N.Y Yankees Minor League Update

    One player that seems to be moving up through the system quickly is Ronnier Mustelier. The 5' 10" 210 pounder from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba signed with Yankees as a free agent on June 7, 2011 after he defected from Cuba. The right-handed hitting second baseman began the season at Double-A Trenton where he hit .353 with 6 doubles, 5 homeruns and 20 RBIs. In 25 games he had an OBP of .412, a slugging percentage of .598 and an OPS of 1.010. He had 9 walks, 10 strikeouts and 3 stolen bases. Since then he has moved up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre playing in 13 games hitting .320. with 2 homeruns, 2 doubles and 7 RBIs. He has a .370 OBP, a .420 slugging percentage and an OPS of .820. Since defecting from Cuba the 28 year old is moving through the Yankees system fast. After 2 years in the minors he's hitting .342. In 298 at bats he has 22 doubles, 10 homeruns, 54 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and 41 strike outs. His OBP is .389, a .544 slugging percentage and an OPS of .942. He's a solid defensive player committing only 9 errors with a fielding percentage of .946. Since being called up to Scranton he's played 8 games at second base but he has spent most of his career playing all three outfield positions and even 24 games at third base. He was the EAS Player of the Week for the week of May 7, 2012. Keep in mind he could be used as utility man sometime in the near future.

     Continuing to impress since my last Who's Hot Who's Not blog is first baseman Steve Pearce. The Lakeland Florida native is hitting .326 with 12 doubles, 8 homeruns and 22 RBIs in 39 games. He has an OBP of .418, slugging percentage of .582, and an OPS of 1.000. He was voted the International Player of the Week for the week of May 14, 2012.  He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round (241st overall) of the June 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina. He played two seasons at USC leading the team in batting average, home runs and RBIs both years. He hit 42 home runs in his two seasons with USC to become the first player in school history to reach the 40-homerun mark that quickly. We'll keep an eye on him as the season heads into the dog days of summer.

     Right handed pitcher Micheal Todd O' Brien began the season in Single-A Tampa going 4-1 with an ERA of 2.92 in 7 games, 6 as a starter. The 22 year old 5' 11' 185 pounder from Roanoke, Virginia threw 37 innings giving up 31 hits and 13 runs, 12 of them earned. He walked 13 batters while striking out 32. He was then moved up to Double-A Trenton where he picked up a win throwing 7 solid innings in his first start giving up 1 run (a homerun) on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3. Selected by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Hidden Valley (Va.) HS he was named the 2008 Timesland Player of the Year after going 11-1 with a 0.69 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched as a senior.

     Another pitcher to watch at Triple-A Scranton is 6 foot right-hander D.J. Mitchell from Winston-Salem N.C. In 6 starts he's 3-1 with an ERA of 2.75. In 36 innings he's walked 10 while striking out 33. He's given 12 runs (11 earned) 25 hits three of which were homeruns and opponents are hitting just .195 off him. Selected by the New York Yankees in the 10th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Clemson University where he went 6-5 with a 3.47 ERA in 20 appearances (14 starts) while leading all starters in ERA and tying for the team lead in starts. He threw 98.2 innings giving up 97 hits, 49 runs, (38 earned) 40 walks and had 106 strikeouts in 2008. During the 2007 season he made the transition from position player to pitcher. He also played for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League in 2007 where he went 1-2 with a 1.47 ERA in eight starts. In 49 innings he gave 36 hits, 8 earned runs, 23 walks, and led the Cape Cod League in strikeouts with 58.

Manny Banuelos

     The Yankees number 1 prospect, left handed pitcher Manny Banuelos has struggled a bit a Triple-A Scranton going 0-2 with an ERA of 4.50. In 6 starts he's pitched 24 innings giving up 29 hits, 12 earned runs, 10 walks while striking out 22. Opponents are hitting a robust .299 off of him. In his starts he's only pitched into the 6th inning one time. I took a closer look at his numbers. It just seems to me that if he's not walking batters he's just getting hit very hard. After pitching two games in early April where he went only 5.1 innings in those two starts, he was sidelined with a back injury for about a month. So let's see if the MLB's number 13 ranked prospect can get back to pitching like he's capable of.

     Stay tuned for my first third of the season evaluation and what effect this past off season moves have had on the team so far.

