On the Yankees beat

On an unrelated note, there are a few names on the waiver wire that would make some sense for the Yankees to reach out to (even for minor league contracts to carry as insurance policies)

Derrick Turnbow - he's struggled big time since his All-Star campaign in 06, but you can never have enough relief pitchers with closing experience.

Jose Cappellan - he was once a highly touted prospect in the Atlanta system and has since bounced around a little, but he's still relatively young, throws hard, and could be useful in the right spot - sort of a Jesus Colome type.

Brad Wilkerson - Wasn't hitting at all and that's why the M's released him in favor of Wladamir Balentin. That said, he's a great defensive outfielder and on the days that Melky needs a blow, I would much rather have him in center than Damon - for that matter on the days Damon needs a blow I would rather have him in left than Matsui

Jason Botts - a relatively young slugging prospect from the Rangers, was out of options and not happy about not playing everyday he was DFA'd. He can hit a ton when he plays everyday - think Shelley Duncan

Adam Melhuse - released by the Rangers, with Moeller in the bigs the Yankees could use a veteran back-stop for Scranton.

Chip

Melhuse I could see signing.

Wilkerson is a strikeout machine.Capellan and Turnbow ?? I'd much rather have Britton and Ramirez and Veras pitching for NY then to turn to those 2 head cases.

If Texas didn't want Botts why would NY want another DH outside of possible offering a minor league contract ?

Ruse -

Well that's just it. With the amount of guys going down lately it never hurts to have a few potential call-ups in the farm system. That's where a guy like Botts would fit in.

As for Wilkerson, I'm not making him the Yankees starting CF, but you would have to agree that defensively he is a ton better than Damon in CF or Matsui in LF right?

With Turnbow and Capellan - I admit, it would be all about catching lightning in a bottle - but again, no harm in putting them in Scranton and seeing if you can get something out of them.

This from Gammons:

OK, the Yankees are now moving forward without Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, which means they are competing in the AL East with only one starting pitcher (Chien-Ming Wang) in his prime. The fault may well lie not in evaluation -- for Hughes still can be a dominant No. 1 starter, Kennedy a solid mid-rotation guy -- but in underestimating their lack of development time. Hughes was hurt twice last season, and Hughes and Kennedy combined for 63 1/3 innings in Triple-A before opening the 2008 season.

They are not alone in the scrutiny of the limelight. Several times early in the season, Boston newspapermen put Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in the "critical" stages, occasionally dragging back that Johan Santana could have been there instead of either Lester or Buchholz, as well as Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson and Ryan Kalish. Since Sept. 1, when Lester began settling in and Buchholz was recalled for good, consider these facts:

• Throw in Lester's start clinching the World Series, his ERA as a starter is 3.61; Josh Beckett's is 3.69, Johan Santana 3.72, Dan Haren 3.90, Justin Verlander 4.81, C.C. Sabathia 4.91.

• The five top starters in ERA (mininum of 50 IP) are Yovani Gallardo (1.53), Zach Greinke (1.80), Tim Lincecum (2.31), Fausto Carmona (2.61) and Buchholz (2.66).

Brian Cashman is right. It's turning into a young man's game, and you'd better have young pitchers instead of venturing into the Mercenary Territory. You know what the Rangers wanted from the Mets last winter for Vicente Padilla?

Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Heilman, Deolis Guerra.

Buckholz and Lester have rebounded nicely and are both pitching great ball for the BoSawx.Masterson is also highly touted.

Ruse - you see the thing I posted in the last thread about Tabata?

That, coupled with this from Keith Law is probably not a good sign:

Jeremy (Somerville): Keith, have you seen Jose Tabata this year? He hasn't been producing at all.

Keith Law: Saw him last Thursday. If I'd walked into the park without knowing who he was, and was asked to give a report on him, I would have tabbed him a non-prospect. He's gotten heavier. His bat speed, once his best attribute, has slowed. He's gliding badly at the plate. He's missing fastballs in the zone and chases any pitch on the outside corner like it's wearing a short skirt and high heels. And he threw a tantrum after striking out on Saturday that earned him a few days on the bench. He's just 19 in AA, so it's not write-off time, but he's in a bad way.

On the plus side, Law does say that he's seen a lot of Montero in Charleston and (while still not sold on him staying behind the plate) says he has a really special bat that Yankee fans should be excited about.

Well, it's not Adam Melhuse but the Yankees decided they did need another veteran catcher for the AAA level - the team signed one time Rockies' top prospect JD Closser to a minor league deal and assigned him to Scranton.

For those not familiar with Closser he is a 28-year old, switch hitting catcher. He played for the Rockies for parts of three seasons from 2004 - 2006 (did not crack the majors last year) he hit .239 (100 hits in 430 ab) 10 HR, 50 RBI.

