him back in the bullpen?

2.    Alfredo Aceves

Aceves has proven to be a great pickup for the Yankees. It's amazing that they just picked him up for free from a Mexican league. He was successful as a spot starter for the Yanks last year, but his K:BB was a weak 16:10 in 30 innings. Since being called up, Aceves has worked exclusively from the pen and has been great. His K:BB is a much improved 29:7 in 36 innings. Aceves is 27 and doesn't have the upside that Hughes has; he pretty much is what he is at this point. Aceves is a back-end starter or good reliever. If the Yankees want to be conservative, Aceves is not a bad option at all to start a few games.

3.     Sergio Mitre

 

Cashman signed Mitre to a 2-year deal coming off an injury to have extra starter depth. It never hurts to have starting pitching depth. Mitre has been great in AAA since coming back from injury. He has thrown 30.1 innings and has struck out 23 while only walking 3 batters. Mitre has been a serviceable swingman in his career, but his career FIP is a pedestrian 4.62, and that was all in the NL. That is fine for a 5^th starter, but if you have better options, you should use them. Mitre is also not on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees can open up a spot by transferring Xavier Nady to the 60-day DL.

I think that these are the three guys who should be considered, but I've seen other names mentioned as possibilities. I've heard some say Ivan Nova or Zach McAllister should be called up for the start but I don't think that's a good idea. For one, neither is on the 40-man roster and don't need to be added yet. Also, Nova has one career AAA start and McAllister is still in AA. These guys are not developed yet and should continue to get starts in the minors.

Phil Hughes is the guy who should be taking these starts, but only under certain conditions. I don't want to see Hughes make 4 starts, pitch well, and then go back in to the bullpen. If Hughes continues to pitch well out of the rotation, I think you have to stick with him over Chien-Ming Wang. While Wang has improved from his dreadful start of the season, his ERA since moving back into the rotation is 6.43, which is still unacceptable. If the Yankees are not open to keeping Wang out of the rotation when he returns, I think it would be best to use Aceves. It's time to give Hughes a chance to earn a starting job. At this point, I don't think Wang should be guaranteed a rotation spot when Hughes has outpitched him all season long. It is easy to fall in love with Hughes in the bullpen since he's been so dominant, but a good starting pitcher will almost always be dominant out of the pen.

What do you think? Who would you use as the temporary fifth starter?

The Yankees as expected signed Gary Sanchez today along with two other international free agents. Chris Cabrera a RHP from the Dominican Republic was obtained for 400K. Here was the bit we published about him earlier:

Chris Cabrera, RHP, Dominican Republic
6'1"/185
Cabrera has some more polished stuff (for a 16 year old) and has drawn plenty of interest around the league. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and has touched 94. He also offers a slider and change up that could potentially become plus pitches and throws with decent command. Cabrera is said to be demanding anywhere from 500k to 750k in bonus money.

The Yankees also went ahead and signed a short stop, Damian Arredondo for $850K. Apparently Arredondo is a speed guy with decent fielding tools at this point. We'll keep you updated as more reports trickle in.

The Gulf Coast League and Short Season A ball have recently started so I thought it best to take a look at some names to watch on both teams. As more 2009 signees make their way to Staten Island and Florida respectively, we'll keep you up to date on who to watch.Staten Island first.

Neil Medchill-OF-Bats-L Throws- R

Medchill was the first player to sign out of the 2009 draft. The 11^th rounder has some serious left handed power and if he can cut down the strike outs he'll raise some eyebrows this year. He's off to a fast start in his first 34 ABs: .333/.343/.576.

Kyle Higashioka-C-Bats- R Throws-R

Higashioka was the 7^th round selection out of California a year ago and he's another well rounded catching prospect. Defense may be his calling card but he can hit a bunch too- look for the 19 year old to make major improvements on his 2008 campaign.

Deangelo Mack-OF-Bats-L Throws-L

The 2009 13^th round pick, Mack has average offensive abilities but plays solid defense. In college he displayed good opposite field power and an ability to work the count and reach base frequently. Mack will be one of those guys who has the potential to surprise everyone and develop into a decent (but slightly underwhelming) corner outfielder.

Robert Lyerly-3B-Bats-L Throw-R

The solid hitting lefty Lyerly missed some time in 2009 to injury which caused his draft stock to slip a bit. Reports are though that Lyerly has major sleeper potential and if he can find his groove at the plate he'll be a very interesting guy to watch in the future.

Luke Murton-1B-Bats-R Throws-R

Murton was an interesting pick in the 19^th round for the Yankees. He was banged up in 2009 but put up very solid numbers for Georgia Tech. He's a power hitter who has found some good plate discipline of late and has shown the ability to avoid striking out. Older brother is Matt Murton for whatever that's worth.