  

NY Yankees: Who's HOT Who's NOT

   Okay now that the Yankees are a couple weeks into the season it's time for my first who's hot who's not blog of the season.

I could make this very short and simple by just saying, you want to know who's hot ? Every Yankee that just played against the Red Sox April 21st 2012 !! LOL !!  As the Yankees just came back from a 9-0 deficit to beat the Red Sox 15-9. Instead I'll give you a little more than that.

     There are two Yankees that have been hot since the first pitch of the season. The first is not only the heart and soul of this team, he is the leader. He's none other than the "Captain"  Derek Jeter ! Jeter is off to a phenomenal start. He's fifth in the American League in hitting with an average of .382. He has four doubles, four homeruns and has twelve RBIs. His OBP is .411 with a .618 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.029. Since coming back from a calf injury last season Jeter has been hitting roughly .340. So far this season he is hitting the ball with more power. Last season he had a total of six homeruns. Fifteen games into this season he already has four.

     The other Yankee off to a great start is one of my favorites. Nick Swisher. " Swish " is hitting .283 with six doubles, four homeruns. He leads the American League and is tied in all of baseball with twenty RBIs. He has six doubles, has on OBP of .371, a slugging percentage of .583 and OPS of .955.

     Another player starting to come on is Curtis Granderson. He's hitting .279. He has six homeruns (3 in one game vs Twins)  which ties him for the American League lead along with Texas Rangers Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli. He has an OBP of .380, a .623 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.003

     As a team the Yankees offense is starting to heat up. Their second in all of baseball hitting .285 and lead all of baseball with twenty homeruns, nineteen of which came in the last seven games.

     Ivan Nova is really the only hot starting pitcher right now. He has a record of 3-0 which ties him for first in the American League along with Oakland A's Bartolo Colon (3-1) and Texas Rangers Matt Harrison (3-0).

     Pitching well out of the bullpen is David Robertson who has and ERA of 0.00 who has appeared in 8 games. In eight innings Robertson has struck out 11 and has a WHIP of 1.13.

     After blowing his first save in the first game of the year against the Tampa Rays Mariano Rivera is becoming " Mo " like. He has a record of 0-1 in 6 games. His ERA of 3.83 is high but I'm sure that will come down, it just takes time when you only pitch one inning at a time. He has struck out 7 and has a WHIP of 1.31 in 5.1 innings. As a whole the bullpen has done a solid job so far. Their have been games where the starters didn't pitch well but the bullpen guys kept teams from tacking on more runs allowing the Yankees offense to come back and win games.

      As far as who's not hot. I'll begin with three starting pitchers. Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia, and Hiroki Kuroda. Hughes is 1-2 with and ERA of 6.75. In 13.1 innings he's given up 19 hits. He's walked 6, struck out 15, has a WHIP of 1.88. Opponents are hitting .317 of him and he has given up 4 homeruns. So far his velocity is up from last season. His fastball has been clocked between 90-93 mph. Personally, I think he's so concerned about throwing hard that he's over throwing which causes pitches to up in the zone and that's why he's getting hit hard.

     Freddy Garcia is 0-1. He has an ERA of 9.75. He's given up 20 hits in 12.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .385 and he has a WHIP of 1.92 Wow ! All I can say is. What is this ? High arc beer league softball pitching !

     In his three starts as a Yankee Hiroki Kuroda is 1-2 with an ERA of 5.00. In 18 innings he's given up 23 hits, walked 6 and struck out 12. Opponents are hitting .311 and he has a WHIP of 1.61. In his second start he pitched Opening Day at Yankee Stadium against the LA Angels and did pitch well. He threw 8 scoreless innings giving up 5 hits walking two while striking out 6. In my previous blogs I have not been bashful about how I feel regarding the signing of Kuroda. But for now I will cut him a break. Let's give him a few more starts and see what happens. All I know is with Andy Pettitte pitching down in the minors and Micheal Pineda working his way back from rotator cuff tendinitis somebody better start pitching well if they want to stay in the starting rotation or even stay on the team.

     Speaking of Andy Pettitte. Pettitte is pitching down in Tampa in the Florida State League. He is 0-0 in two starts. He's thrown 7 innings giving up 4 hits. He has an ERA of 1.29. Opponents are hitting 1.74 against him. He has not walked a batter or given up a homerun.