"chases any pitch on the outside corner like it's wearing a short skirt and high heels"...priceless!!!

Law is correct, I am very excited about Montero.

I know Closser, he's a decent backstop, good deal.

ruse et al,

i'm looking for insight from y'all who know your way around the minors:
who the hell is Zachary McAllister, and where did he come from exploding to the top of the depth chart in single A. he's got great WHIP (0.93) and beautiful ERA.

is there any chance he is this year's joba or ian?

Kiwi =

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Kei Igawa got the start, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks in 7 innings. He had 8 strikeouts, but only a 2-11 groundout-flyout ratio. It’s his 2nd 4 run outing in a row. If he is to make a spot start in the near future, I think we’re catching Igawa at a bad time.

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That was the bad, now some very positive news from Scranton =

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Eric Duncan, batting cleanup for the first time this year, was 2 for 4 with a RBI, raising his average to .282. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get real excited for this young man.

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Eric is actually from my hometown in NJ. He was the Yanks top prospect for a number of years, but the Yanks rushed him through the system. He's still only 23 so if he can continue hitting well, we may have a nice 1B option later in the year to shore up the INF D. I know HYD loves this kid, so he should be pretty pumped about him doing well.

Gil - I really like McAllister A LOT, I wouldn’t expect him to make the “Joba Jump” though. He's a big strong pitcher that may be a factor down the line. Im sure HYD has a more detailed write up on him. His great start is very encouraging, power in numbers.

Gil, here is something on McAllister =

http://riveraveblues.com/2007/11/12/prospect-profile-zach-mcallister-1408/

A clip from that long article =

===========================
2008 Outlook
Having held his own in the short season levels of baseball, McAllister will start 2008 with Low-A Charleston. Since it will be his first year in full season ball, the Yanks will take it easy with his innings, and it’s unlikely he’ll be moved up to High-A Tampa during the season, unless of course he absolutely dominates. Pencil him in for about 110-120 innings during the regular season.

My Take
I think that Zach McAllister is a better prospect than people realize. This is a big, strong kid with good stuff, good control, good intangibles and a history of good health. He’s a big and intimidating presence on the mound and he pounds the zone, which is a mix all teams look for. You’ll see people call him a sleeper around the interweb, but don’t look at him that way: McAllister is a legit prospect with a considerable ceiling. He’d be getting alot more recognition if the Yanks didn’t have Hughes-Joba-IPK, or if he was with another organization. He’d be a top 3 or 4 prospect in the White Sox or the Astros’ system. I expect good things.
===========================

He looks like a nice Blue Chipper.

Dru: Great minds think alike - I was just about to post this:

Also, as long as we're looking at prospects and whatnot - I know everyone considers him a bust, but Eric Duncan (at 23-years old, still one of the younger players around) is hitting .284 (20 for 71) with 3 HR, 11 bb, a .388 OBP, and .480 slugging. He's playing first down there - if Giambi continues to struggle could we see Duncan get the call?

I know everyone writes him off as a bust because of how long he has been in the system, those who have read this blog for a while know I've always been an Eric Duncan supporter.

I can't get over the fact that he's only 23 which would still make him a very young major league player and a lot of his development was retarded I think by being jerked around from 3rd to 1st, back to 3rd then over to 1st again and being rushed through the minors. Maybe now, at this age, he is finally figuring it all out.

Just checked in quick and noticed I've been referenced twice here, so after my 3:00 meeting, expect some nice minor league write-ups and updates. Say around 3:30.

Chip...lol...nice.

I would love to see Eric in the bigs this summer, I dont want to rush him though.. Im so done with Giambi, he needs a 10HR month to win me back, I cant stand watching him flop around 1B any longer.

HYD- where you been hiding brother! We need some MiLB insights!

Gil - another prospect profile on McAllister =

http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/2007/06/01/prospect-profile-20-zach-mcallister/

Gil,

McCallister, McCutchen, and Horne are the three guys who are supposedly the ones who benefited the most by all the press that Kennedy, Joba and Hughes got as they are allowed to do their jobs, fly under the radar and go about putting together impressive minor league resumes while gaining experience.

I don't McCallister will have an impact in this season but both McCutchen and Horne (when healthy) could do something.

Also keep your eyes on Zach Kronke - a lefty relief pitcher for AA Trenton. He may contribute to the pen this season. He's holding opponents to a .189 average, 7 hits and 4 walks in 11.1 innings to go with 13 K

Eric Duncan= BUST!

Sorry, that's just my gut feeling. I hope to be proven very wrong by this kid, but if I had to lay my money down I'd bet on the bust.

Just when we chugging along, day dreaming about some prospects, Jim has to pour sugar in our gas tank.

Thanks a lot Jim...sniffle sniffle.

; )

Dru,

Seriously - I just kept reading about how he was a bust and looking him up and seeing that he's 20, 21, 22 and thinking "whoa, if he were 26 that's one thing, but seriously a 22-year old bust?"

