Minor league matters
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- January
- 31
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The doc told me to take a nap after the eye surgery, which i did. Now it’s the middle of the night and I’m wide awake and wearing my new cheap Ray Charles sunglasses that apparently are a medical necessity.
But I can see the computer screen clearly without contacts for the first time in many years. So might as well blog …
Mark Newman held a conference call with the writers today that a buddy recorded for me. He had a few interesting tidbits of info:
* Phil Hughes will be held to 175-180 innings this season after throwing 152 last season. The plan is to have him start the season in Class AAA but Newman did not rule out the idea of his making the team out of camp. Don’t bet on that happening, however. The Yankees can hold Hughes to 5-inning starts much easier in the minors than the majors then call him up mid-season.
* Newman seems very high on Humberto Sanchez and Ross Ohlendorf, saying they can help the Yankees this season. He also mentioned that Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain and Dellin Betances are already in Tampa working out. Newman said Betances hit 98 last season and that Chamberlain is a true power arm who fell in the draft because of injury issues.
* Jose Tabata reminds the Yankees of Jeter at the same stage of his career.
* Jesus Montero, the kid catcher from Venezuela, has “light tower” power and will get a chance to start in the Gulf Coast League instead of the Dominican Summer League. Newman said the Yankees have never had a Latin prospect with as much power. He also praised his work ethic and intelligence.
* Former big leaguer Jody Reed will manage the GCL team. Luis Sojo is back with Class A Tampa.
Meanwhile Mike Mussina was in town at a charity dinner. I did not cover but the ever-reliable Brian Heyman was there and we’ll have a story on our site in a few hours.
Thanks to everybody who sent me e-mails regarding the surgery, they were very much appeciated. Dr. Calenda, you the man.
True story: I get the surgery done, I can barely see and I’m sitting there somewhat loopy waiting to go home. One of the nurses says, “So you cover the Yankees, you think Bernie is coming back?”
Too funny.
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on Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 at 2:01 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Pete:
your dedication to this blog goes above and beyond the call of duty. i deeply appreciate all the work that you put into this. i hope your superiors know that this blog is the only reason i ever peruse your newspaper’s website.
keep up the great work!
Lookin’ Sexy Pete! Hope the post-op goes well! You are bar-none the best source for Yankee information on the internet!
Neo….free yourself from the Matrix. Seek out the White Rabbit. It will lead you to Morpheus.
Now…seriously….congrats on the Lasik. Been thinking about it for years.
To be honest the prospect I’m most excited about in the system is Dellin Betances. Hughes will be great, and Tabata is Manny Ramirez without the “Being Manny” business. Betances is just so freakin’ intriguing at that height, grown in New York, and with the kind of potential oozing from his frame.
I was happy about the Jesus Montero signing way back when, as scouts had been raving about his power. If “light tower” power is true, and it’s continuing to the degree the Yankees are saying, watch out MLB 2015!
BTW, Peter, do you know anything about Hairo Heredia? He was one of the Dominican kids we picked up in the last international signing period. The papers quoted some scout as saying that he was a righty with “now stuff”. All that is too vague, and I wonder if you could slip in a question to someone in the know about more details. What kind of pitches he throws, and what the Yankees think of his future.
Thanks! “See” you on the flip….
But can you play piano?
The Yanks just signed a 17 year old Panamanian pitcher, who happens to be the brother of a godson of my brother-in-law’s (yes, it sounds complicated. My brother-in-law is quite close to this country family, and knows both the signed kid and his younger brother well. However, my brother-in-law’s godson is the 11 year old, not the signed 17 year old).
I forget his name, but I’m going to be watching him very closely in the minors, hoping that he makes it (being as that family is good people through and through).
Hey, Pete – glad your eye surgery went well. I give you much credit for doing it — I myself am a bonafide chicken. Take it easy. I think you’re addicted to your own blog!
The nurse story is great. I guess some people really do not have any tact. Jody Reed?? Would that be the Jody Reed who played for the Red Sox in the 80’s??
On the Phillip Hughes front based on what you heard is it more an inning count or a pitch count.
hey pete, awesome stuff. Please let us know how your vision progresses (how bad was it to begin with?) I’m actually considering having the surgery myself at some point (I only just turned 21, so I think I would need to wait a few years)
oh and by the way, being in London I really love your “middle-of-the-night” posts. Gives me some Yanks to read in the morning!
Glad to hear you are doing well after the surgery, Pete. Take it easy! it’s a long season ahead and we’re gonna need you at 100% come october.
I haven’t read much about this Betances kid, but my friend was telling me yesterday he is supposed to have lights out, cy-young stuff. I thought I had heard he was shut down for this season with an arm injury, but if he’s already in Tampa working out, I guess that wasnt true. If he makes his way into Trenton, I may just have to check one of his starts out.
Me and a couple of friends are already talking about a trip up to Scranton to check out the AAA guys; it’s a nice convenience to have the AA and AAA teams so close.