      Here's a quick peek at who's hot down on the farm at the Yankees Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Right-handed starting pitcher William Mitchell is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.12. In 17 innings he's given up 8 hits, one homerun while walking five. Opponents are hitting .143 off him and he has struck out 15.

      Right-handed hitting first baseman Steven Pearce is hitting .345. In 15 games he has 20 hits, 4 doubles, 2 homeruns, 6 walks while striking out 9 times. His OBP is .406. He has a slugging percentage of .517 and an OPS of .923.

      Coming soon will be a look at who's hot at all the Yankees Minor League affiliates. Stayed tuned !

Opening day has arrived !!

  New York Yankees baseball Opening Day is always one of the most exciting days of the year for me and I'm sure all Yankee fans. It signifies the start of warm weather for us east coast Yankee fans and it also is the start of another year of fun, heart pounding baseball as the Yanks make another run towards October baseball !!

    As exciting as it may be, today's Opening Day might be one most fans will want to forget as they lost to the Tampa Rays 7-6 in grand fashion. And I do mean "grand." Starter CC Sabathia gave up a first inning grand slam to Carlos Pena. In addition to that baseball's greatest closer ever Mariano Rivera blew his first save of the season in his first opportunity. But let's look at the bright side of today's game. The Yanks did battle back to take the lead 6-5. Alex Rodriguez was 2 for 3 and on base five times. Newly acquired free agent Raul Ibanez hit a three run homer and had four RBIs in his Yankee debut. Rivera usually blows five saves a year so today he got one of those out of the way early. So, that could only mean plenty of more saves and wins to go. The last time the Yankees lost on Opening Day was 2009, CC Sabathia got roughed up that day too but they went on to win the World Series ! So things are looking up !

    In other Opening Day news right-handed pitcher Micheal Pineda open the season on the 15 day DL with rotator cuff tendinitis. On Thursday he played catch on flat ground tossing about 25 balls. It's likely he will not be available the first month of the season. It's scary to think what could happen. He was traded from Seattle for catching prospect Jesus Montero. At the time of the trade people were saying " why would the Mariners trade Pineda." Did they know of shoulder problems ? Is that why they dealt him ? Maybe the 23 year old is already feeling the pressure of New York and pushed himself a little to hard this spring trying to impress everyone. Only time will tell how recovers and how he handles New York. Left-handed reliever Boone Logan may be available in the opening series against Tampa. He was sidelined with back spasms so the Yankees are going with two lefties to start the season the other being veteran Clay Rapada.

    Right-handed pitcher David Phelps was awarded the James P. Dawson Award, honoring the top Yankees rookie in camp this spring. Last season Phelps was 7-7 in 20 starts with an ERA of 2.99. This spring Phelps went 17 1/3 innings allowing four earned runs, 16 hits, 4 walks, while striking out 14. Posting an ERA of 2.08.  After performing so well this spring he was given another award, or should I say reward. Manager Joe Giradi told the 25 year old rookie he made the big club and will be heading north with the team. Phelps said " It was great. It's always been your dream to make it to the big leagues." " Your emotions don't quite know what to do when it happens, but it's nice because it's a lot of time and effort, and it finally pays off."

    One player who wasn't on the Opening Day roster was catcher Francisco Cervelli. After being told all spring he was going to be the backup catcher Cervelli was shockingly sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The reason for the move was because of an injury to catcher Austin Romine the Yankees needed to add a catcher. They acquired 30 year veteran catcher Chris Stewart from the San Fransisco Giants in a trade for right-handed pitcher George Konotos. Stewart has played in 93 Major League games hitting .200 with a .273 on-base percentage. He was with the Yankees in 2008 for only three days.This one I don't get. In his limited playing time Cerevlli has been a serviceable backup the past couple of years. They should have just found a low minor league level catcher to fill the Romine spot until he comes back and keep Cervelli on the big league roster. He's a fan favorite because of his hard work, grind it out work ethic who brings excitement when he's in the lineup. And he hits in the clutch. I hope he's back up real soon.

    So relax Yankee fans. Today's Opening Day loss was tough but what did you think they were going to do ? Go 162 and 0.

That's why, just like the players we can't get to excited when they win or to excited when they lose. It's a long season and there's plenty of time to go 161 and 1 !!!  Go Yankees !!!!!!