He's got a sweet left handed swing and if he is putting it together they've got something to look forward to with this kid.

Chip - very true. I think he was actually the MVP for one of the fall leagues two years ago. I know it was a small sample size, but the skill set is there. He needs to prove he can sustain that over 400-500 ABs' though. That’s why part of me wants to keep him in Scranton for the entire year so he can work out the peaks and valleys of a full season. You’re right though, he’s still a young prospect and cannot be written off yet….

Aint that right JIM!!!! lol

Jim,

I get where you would get that from. It's one of those situations where you've heard about the kid for years so you're thinking "if he was going to do anything he would have done it by now" but he was 18 when the Yankees drafted him. At the time, the team was so devoid of prospects that he was immediately made the top one in the system. Also the Yankees were looking to get the taste of Drew Henson out of their mouths so they jumped him right to the high minors rather than let him cut his teeth in short season or instructional leagues, they kept moving him around the diamond, he lost some time to a back injury and was often playing against guys who had a lot more seasoning than him.

I just think now that the spotlight is a little bit off of him, now that he's more mature, he's got a chance to take a breath and just play baseball again.

Look, just for comparison sake, I'm listening to Mike and the Mad Dog right now and they're talking about how shocking it is that Malkin of the Penguins is so good even though he's ONLY 23.

Dru - you're right he was MVP of AFL in 2006

Chip and Dru,
I just don't see it happening with Duncan, I don't mean to pee on the campfire because normally I try not to be too negative, but I've watched him quite a bit and I just don't see it. He hits mistakes from low level minor leaguers and he has a bad back, not a combo I'm looking for.

The Tabata news has me down a bit right now but at least he is an OF, which is better than him being the pitching prospect we've all been excited about. The Yanks can always find an OF, especially if they make a smart trade for a young OF, but it will cost them some pitching prospects and I'm okay with that.

How is Gardner doing these days? last time I looked he was cooking along but I haven't checked in on him in a while.

Jim,

I'm hoping you're wrong on Duncan. As Law pointed out, Tabata is 19 at AA so it's too early to panic, but it is ok to be concerned about him. That's the problem with getting prospects who are still at an age where their bodies are not fully developed. You go in looking at him and hope that his body will structure itself one way, but genetics don't always cooperate (see Wily Mo Pena)

Gardner is still going strong - .314 BA, .385 OBP, 21:13 K:BB ratio, and he's 5 for 9 in stolen bases. 3 triples.

By the way - remember when Met fans were talking about Angel Pagan as if he were the next best thing - man - that crash back to Earth really hurts sometimes.

Chip's right on Closser...I think I posted a link to Chad Jennings' blog last week when he posted the news. It made a lot of sense seeing as how the Yanks had put a guy from the Israeli league into AAA without any other experience. No offense to the Israeli leauge, but from what I know, the competition there isn't exactly stiff.

There's a strange thing I do with identifying certain prospects. I buy a lot of autographs and shop for autograph insert cards. Sometimes you get lucky and find a hidden gem, but a lot of times, you can tell just how good a prospect is considered from outside the Yanks' organization based on the prospects inclusion or exclusion from the limited edition autograph selection. The card companies aim to get the better prospects on board so that they make more money. It makes sense.