Arodys Vizcaino-RHP

Vizcaino is quickly jumping up on Yankee prospect lists as the 18 year old has created a buzz to start his season. He's used his fastball that touches 95 and an advanced curveball that he can command well to strike out 21 batters in just 12 innings of work so far. Vizcaino can't really be called a sleeper anymore as he's definitely arrived as a prospect.

Gavin Brooks-LHP

Brooks is a UCLA closer who was our 9^th pick in this years draft. He's a big boy and can throw pretty hard with impressive stuff. Brooks was highly touted as a prospect in High School but went to college and suffered some injuries which kept him from reaching his potential. He was a closer this year as a junior and instead of returning to school to improve his draft stock for 2010, he signed with the Yankees in the 9^th round. So far he has 7 K's in 3.2 innings of work- hope he can build on this as he's high on my list of sleeper candidates.

Soon after the Yankees knew Xavier Nady would be out for the season, they made a deal to solidify their bench by trading minor leaguers Eric Fryer and Casey Erickson for veteran Eric Hinske. With the move, the Yanks sent down Ramiro Pena to get regular at bats and learn to play the outfield. I think Pena will be great, defensively, in the outfield, and that just adds to his versatility and value.

One of the reasons the Yankees added Hinske was because of his versatility. He is a better option than Ransom/Pena at third base on the days that the Yankees rest A-Rod, and his lefty power should play up at the new Yankee Stadium. Hinske is a below average defender at 3rd base, but above average at 1st base, left field, and right field. The move doesn't do anything drastic, but gives Girardi an option for some pop off the bench and some added versatility.

Onto what the Yankees gave up: not much.

The Yankees recieved Eric Fryer for Chase Wright after Wright had been DFA'd. This means the Yankees had no leverage to get anything of value, so the 23 year old Fryer, who is in A+ Tampa, is not much of a prospect. He has decent plate discipline, but not much else. If he were a true catcher, he would have some upside, but he has already been moved off the position and rarely plays there.

Casey Erickson was the Yankees 10th round pick in 2006, is now 23 years old and pitching in relief for the Tampa Yankees. He has good control and his career numbers are decent. His career ERA and FIP are both right around 3, and he has struck out nearly one batter per inning. He has typically been old for his league, and a guy who is already a reliever in A ball with no pedigree probably won't ever see the majors.

All in all, this is a solid move for Cashman and the Yankees. While it isn't a significant upgrade, it was a necessary one, the Yankees didn't give up anything of value, and Pittsburgh picked up half of the $800,000 remaining on Hinske's contract.

Bad news today from Chad Jennings, as it looks like George Kontos will be undergoing Tommy John surgery. Kontos was in the midst of a breakout season and was emerging as one of the Yankees top ten prospects, so it is upsetting news.

AAA Scranton was rained out(when is it not).

From AA:

Jesus Montero! went 2 for 3 with 2 HR and a BB. He's a monster, that's all I can say at this point.

Jeremy Bleich made his AA debut and was knocked around a little bit. He lasted 5.1 innings, but allowed 7 hits, 5 ER, and 3 BB while striking out 4. His GB:FB was a weak 4:8.

A+ Tampa was rained out as well.

In A-ball Charleston:

Brett Marshall started and continued to pitch poorly. He gave up 5 ER in 4.1 innings. He struck out 3, walked 1, and allowed 6 hits.

In this piece, I mentioned that Garret Patterson hadn't pitched since 2007, but it looks like he is healthy again, as he made his 2009 debut for Charleston. However, he did not pitch well. Patterson gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 earned runs in 1.1 IP while striking out 1.

Over at Staten Island

Arodys Vizcaino had his third consecutive solid start. He again went 4 innings, and struck out 7 while walking 2. He also allowed 3 hits and 2 ER.

Kyle Higashioka was 2 for 2 with a 2 walks. He left the game in the 11th for a pinch runner, but that may have just to been get the winning run on 2nd base. If it was something else, I'll be sure to give you an update.

Here is the final segment from this series, the top ten prospects of 2006.

10. Tyler Clippard, RHP

Clippard was called up to the majors in May of '07 and had a few decent starts for the Yankees. In his first four starts, he pitched 20 innings and gave up 8 earned runs for an ERA of 3.60. Digging deeper into the stats shows a BB:K ratio of 11:14, which isn't going to get the job done. Predictably, Clippard did not pitch well in his next two starts and was demoted back to AAA. After the 2007 season, the Yankees traded him to the Nationals for Jonathan Albaladejo, who hasn't proven to be very useful out of the bullpen. This season, Clippard is 24 and was moved to the bullpen, where he excelled. He posted an ERA of 0.92 in 39 innings while striking out 42, walking 15, and allowing 20 hits (2 home runs). On June 24th, Clippard was called up to the show to pitch out of the bullpen for the Nationals. In his first appearance of the season, he pitching 2 innings, struck out 2, and allowed 3 hits and 2 ER. Maybe Clippard can find his niche as a reliever in the major leagues, I for one would definitely not be surprised.