Joba Chamberlain

  Right-hander reliever Joba Chamberlain will likely be out for the season after having surgery Thursday night. Chamberlain suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle while playing on a trampoline with his son. Chamberlain who hasn't pitched since June 5 was working his way back from Tommy John surgery and was doing well looking to return sometime in July. Some Yankee officials are optimistic that even with this latest injury he could still return late in July, but GM Brian Cashman says "it's highly unlikely."

     All the talk this past week has been the return of Andy Pettitte and what moves Joe Giradi will make with his over stocked pitching staff. This latest Chamberlain injury could make his decision a little easier. In my last blog that featured the return of Andy Pettitte, I asked who would be the odd man out ? and how his return would effect the pitching staff.  Now with the Joba effect  the Yankees are going to need a power right arm out of the bullpen. Do they look to the farm system to fill Chamberlain's spot ? They could consider Adam Warren who's pitched well this spring. Warren has made four appearances so far and has a record of 0-0 with an ERA of 1.93 in 9.1 innings. In those innings he's given up eight hits, one walk, struck out five, and has one save with a WHIP of 0.96. Some feel Warren wasn't battling for a spot on the staff but his latest outing may have the Yankees thinking differently. On Thursday the 25 year old 6' 2 215 pounder from Alabama started against a potential Opening Day Red Sox lineup and threw four scoreless innings allowing two hits, no walks, while striking out three. I don't know if he'll get a spot with the big club but he definitely has shown them what he can do. 

  

    The most likely candidate to move to the bullpen is Phil Hughes. Hughes has pitched well this spring. He has a record of 0-1 with an ERA of 2.03 in 13.1 innings. He has given up eleven hits, one homerun, and two walks. He has struck out eight, opponents are hitting .220 off him and he has a WHIP of 0.98. Even though he's pitched fine, out of the seven battling for a starting spot he's the only one that has pitched out of the pen before. We all remember the 2009 season he had out of the bullpen to help the Yankees win the World Series. The only problem is what effect the move could have on him mentally. The move could shatter his confidence. Here we go again with the starter relief pitcher juggling act.

It's likely Giradi will move him to the bullpen for some right handed relief. He probably will keep Freddy Garcia there too, as the long man out of the pen and go with Hiroki Kuroda in the rotation. I'm sorry but I didn't like the signing of Kuroda when it happened and I still don't ! He's pitched ok as of late but his ERA is over 3.00....3.07 to be exact but who's counting. Opponents are hitting .246 off him and their mostly minor leaguers ! I just don't think he's cut out for the big bats of the American League East.

   Out of the seven battling for five spots, this is how I would do it. My starters would be Sabathia, Nova, Pineda, Hughes, and Pettitte. Keep Garcia in the bullpen. He could be the " jack of all trades" there. He could pitch long relief and even spot start if need be. As for Kuroda, sayonara !! Buy him out and send him packing. It's probably going to happen anyway so why not do it now before the season starts. Go out and find a righty power arm or give one of the kids a shot. I know they won't do it now because their going to give him a chance and see what happens. Cashman signed him and Giradi likes him so I've got to live with it ! Unlike other teams that need pitching, having to many is a nice problem to have. But like I always say you can never have to much pitching.

Yankee Spring Training Injury Update

Here's a quick Yankees spring training injury update.

    Pitcher Freddy Garcia had to leave Wednesdays game against the Blue Jays in the fourth inning after taking an Edwin Jackson groundball between his thumb and index finger on his pitching hand. X-rays were negative but it's doubtful he will make his next schedule start. The Yankees are just going to "wait and see."

    Outfielder Nick Swisher pulled himself from Wednesdays game after feeling a slight strain in his groin. Manager Joe Giradi said, " He did the right thing coming out of the game this time of year. You don't want to risk anything. The sense that I got was that maybe if it was in the middle of the season, he might have been able to play."

    Pitcher David Robertson is working his way back and expects to be ready for opening day. Robertson suffered a bone bruise on his right foot after falling down stairs at his home.

    Eduardo Nunez is still battling a bruised right hand after getting hit by a pitch and will not pick up a bat until Saturday.

    Right-handed pitching prospect Dan Burawa 23 will be sidelined for the rest of spring training after tearing his rib cage. Last year Burawa was 5-4 with an ERA of 3.64 in 39 appearances with Class A Charleston and Class A Advanced Tampa.

HOT Yankee Prospects

  With  12 games in the books I thought I would give a little peek at some Yankee prospects who are hot this spring.