As far as Duncan, I've been raving about him having a good year for a couple of weeks now and some people are wondering if the Yanks will even make a run at Tex. If Duncan keeps up with his performance, there could definitely be an arguement made for not signing Tex. The biggest drawback to Duncan is that he's another lefty. The positive side is that he can also play 3b, though not all that well. Duncan is still the youngest player we have at SWB, so while we've been hearing about him for years, he's not exactly old at 23. He was rushed through the system by the Yanks because he had early success and was generally young for his league while playing and it hurt his development. For the most part, the Yanks have learned from this mistake, but perhaps not with the Tabata thing. In Tabata's first game back, he went 2/4 and here's hoping it's the beginning of something good for him as so far the only resemblance to Manny Ramirez I've seen is in his bad attitude, but he's only 19. When I was 19, my biggest concern was finding the best kegger to go to. He's emotional, but the reality is, he's acting his age and is reacting poorly to his first sign of adversity. Since he was recovering from injury, I thought he should've started the season at Tampa this year. The Yanks didn't calm the outfield competition at Trenton for him any though. They promoted Matt Carson who has been hitting hot while rotating through the OF and DH, but called Edwar Gonzalez up from Tampa. Edwar was old for Tampa and his call up was inevitable. This was his 3rd straight year starting the season with Tampa, so don't expect anything too great from him, but he should keep up the competition in Trenton. I'd say Tabata is on a short leash in Trenton right now and really might benefit from a trip to Tampa. Now back to Duncan. I'm kind of torn here, because I just don't want to give up on this kid. I really don't and I was upset that the Yanks didn't protect him in the rule V draft, but was also surprised no one took a flyer on him. I guess they thought he wasn't ready for a roster spot, so in the end, I'm not THAT surprised. I've been a supporter of signing Tex, but now, I'm not so sure. Maybe the Yanks would be better served just driving his price up for other suitors (i.e. Mets). Consider that Jorge will need another position to play besides catcher more than we may have previously thought (not sure if he can play 1b or not, but ya gotta try) and Jeter won't be at short forever and we're probably better off the sooner that switch is made. I think Duncan can be better than Phillips, but not an ideal everyday 1b. Unfortunately, we don't really have anyone to platoon him with from the right side of the plate besides the other Duncan, so it's a tough call. Melky looks like he'll be a 25 HR guy that could into RF with Gardner coming up for CF. If we don't sign Tex and we lose Abreu, we become a very different team. Duncan could become next year's Morgan Ensberg though. A guy that could fill in for 3b/1b when needed, but mostly be a bench player from the left side. It's a tough decision to make, the Tex signing, absolutely. Jeter only complicates it. Our top 2 SS prospects are Angelini (18 years old) and Corona (21 years old). Ransom has been playing SS with Alberto up with the Yanks. Alberto has a great glove, but hasn't shown enough with the bat to be considered any kind of a long term solution. Corona has had a rough start in Trenton and Angelini hasn't shown much in Charleston, but he is only 18. He'll be in Charleston all year and will probably come around. The guys at RAB absolutely love him. I think they had him in their top 5 for Yankee prospects (much too high in my book). Anyway, it's great to see Eric Duncan coming around. I'm happy for him.

McAllister hardly came out of nowhere, but there were a lot of high quality arms that got more hype than him. Not considering the big 3, he was seen to be the Yanks 7th or 8th best pitching prospect (discounting those recovering from surgery). Part of that was due to where he was in relation to the big league team. He's only 20 years old. Only two pitching prospects younger than him should be ranked higher (Betances and Heredia) and one may not actually be younger (I don't know what months McAllister and Betances were born, so they're pretty close in age). Betances has more upside than McAllister, but has more work to do because he only recently stopped growing, so he's got more work to do with his control, but his stuff is a considerably better quality. McAllister pitched for SI last year and he was impressive in a weird way. His peripheral numbers were better than his hard stats (i.e. ERA), but he showed a lot of promise and some thought he could've started down in Tampa instead of Charleston. The most impressive thing he's done so far this year is sport a K:BB ratio of almost 6:1. With the depth of Yankee starting pitching talent, it would be difficult for even Joba or IPK to make a rise as quick as they did last year this year. SWB has a boatload of talented starters plus two guys sitting on deck in Chase Wright and Dan McCutchen. When you consider that depth, the highest McAllister should rise this year is up to Trenton. I'd be shocked if he made it to SWB. He's a big guy though with a real good pitchers frame, so he has a lot of upside.

HYD -

Always good to see your minor league notes.

On Duncan being another lefty - it will be less of an issue after this season when Giambi (and possibly Abreu) leave and then the year after Matsui and Damon are up.

Regarding signing Tex - I think that beyond Duncan (assuming he shows he can play) the other option is one I've platformed on for a while: Cano at 1st and the slick fielding Alberto Gonzalez at 2nd. Have no idea what Gonzalez would do offensively playing everyday but the upgrades at first and second defensively would probably be well worth it.

I read a report recently comparing Austin Jackson to Curtis Granderson - I can only hope that report is spot on because Granderson, in my opinion, is the most exciting player in the game today.

I do think, that if Rasner, Igawa, Hughes, and Kennedy aren't holding down those last two spots in the rotation, if Mussina regresses, McCutchen, McCallister or some other combination of these high ceiling prospects will be used to get a starter. I also think that the Yankees might adopt a "sell while you can" mentality with Tabata much like they did with Jackson Melian and Wily Mo. Possibly also to get that starter.

I'm also a little surprised that the Yankees haven't promoted PJ Pilittere to AAA. Given that they are using veteran re-treads (Stewart, Closser, Jason Brown) there while waiting for Cervelli to come back, Pilittere who is playing pretty well at AA (.315/.371 OBP/1HR/10RBI) should probably get a look at the next level.

That would allow the Yankees to move Kyle Anson (an on base machine - 20 walks to 12 strikeouts - .436 OBP) to AA and Jesus Montero to HiA.

Now would be a horrible time to sell on Tabata. It'd be a very bad sell low type move and I think the Yanks would come to regret it. Not saying he'll be an impact major leaguer, but I think there is a lot more to him than we've seen so far this year. Maybe ARod can introduce him to his sports psychiatrist. It might just be what he needs.