9. Jeff Marquez, RHP

The sinkerballer Marquez was never much of a prospect, always profiled as more of a reliever or a back end starter. The Yankees dealt Marquez, along with Betemit and AA reliever Jhonny Nunez for Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira in a robbery of the White Sox. Marquez has only made 7 starts this year for Chicago's AAA affiliate and he has been absolutely terrible. His GB:FB rate, which he needs to make a living by, is only 1.20. In 28.2 IP, he has a BB:K rate of 16:19 and an ERA of 8.16. The Yankees farm system does not miss him.

8. Christian Garcia, RHP

Garcia has always tantalized Yankee fans and scouts with his amazing stuff, but just has not been able to stay healthy. He has always been effective when he pitches, but that has been extremely infrequently. He was pitching well this year in AA, but was injured recently and will miss the rest of the season. He is now 23, has been in the system since 2004, and has only pitched 290.2 total innings.

7. Marcos Vechionacci, 3B

Vechionacci was another guy on this list who was all tools and no results. The Yankees were very excited about him but he just hasn't been able to put it together. His career minor league line is .255/.325/.362. He would not make my top 30 prospect list at this point, as he has continued to struggle in AA Trenton this season.

6. Eduardo Nunez, SS

We heard a lot about Nunez in spring training, when him and Ramiro Pena were getting rave reviews. Nunez is similar to Pena, a slick fielding and light hitting shortstop. He is playing at Trenton this year in his age 22 season, and having his best offensive season to date. He's hitting .309/.327/.407. While I'd like to see more walks, his defense is very good, so he will eventually find his way onto a major league roster. I think Ramiro Pena is a better prospect than him at this point, even though neither would be top 20.

5. Austin Jackson, OF

Austin Jackson has been moving up the prospect lists steadily since '06. He has done an admirable job in AAA this season, but his ceiling does not appear to be what it was at one point. Some people love what he's done so far, but I am far more skeptical. You can see my more in-depth look at Austin Jackson here.

4. C.J. Henry, SS

The Yankees drafted Henry in the 1st round and had high hopes for him, but he just never did anything. He was the "centerpiece" of the deal for Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle, but he wasn't even much of a prospect at that point, and the Phillies were just unloading salaries. He later signed back with the Yankees as a minor league outfielder, but continued to struggle. The Yankees are currently on the hook for his college tuition, and Henry was a walk-on for the Memphis Tigers in the fall of 2008. He later transferred to Kansas, and will be playing on that team, along with his brother, Xavier Henry.

3. Jose Tabata, OF

Jose Tabata has been one of the Yankees top prospects since he made his debut in the Yankees organization. He struggled in AA last season and almost quit baseball altogether. He was the best prospect the Yankees included in their deal for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Tabata has continued to not hit for much power, but has showed tremendous plate discipline over his career and is still just 20 years old. In AA, he is hitting .264/.362/.336. I still think Tabata is a tremendous prospect, and while the trade looked solid at the time, which is how trades should be evaluated, it has not worked out well for the Yankees. The Pirates received three serviceable RHPs and Tabata who still has a lot of upside.

2. Eric Duncan, 1B/3B

There's no nice way to say this, but Eric Duncan has been a tremendous bust. Baseball America ranked him the 36th best prospect in all of baseball in '05 and the 86th best prospect in baseball in '06. From there, it has been all downhill. He was definitely rushed up the ladder, but I have a hard time believing that he would have been a very good player if he was moved up gradually. He is a career .245/.325/.405 hitter in the minor leagues and has spent the last three and a half seasons struggling in AAA. He is not a top 30 prospect anymore, and has went unclaimed in consecutive Rule 5 drafts.

1. Phil Hughes, RHP

There isn't much I can tell you about Phil Hughes that you don't already know. He is currently dominating out of the Yankee bullpen, and I'm confident he will be in the rotation at some point later this season. Phil Hughes was the top pitching prospect in baseball for a reason, and he has flashed a lot of that dominance this season. He's still young, at age 23, and will soon establish himself as a legitimate Major League starter.


Only three of these thirty players are actually on the 2009 Yankees, a number I thought would have been a bit higher. I think this just shows how poor the Yankees farm system was at the time. It has drastically improved since 2006. Quite a few of these players have been traded, but only one (Tabata) was the centerpiece of the deal. Most of these players just were not very good and faded out of baseball or out of prospect consideration. I look forward to doing this again next year with 2007's top prospects. I think that revisiting these lists three years later gives us a good gauge of what these prospects have become or will become. While the lack of success from this group of prospects is disheartening, this was a terribly weak system in 2006.