Let's start with some minor leaguer position players. Ironically enough all three minor leaguers play the same position, a position that was of concern with the recent trade of top prospect catcher Jesus Montero. Montero was traded for pitcher Micheal Pineda this off season. So far this spring catchers Gustavo Molina, Jose Gil, and Gary Sanchez are off to good starts. In four games Molina is 4 for 5 hitting .800. his SLG and OBP are .800 and his OPS is 1.600. In six games Jose Gil is 5 for 7 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 1 walk and is hitting .714. His OBP is .750, SLG is 1.000, and has an OPS of 1.750. Next is the Yankees # 3 ranked prospect catcher Gary Sanchez. In four games he's  hitting .600. Both his SLG and OBP are .600 and has an OPS of 1.200. I think he's going to be the catcher of the future. Check out one of my previous blogs for his break down along with the Yankees other top ranked prospects.

Gary Sanchez

Jose Gil

        As far as hot pitching. Well the next three minor leaguers are not only hot prospects they are off to hot starts. Leading the way is Yankees # 1 ranked left-handed pitcher Manny Banuelos. In two games he's 1-0 throwing 4 innings giving up 3 hits, 0 runs, with 3 strike outs. Opponents are hitting .200 off him and his WHIP is 1.25. He has given up 2 walks but needs to cut that down if he's going to be successsful. He recently threw two shut-out innings against the Braves and catcher Russell Martin said " I love his attitude, he's a competitor. He's not afraid, and he's the type of guy who wants to get better. Something goes wrong, he's not going to cave in, he's going to do what he can to battle it."

        Next is my pick to see some time in the Major Leagues this year. Right-hander Dellin Betances. The Yankees # 2 ranked minor leaguer is 0-0 in three games. He has thrown 4 innings given up 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, has struck out 2 with opponents hitting .231 and has a WHIP of 1.25. Look for him to see some time with the big club.

Gustavo Molina

David Phelps

        Another prospect raising eyebrows is right-hander David Phelps. The 6' 2" 185 lb Missouri native, Notre Dame grad has thrown 7 innings this spring giving up 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and has struck out 7. Teams are hitting just .167 against him and his WHIP is 0.86. The Yankees have him ranked # 11 in their organization. They picked him in the 14th round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft. He was undrafted out of high school because of his commitment to Notre Dame. So far in his minor league career he has an ERA of 2.62. He has a strike out ratio of 7.4 per 9 innings and his walk ratio is 2.0 per 9 innings. He has a WHIP of 1.17 Last season he pitched with Double Trenton and Triple-A Scranton and had a combined record of 10-2 in 158.2 innings. He had an ERA of 2.50, WHIP 1.10. He struck out 8 and walked 2 per 9 innings last year. He's never had a season of with an ERA higher than 3.10. Baseball America rated his slider as " the best in the organization." He's eligible for the Rule 5 Draft unless the Yankees add him to the 40 man roster at the end of this season. The Yankees better figure something out for him. If he isn't going to help the team than he's possible trade bait.

Dellin Betances

       I'm just waiting for some more ABs and innings to be thrown to give you a spring update on the Yankees everyday players. Stay tuned

Left Handed Pitching Prospect Manny Banuelos Continues to Impress

Left handed pitching prospect Manny Banuelos continues to impress this spring and is the talk of camp, just as he was last spring. On Friday the lefty threw two scoreless innings in a split squad game against the Atlanta Braves by walking none and striking out three. Last season, Banuelos was 6-7 with a 3.75 ERA for Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton.

Wednesday, pitcher Hiroki Kuroda made his Yankees debut against the Tampa Rays. In the first inning the 37 year old right- hander was quite impressive looking like the one year $10 million contract the Yankees gave him is going to be worth it. He retired the side in the first using only nine pitches. But so much for a first impression. In the second Kuroda gave up two singles and then a two run triple to Rays catching prospect Stephen Vogt. In all two innings three runs, three hits with two strike outs.  Putting a positive spin on his pitchers outing was manager Joe Girardi. "He liked where Kuroda is physically and that he used all of his pitches." Forgive my negative tone, but I just don't have a good feeling about the signing of Kuroda". To much money for a 37 year old that pitched in the National League who is now going to pitch in the AL East. I hope my gut feeling is wrong. Yanks lost this one 4-0 recording only four hits in the game.