Well, the Granderson we've seen so far this season is showing some CRAZY power. I've never seen that from AJack. This year, he's shown no power whatsoever.

Juan Miranda is another 1b option as he's coming around more and more after a 2 year layoff from baseball during his defection from Cuba. Unfortunately he can't field a lick and probably will never be more than a platoon option (again, another lefty).

I don't think Alberto would be all that big of an upgrade over Cano at 2b. I think Cano gets a lot of undeserved flack for his defense. If allowed to stay at 2b, he's a gold glove candidate within 3 years in my opinion.

Anyone know what's happened with Henn? Has anyone claimed him? If he's gone, I see the Yanks either shopping Chase Wright or converting him to the bullpen. That could be a late season move opening up a spot for McAllister possibly. While McCutchen deserves to be promoted to SWB based on his performance, there are just too many SPs there.

Currently:
IPK
White
Marquez (inconsistent and ugly so far)
Igawa
Giese
Horne

That makes it difficult to break in. I was surprised/disappointed to see Clagget called up to Trenton to replace Robertson. Disappointed in that it wasn't Melancon as clearly that means they don't feel he's ready just yet. The SWB bullpen is a weird place right now with so many call-ups to the Yanks. They only have 5 arms there; Traber, Phillips, Strickland, Jackson, & Robertson. They already have 2 lefties in there and 3 if Henn cleared waivers and wants to come back. There should be news on this since he was DFA on April 30. I doubt the Trenton lefty will find his way in there as long as Phillips and Traber are still there, but those guys aren't exactly guaranteed to be around all year.

As far as Turnbow, I think he was one of the guys that benefited from performance enhancing drugs and was nothing without them.

HYD - I think Clagget got the call because they are (for now) using Melancon in a starting role so that he can work on all his pitches.

I agree, the Scranton pen is a little odd at this stage. I would be shocked if no one grabbed Henn - he's left handed, mid 20s, throws 90mph and did I mention he's left handed?

PJ provides the "veteran" leadership that is necessary at Trenton. He's really stepping up as a team leader and they don't want to lose that. He's not really a "prospect", so I think he'll stay in Trenton for the entire year. Montero is too raw as a defensive catcher to get promoted already, plus he can't handle the full workload. The balance between he and Romine is ideal for both as neither has ever caught a full season. Once Romine returns from the DL, they'll continue with the balance. If Montero gets promoted to Tampa, it won't be until late in the season. Chris Stewart will almost certainly be DFA or released once Cervelli is back from injury. The Yanks can't afford to have 5 40 man roster spots occupied by catchers (Posada, Molina, Moeller, Stewart, Cervelli).

Horne has begun pitching from a mound.

So, I went through the ESPN transaction listing and there's nothing reported about Henn. He and Stewart were both DFA on April 30 though, so I guess Stewart is already off the 40 man roster; I didn't realize. There has been way too much juggling so far this year.

Looks like it will be up to Henn/Yanks whether he returns to pitch for the Yanks at SWB or not.

Chip / HYD - good stuff today!

From the BLAST FROM THE PAST Department:

Ruben Rivera - now 34 - playing for Campeche of the Mexican League is really tearing the league up:

137 at bats, 50 hits, 10 HR, 10 2b, 2 3b, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases, .500 OBP, .670 slugging.

Wonder if a team starving for help would give him a shot or if his days of playing in the majors are gone for good. Keep in mind, the Yankees did sign Eurbial Durazo out of the Mex League last season so maybe someone will give Ruben a shot.

Yahoo clip on Melky.....

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Melky Cabrera is available in way too many Yahoo! leagues. Last week, he was only 64.8 percent owned. That's somewhat unusual, because A) he's No. 63 in overall fantasy rank, and B) New York players are rarely under-owned.

It's not like excellence had never been predicted for Cabrera. He's only 23, so you shouldn't assume that he won't improve significantly. He's pretty good right now, in fact: 16 R, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 3 SB, .291/.359/.505.

Is Cabrera going to maintain the 30/15 pace?

Well, so far he's hitting a few more fly balls than he has in the past, and his HR/FB rate (17.6) is much higher than it was during the previous two seasons (5.3 and 5.8). It may not be impossibly high, but it's still a big number. Yet if Cabrera gets another 440-460 at bats, then 13 or 14 more home runs is entirely reasonable. We know the speed is legit. He's stolen 28 bases in 317 career Major League games, and he had another 39 in 357 games in the minors.

Given Cabrera's age, his run and RBI-friendly surroundings, his entirely sustainable BABIP (.289), and encouraging comments like this...

"He's just really grown, physically and mentally," Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said. "He gets good pitches to work. He's got a short, compact, explosive swing. You very rarely see him waving at the ball. We're seeing big dividends."

...you'd have to conclude that Cabrera can finish among the top-30 fantasy outfielders, with a line like 85-20-90-15-.290.

=======================================

Not bad.

It was a pleasure DRU. Hope the others enjoy as well.

I second DRU - the kind on info Chip and HYD provide is why I read this blog several times a day.

Gil

I might add McAllister has been slightly overshadowed by Dellin Betances but both are highly touted and barring injury should be in the Bronx sometime 2010.

Nice wins on the field, although the Mariners are a bad team.

What about Newsday's reports on that woman killing the Red Sox fan with her car? And Clemens and his many women ...

Let's hope the bad news stops at some point ... if we strung together all of the off and on field bad news for the Yankees in the past year it would fill a book ...

Maybe Rasner can fill in for Kennedy. I am really shocked that Kennedy and Hughes regressed.

The team is what it is. We were spoiled from 1995 to 2003 ...

Jon K: I can't speak for Chip, but as far as me, I enjoy it. I mean, I absolutely love the minor league system we have right now, so it makes it VERY exciting. Throw in the fact that I'm a numbers person (an accountant and data analyst) and it makes sense. Almost all of my points are supported by some sort of numbers. I've been a card collector since I was about 3 years old and following prospects is just taking card collecting to a whole new level.

Anyone noticing how well Villone has been pitching for the Cards this year? He's appeared in 11 games, pitched 12.1, given up 5 hits, but 7 walks against 12 Ks. He's only given up 1 run.

Since so many of our young pitchers have faced TJ surgery and because we've talked a lot about JB Cox, i thought you might find these Q&As interesting:

Dan asked: For JB Cox: What is the most difficult aspect of Tommy John surgery that people might not realize?

J.B. Cox answered: “Kind of the numb feeling you get when you’re rehabbing for such a long period of time. You kind of get detached from the game. But that’s also what makes it better when you get to come back and come into the clubhouse and play again. But for that 12 month period, it’s pretty tough. You become numb with going to the field every day and doing the same thing.”

As a follow-up, I asked Coxie what a typical rehab day was like for him…

“Usually, I would throw three times a week, then go into the clubhouse and do typical rehab stuff for like an hour and a half. Play catch, work out, do a little conditioning and then go home. I was usually there from 7:30-8 to 12-12:30 every day, and then just go home.”

Ed asked: Please ask JB Cox how close his stuff and command are to pre-injury levels.

J.B. Cox answered: “It gets closer and closer every time out. It’s still not 100 percent yet, obviously. Arm-wise, I feel 100 percent, just not touch-wise. But it’s getting better and better each time out. I feel like it’s getting really, really close right now. I couldn’t give a percentage, but it’s close.”

Again, as a follow-up, I asked him about comparing his velocity pre and post surgery…

“I’m actually throwing a little bit harder right now than I have been. I don’t if it’s because I’ve had such a long time off or what. But my arm feels great, even with the cold weather. So that’s kind of a plus.”

Good going again HYD. We all apprciate your insight
I've been running around seeing some of the guys in the MiL. Just got back (NY) a few days ago. A lot of the stuff you have mentioned, I've seen.
I was wondering if you have anything on Michael Dunn a lefty? I didn't run across him. McAllister is a monster; 90/94ish with curve and change...a touch wild yet. He's got to be 6"6"-250#s.

Happy News from Trenton:

Tabata did himself one better a day after going 2/4 by going 3/4 with a double. So far, it seems like the suspension and being dropped down in the lineup have helped to clear his head a bit. Here's hoping it's a sign of things to come! AJack was 3/5 today with a SB.
Kontos started and while he gave up 3 over 5, he struck out 11.

SWB looked ugly, so I won't say anymore (though Chad Jennings was more optimistic and spoke of the opposing pitcher...touche, the pitcher sports a 1.10 era). I'm thinking of going there May 17. They're offering another 4 pack deal and this time it's on a Saturday night, making it much easier to go to. Anyone interested? If so, let me know ASAP. I think IPK will be pitching the day before, but that could change.

Charleston won inspite of Betances' erratic control. He walked 7 in 5.2 giving up 3 runs and only striking out 4.

Not sure where Chip got the "Melancon is starting for Tampa" thing as I haven't seen him get a single start. All I've seen him do is relieve, though he did have one "long" outing going 3 or 4 innings, he's generally only pitching 1 or 2. He's pitched in 12 games, but not one has he started. I'm wondering if Tampa's most effective SP got hurt tonight though as he extended his scoreless innings streak to 16 innings, but only pitched the first 2 tonight? He had started 7 games, averaging 6 innings per start, sporting a 0.84 era, but only a 2-1 record. Talk about bad luck. Through 23 IPs, Melancon has put up pretty good numbers (better than what Cox did with his 6 innings and better than Claggett with his 3), yet he's still in Tampa. To me, that says something isn't the way the Yanks want it regarding his mechanics. Hopefully he'll be able to work through that quickly and we'll see him in Trenton soon.