       The next days starter Ivan Nova also had a scoreless first inning but then got roughed up in the second given up a lead off double to Adam Lind which was the followed with an RBI single by Brett Lawrie. Two outs later J.P. Arencibia hit a deep homerun to rightfield. Nova came out for the third but couldn't finish the frame as he continued to have trouble locating pitches. Nova ended the day going 2 2/3 giving up six hits and five earned runs. The only bright spot for the Yankees was a solo homer in the ninth by Colin Curtis.

       The next game saw the Yankees strike first against the Atlanta Braves scoring two runs in the first inning with a lead off single by Derek Jeter followed by an RBI double by Nick Swisher. Yanks starter Freddy Garcia threw three scoreless innings only giving up one hit, one walk while striking out two. Yankees won this one 3-0

       After his first start where velocity was a concern right-hander Micheal Pineda started Saturdays game against the Braves. His fastball was clocked as high as 94 mph. He stayed around 88-92 most of the day as the Yankees went on to win 8-3. Pineda gave up one run, four hits, three walks, one strike out while throwing 57 pitches.

       The injury report has right-handed pitcher David Robertson removing his walking boot on Sunday. Last years All-Star pitcher fell down stairs while carrying boxes at his Florida home. X-Rays, CT scans and an MRI revealed only a bone bruise. Infielder Eduardo Nunez X-Rays were negative after being hit on the right hand by Phillies pitcher Austin Hyatt. Nunez is listed day to day.

Yankee Spring Update

The Yankess opened their 2012 spring season against the Phillies. Curtis Granderson picked up right where he left off, hitting a double and a homerun. The Yankees used two pitching prospects in the game. Lefty Manny Banuelos who got the win pitching two scorless innings. He walked two and stuck out none. The other prospect used in the game was Dellin Betances who went one inning gave up no runs while walking two. Ivan Nova also went two innings giving up one hit, two runs one of the earned. He struck out two and walked none. The only hit he gave up was a homerun to Hunter Pence in the first inning.The Yankees went on to win 8-5.

Manny Banuelos

          In  their second game, again against the Phillies Alex  Rodriguez got things going hitting the the first pitch he saw to right field for a homerun off starter Roy Halladay. A-Rod also had a single and a double in the game both pitcher off Joel Pinero. Starter Freddy Garcia had a rough start giving up a homerun to Hunter Pence who homered the day before. The Yanks took this game 7-4 banging out twelve hits on the day.

          Game three was against guess who ? the Phillies. Yankees lost this won 9-3. The only good thing to come out of this game was that newcomer Micheal Pineda made his debut and went two innings giving up one hit, no runs, no walks and struck out two. Not much else going on in this game.

          In their fourth game of the spring the Yankees lost to the Pirates 7-4. No offensive story here either. CC Sabathia made his spring debut going two innings giving up one run, no walks, one strike out. He gave up three hits and two of those were to Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen who may have been fired up for this game after signing a 6 year $ 51.5 million dollar contract. Pitcher Phil Hughes who is fighting for a spot in the starting rotation had a rough start to say the least. He was unable to complete the standard two innings that most pitchers make in their first outing. He went just 1 1/3 innings and has tagged for four hits two runs, one of them earned. Hughes said he felt fine afterwards he was just a little excited and was over throwing.

         Yanks take on Tampa next where Hiroki Kuroda will make his pinstripe debut. Stay tuned.

Yankee High Hopes

This week Baseball America came out with it's Top 100 Prospects for 2012.

I'm sorry to report that the Yankees only had four players make the list. None of which were even in the top 20. Are we headed for a playoff drought? Is a rebuilding stage in the near future? The players that did make the list were the ones I reported about in my last blog. The Yankees Organization Top 5 Prospects. Baseball America ranked them as follows. # 29 Manny Banuelos LHP, # 63 Dellin Betances RHP, # 81 Gary Sanchez C, #85 Mason Williams OF

Since there are no new players on the list I thought I would take some time to tell about two more players the Yankees have high hopes for. Ranked # 8 in the organization is Dante Bichette Jr. The 19 year old was the Yankees first round pick in the 2011 draft. Being the son of a former major leaguer he has an advanced knowledge of the game. He has plenty of power, can hit to all fields, and is better defensively at third base then Yankees thought.

This past season he was the MVP of the Gulf Coast League.

The other prospect is right handed pitcher Adam Warren. The organization ranks him # 10. He has quickly flown under the radar through their system and has put up good numbers at every level. Last year he pitched all season in Triple-A Scranton. Warren isn't going to blow away hitters (or scouts) he's a control pitcher who doesn't walk many batters. He's more of a number five starter / middle relief innings eater and has proven to be very durable. Let's keep an eye on him, maybe he could see some time this season with the club.

Dante Bichette Jr.

Height : 6' 1"

Weight: 215

Position: 3B

Bats: R

Throws: R

ETA: 2014

Age: 19

DOB: 09/26/1992

Drafted: 2011,1st (51)

Adam Warren

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 215

Position: RHP

Bats: R

Throws: R

ETA: 2012

Age: 24

DOB: 08/25/1987

Drafted: 2009, 4th (135)

New York Yankees Organization Top 5 Prospects Preview

By The Big Ragu

1. Manny Banuelos                                                          

     Height: 5' 11", Weight: 155                                    ETA: 2012

     Position: LHP                                                         Age: 20, DOB: 03/13/1991

     Bats: L Throws: L                                                   Signed: March 30, 2008

Banuelos has three above average picthes. Fastball, curve and change up. All of his pitches are Major League ready he just needs to throw them more consistently. He also needs to have better command. He walked 5 batters every 9 innings in 2011.

2011

     Team        W     L     ERA    G    GS    SV     IP       H      HR    BB    K    AVG    WHIP

     Trenton     4      5     3.59    20    20       0    95.1     94      7      52    94   .263     1.53

     Scranton   2      2     4.19     7      7        0    34.1     36      2      19    31   .277     1.34

     Totals        6      7     3.75    27     27      0   129.2    130    9      71   125  .266     1.20

2. Dellin Betances

     Height: 6' 8", Weight: 260                                       ETA: 2012

     Position: RHP                                                         Age 23, DOB: 03/23/1988

     Bats: R Throws: R                                                  Drafted: 2006, 8th (254)

Betances has three pitches. A mid-90s fastball, a power curveball, and a changeup. He needs to work on throwing his curve ball for strikes. In 2011 he threw a career high 126 innings. Injuries have affected his development in the past.

2011

     Team       W      L       ERA     G    GS    SV     IP       H       HR     BB      K     AVG     WHIP

     Trenton    4       6       3.42     21    21      0     105.1   86       7       55    115   .219        1.34

     Scranton  0       3       5.14      4      4       0       21.0   16       2       15      27   .208        1.48

     Totals       4       9       3.70      25    25     0      126.1  102     9       70     142  .217        1.36

3. Gary Sanchez

     Height: 6' 2", Weight: 220                                           ETA: 2014

     Position: C                                                                  Age: 19, DOB: 12/02/1992

     Bats: R Throws R                                                       Signed: July2, 2009

Sanchez is an offensive catcher with some defensive ability with an above average arm. He has a powerful bat and is a good all round hitter. Keep in mind he is very young.

2011

    Team            G        AB      AVG      R     2B    3B     HR     RBI     BB     K      SB    OBP     SLG     OPS

    Charlston      82      301     .256       49    16     1       17       52      36      93     2      .355     .485     .820

4. Mason Williams

     Height: 6' 0" Weight: 150                                             ETA: 2015

     Position: OF                                                                 Age: 20, DOB: 08/21/1991

     Bats: L Throws R                                                         Drafted: 2010, 4th (145)

Williams signed out of high school in 2010. He can hit for average and should develop into hitting with more power. Above average speed both on the bases and in the field.

2011

     Team          G     AB      AVG    R    2B    3B    HR    RBI    BB    K    SB    OBP    SLG    OPS

      Staten Is.   68    269    .349     42   11     6       3       31      20    41   28    .395    .468    .863 

5. Jose Campos

     Height: 6' 4" Weight: 195                                             ETA: 2014

     Position: RHP                                                              Age: 19, DOB: 07/27/1992

     Bats: R Throws R                                                        Signed: Jan. 15, 2009

Campos came to the Yankees with Micheal Pineda in the trade for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. He led the Northwest League in ERA and strikeouts before he turned 19. He fastball has reached 95 has a good curveball and is working on a changeup. He has a good idea how to pitch and could move up quickly.