The Legend of Joe Torre Continues:
The Dodgers are so afraid he'll screw up one of their prospect's arms, that they've instituted their own "Joba Rules" for 20 year old Clayton Kershaw. It will be known as the Kershaw Decree and limits him to 25 innings per month as a 5th starter.

HYD

Yeah, I screwed up. For some reason I keep getting Melancon and Betences confused in my head

Just to throw it out there - a name we don't mention much is Ryan Pope. He's the pitcher the Yankees took this past year out of the Savannah College of Art and Design. He's actually way ahead of all the other Yankee draft picks.

He started last season for Staten Island and is already in High A for Tampa.

In 6 starts he's pitching to a 2.67 ERA, 30 IP, 29 hits, 8 walks 22K

Yes, that Joe Torre really messes teams up doesn't he? The Dodgers just had their 8 game winning streak snapped- he needs to be fired right now!

JIM A.

So the success of the Dodgers is predicated on Torre's managerial skills? I thought it was Furcal having a monster season and their middle lineup catching fire and consistently good pitching except one Scott Proctor.

This thread seems like a contest between Chip and HYD to find the most obscure prospects, keep it coming boys! I'm waiting for some insight like this:

"The Yanks have their eye on a guy named Tyrone James who is currently in Rkers but is only 20 years old and has been known to throw a shank at 97MPH. He had to have surgery on his throwing arm after a botched robbery attempt but claims he is stronger than ever and with good behavior, he will be released in time for the 2011 baseball season".

Ruse,
Those guys were on the team last year, correct?

JIM A.

I see where your trying to go .Dodgers dealt w/ the injury bug last yr and rookies .They added starting pitching this season.Torre isn't Anne Sullivan.

Ruse,
They are dealing w/ the injury bug and a totally ineffective Andruw Jones this year. I won't give Torre all the credit but you have to remember that clubhouse had all kinds of acrimony last year, teammates hated each other and it was a very tense situation and diffusing that sort of thing is right in Torre's wheelhouse. He's not Annie Sullivan but he's not Barney Fife either. I think he deserves at least some credit just as Sgt. Girardi doesn't deserve all the blame for the early part of this Yankees season, but he does deserve some.

JIM A.

I never said he was Barney Fife but how about Andy from Mayberry ? Yes ? No?

Ruse,
I can live with Andy, that works.

Zimmer is Aunt Bee

Jim A: A scouting report like that, even if I had it, would be withheld. I think it would be just what we needed to send Ant off the deep end. In fact, even just your joke might set him off.

Chip: It's funny that you bring up Pope, I almost talked about him yesterday. When I was thinking about McAllister, it brought to mind Pope since I have them ranked almost interchangeably preseason. To give everyone a little bit of perspective on it, I had Pope behind McCutchen (who everyone knows I love) and just ahead of McAllister. Pope is pitching well for Tampa which can be expected since he performed so well for SI last year. The funny thing is, before the Yanks drafted him in the third round, he wasn't on anyone's radar, so he truly was a "find" for the Yanks, though he was called a "reach" at the time. Pope is an interesting pitcher. He throws 4 pitches (fastball 88-94, slider, curve, change). The thing is, when he was in college, he was only hitting 82, but then went through a mechanics change that increased his velocity (and some say will continue to increase it). Now, he has what some have described as near flawless pitching mechanics. This change is part of why he went straight to Tampa and skipped Charleston. The Yanks want him close to their coaching nexus down there to continue to improve on his pitching with the new mechanics and to try and improve his secondary pitches from unspectacular to good. For that reason, I don't see him getting a Trenton promotion this year even if he may earn it based on performance alone. He'd have to perform and show a great deal of pitching development.

Old Ranger: Michael Dunn is down in Tampa. He's pitched 29.1 with an ERA under 3, but a bad WHIP at a buck and a half. He's struck out 26 (good), but walked 15 (bad). Minor league walk totals at the low levels are sometimes skewed for a pitcher that is overwhelming their competition though and I haven't seen enough of him to say. I bring this up though, because Kennedy walked a lot of batters, but it often happened when their were runners on base. Batters were having such a hard time hitting him, that he'd throw a lot outside the strike zone to try and get the hitters to chase (it often worked) thinking that if he gave up a walk, it was better than giving up a hit and he'd just strike out the next guy. It worked much more often than it backfired. He's started 6 games, but has some interesting numbers when you look at it. In 3 games, 3 didn't complete the 5th, in 2 games, he completed 6, and in 1, he completed 5. That works out to 29.1 IP over 6 starts. In a small sample size, he's pitched better against righties than lefties (ironic for a lefty pitcher).

HYD,
I thought about Ant's reaction right after I clicked the Post button....oh man, what did I do?