2011

    Team    W     L     ERA      G      GS      SV      IP      H     HR    BB    K     AVG    WHIP 

     EVE      5     5      2.32      14     14       0        51.1   66     4      13     85   .214     0.97       

It's Official: A.J Burnett to the Pirates

On Friday the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates have agree on a deal to send pitcher AJ Burnett to Pittsburgh for 2 lower level minor  prospects. Pending Burnett passes a physical.

      The Pirates will pay $ 13 million of the $ 33 million that Burnett is owed the next two seasons. In exchange the Yankess will receive OF Exicardo Cayones and RP Diego Moreno.

      Last year Burnett was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. After signing an $ 82.5 million contract in 2009 he was 34-35 with an ERA of 4.79. Although he had flashes of dominance he couldn't harness his pitching mechanics and become a consistent pitcher. So the Yankees will pay $ 20 million for him to pitch somewhere else. This probably will clear some money to sign lefty OF Raul Ibanez and lefty INF Eric Chavez.

      Burnett plans to be in Pirates camp and says " he's looking forward to the opportunity to reestablish himself and mentor some of the young pitchers."

      Outfielder Exicardo Cayones last season hit .228 in both the New York Penn League and the Gulf Coast League. Right handed power pitcher Diego Moreno spent most of last season in Class A Bradenton where he was 2-4 with an ERA of 3.21. In 33 2/3 innings he had 31 strikeouts. He spent some time in Double A Altoona going 0-0 with an ERA of 4.91 in seven games. Both are not expected to make the big club this spring.

      In other news, the Yankees signed left handed relief pitcher Clay Rapada to a minor league deal. Last year with the Baltimore Orioles he was 2-0 with an ERA of 6.06 in 32 appearances. The lefty for his career is 5-0 with an ERA of 5.13 in 78 appearances with the Orioles, Cubs, Tigers and Rangers. During that span lefties hit just .153 off him which includes .090 the last two seasons. I guess he'll be a inexpensive risk to back up relief pitcher Boone Logan.

AJ Burnett Career stats.

   W - L         ERA         IP               K            BB            HR          WHIP         SO

 121-111      4.10      1960.1      1791        827            203        1.332            9

Exicardo Cayones OF                                           Stats 3 Minor League Seasons                

Born: 10/9/91 Valencia, VE

Bats: Left      Throws: Left                        BA         OBP        SLG%      OPS      HR      BB      K      SB

Height 6'        Weight 183 lbs

                                                                   .272        .372         .380         .752         1         53     98      14

Diego Moreno RHP                                                 Stats 5 Minor League Seasons

Born: 7/21/86 Higuerote, VE

Bats: Right      Throws: Right                  W - L      ERA        IP          BB      SO       SV     WHIP      HR allowed

Height 6'          Weight 221 lbs.

                                                                   11-9       2.41      194.0       50      212       15      0.933        12   

The New Yankee - Michael Pineda

Michael Pineda - NY Yankees

By The Big Ragu

Yankees spring training officially opens Sunday for pitchers and catchers. There have been some early arrivals already. Among them Phil Hughes, David Robertson, Corey Wade and newcomer Michael Pineda. Pineda has been the talk of the town already and mostly likely will be all spring. He was acquired from the Seattle Mariners along with pitcher Jose Campos in a trade for catcher Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi.

He began his first season in the major leagues with a 6-2 record and had a 2.16 ERA but finished the year 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA. He led the majors with righty opponents only hitting .184 against him. Lefties hit .237. He fizzled out the second half of the year but still finished 5th in the Rookie Of The Year voting just behind Yankee starter Ivan Nova.

Don't let the record fool you. It was his first year in the bigs and he may have just run out of gas. It didn't help that he was in Seattle where scoring runs are hard to come by. Scoring runs shouldn't be a problem with the Yankees. If it is then the Yanks are in trouble no matter how he pitches. 

Yankee #: 35

Michael Pineda 

• Born : 1/18/1989 Yaguate, Dominican Republic
• Height: 6' 7
• Weight: 260 lbs.
• College: None
• Draft: Non Drafted

2011:

• W-L: 9-10
• ERA: 3.74
• K: 173
• BB: 155
• WHIP: 1.10
  
  
  In other spring training news former lefty Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima signed a minor league contract but failed his physical so he will not report to Yankees camp. Okajima spent most of 2011 with the Triple-A Pawtucket. He pitched only 7 innings with the Red Sox and was 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA in just 8 1/3 innings.