I didn't say that Torre was poisoning the team, but that he was liable to destroy a young arm, so another gm had to step in to make sure that didn't happen.

Torre is such a step up from Grady Little that he looks like Earl Weaver in terms of strategy and handling pitching staffs by comparison

All Little did last year by having his team implode from within, not being able to control the tension between the young guys and the veterans and having it boil over in public and falling out of contention by mid September was prove that the Red Sox firing him after 2003 wasn't JUST because he left Pedro in too long.

Grady Little is probably a great guy and would be a terrific manager at Pawtucket or Scranton...

Or a great bench coach.

Or hell, he might be a great manager for a team with no pressure. (The Nats, the Pirates, the Orioles)

But he doesn't belong as a manager for a pennant contender.
Torre looks like John McGraw by comparison

Face it, Jim A.,

Some Yankees fans will always imagine that their team's making the playoffs every year for 12 years under Torre was pure coincidence. That without him the team would have done even better -- probably have twice as many rings. These are often fans too new or too ill-informed to be aware of the actual reference of the 'clueless Joe' headline (which referred to the writer's belief that Joe had no clue what a zoo he was getting into by accepting the job) and quote it endlessly as if determined to flaunt their ignorance of Yankee history.

These are the same people who take any chance they can manufacture to denigrate Torre, than whom they fondly believe they know more about baseball and managing.

They seem to think they can't support Girardi without knocking Torre. I prefer to follow the lead of the Captain, who supports Girardi fulsomely (another loyal quote in the papers today) without feeling the need to deny the importance of Torre to the team. Like Jeter, I feel perfectly comfortable looking back with respect on one Joe's contribution while looking forward with hope and optimism to that of the new Joe.

And after all it will be easy to see, with time, whether the Yankees are better without Torre than they were with him. If they are, we have at least 13 straight years in the post-season, and at least 5 new rings, coming right up.

I'm ready to cheer for that.

Well said D, no matter what, Ill miss Uncle Joe's teary eyes after the Yanks winning the WS. We can only dream about Girardi having the success Torre did. With that said, Joe took over a pretty damn good team that Buck and Stick handcrafted for him. The Yanks also gave him the best available players on the market year in and year out. Joe was a great Manager and a prefect fit for the Yanks of the 90's, soft spoken, calm, level headed...but it also helps when you have Jeter, Mo, Posada, Andy, Bernie all in their primes...add in vets like Oneil, Scotty, Tino, Coney, Boomer, Rocket...and its safe to say that the Yanks had the best talent in the league from 96-2000. Some would say the best talent even after that until 03-04. So Joe is a great Manager, but the Yanks had world class talent, making his job a little easier...clueless or not.

Jim A - Tyrone James!!!! HAHA..that killed me.

HYD - great stuff on Cox, now lets make sure he doesnt get into any more bar fights.

Chip - Savannah College of Art and Design...what a baseball factory that must be...lol

DRU

Well put!

Torre had 1 1st place finish w/ the Braves in 15 yrs of managing prior to getting the Yankee gig.It wasn't because he was necessarily lacking in skill but simply he didn't have the necessary talent to produce a winning team.

He inherited a Yankee team that was on the verge in 1996 and now with the Dodgers he's similarly where he was in 96.A very talented team with great young players ,a good farm system+ a front office willing to spend.A win win situation.I wish him well.

1 note on J.B. Cox:

if he continues to pitch well I wouldn't be surprised to see him either as a Sept. call up or maybe even sooner.The Yanks are very big on this guy.

I think we can all agree on this about Joe Torre:

He was the right guy at the right time for the Yankees.

Just as the Yanks grew tired of Buck Showalter's control freak style, he came along and fit the bill perfectly to take a talented team to the top. Although I'd argue that they may not have been the most talented at times (Charlie Hays? Mariano Duncan? Scott Brosius? Clay Bellinger? I could go on and on). Just look at the Indians roster from those years or the "vaunted" Braves.

So, I'll say it again Torre was the perfect fit at the time but his time had come and a change in direction was needed. Let's hope the right choice was made.

Jim, very true. His level headed calm approach is just what guys like Cone, Boomer, Rocker and Oneil needed. Once the rah rah rah guys left the team, we were left with only soft spoken, lead by example players. If the coach isnt getting in the player's faces, then you need players to do that. If neither is filling that role, change is needed to spark the team. This team has been sleeping for the past 4-5 years.

I wish Joe T nothing but the best, he was the greatest Yankee manager I've ever seen with my own eyes, but just like Jim pointed out, it's more about the right fit for the team. Is Girardi that fit? Only time will tell.

Rocker DRU? Not quite. Rocket maybe? LOL

Yes, Cox is expected to be with the Yanks by season's end. That's been predicted widespread since before the season and nothing has slowed those predictions.

HAHA...slip of the finger.