Now YES should work on getting soem more of the minor league games on broadcast.
NICE WORK I’VE ONLY BEEN READING YOUR WORK FO RA COUPLE WEEKS BUT AM IMPRESSED WITH THOUROUGHNSS OF YOUR POSTS. GOOD LUCK WITH EYE SIGHT
Good to hear your okay Pete!
I’m excited that the farm system is so pumped right now. I hope to see some impact made in the next couple years.
The nurse need lasik surgery if she can’t see Bernie is done.
What a difference a year makes in regards to the farm system. Went from semi barren to now stocked with high end prospects.
No such thing as rebuilding. Its reloading.
I have to say though in 2005 everyone said that the Yankees farm system had dried up, and that year Chien Ming Wang and Robinson Cano made major impacts.
Hey Pete
You may have answered this already – but where can I find the list for the 40 man roster and the spring invitees?
Thanks
Sunny
ps – congrats on your new vision.
40-man roster should be on Yankees.com and the spring invitees list was here earlier this month. That could be on their site, too.
Ahhh, I was convinced I was first in line for Red Sox tickets on 3 computers but all 3 were sold out! Now they are on stubhub for $45/ticket in the bleachers… blah! Least I got my $5 bleacher seats
Russ, i had posted this in the other section, too, but i couldve sworn I too was first in line for the bleachers on opening day. oh well.
but alas, my friend was able to secure us 2 seats on the George Washington Bridge for Game 2, which should be Andy’s first game back. sweet!
Very nice! I hope you enjoy that game, I really wanted to see Andy pitch too but I cant get anyone to go with me on a Wednesday. Plus I work during the Weekdays so mid-day games are out of the question =/ Be sure to post back here after the game to give us the crowds reaction. I’m sure he will be 2nd in the rotation, they wanted to do a righty, lefty, righty, lefty mix.
oh yeah, i work, too… but I have no problems taking a vacation day for a Yankees game if I’ve got some good seats.
Jon Heyman is reporting on SI.com that the Yankees have invited Bernie Williams to Spring Training. Heard anything on this?
Why does Hughes already have a Major League number? (80) The only other invitee that does is Cannizaro (63) and that’s because he was called
up last fall.
It definitely makes more sense to start Hughes in AAA. As much as I think he can pitch in the majors right now, it’s probably better for him to get a little AAA action before making his debut in the Bronx (and, boy, is THAT going to be a hyped event). The other thing the Yankees have to hope for is that they don’t need Hughes until next year. (Or need Clemens, for that matter.) If Hughes is lights-out in AAA, but Pavano and Igawa are pitching well, then they can leave Hughes there for the year and pencil him in for ‘08 (and maybe even trade Pavano for something useful).
but if he’s ready come June, do you leave a potential ace down in the minors in favor of Igawa or Pavano? I think, like you suggested, you deal Pavano if his value is up and bring the kid up in a #5 spot where there’s not a whole lot of pressue. If he’s truly ready and the real deal, who knows how valuable he could be as the season progresses and maybe even in big spots in October. From what I’ve read about his make-up, I’d rather have him in a crucial game 4 than Pavano, no matter how well Pavano might pitch this year (and let’s face it, his ability to get out there and pitch in the majors right now is probably a bigger question mark than Hughes’ is.., he might stub his toe getting out of the the replacement Porsche he undoubtedly bought with this year’s $10M).
I think I’d feel pretty good about an October rotation that looks like: Wang, Pettite, Mussina, Hughes, but time will tell; and obviously Clemens slides into the #1 or 2 spot if he comes back, bumping Hughes, but even in the bullpen as insurance in October, could be a good thing and much better than the Jeff Weaver 2 dollar insurance that cost us WS #27……
But, I just hope this kid is for real and measures up to all the hype and pressure we’re putting on him. I can wait till ‘08 if that will ensure that comes true.
Peter, you are quite simply the best. I hope you’re feeling well and seeing as clearly. Thanks for doing this.
Peter,
That’s a hell of a lot more than a few interesting tidbits.
Glad to hear the procedure went well!
Even aside from Hughes, I look at H. Sanchez as an impact player who, unlike Hughes, will be ready possibly for a full season because he is a little older. Remember, this guy was in the pack with Verlander and Zumaya and when you are in that company you cannot rule them out as effective. This offseason will be good… Hughes should only come up half-season so he is guaranteed to pitch into October (if they need him… remember they are limiting his innings), Pavano will try out, we will get to see how effective Igawa is, and the Yanks also have a few other pitching prospects. Lets not forget our upgraded bullpen!
Be well, Peter. Thanks for all the great info.
Boston didn’t do as much improvement as they would like you to think. They added Matsuzaka, put Papelbon in the rotation (so starting rotation looks strong) but they don’t have a surefire closer and I laugh every time I see Timlin and Hansen pitch.
Don’t even get me started on the tickets situation! The Yankees broke my heart TWICE this week. Fisrt, I am a partial plan season ticket holder, so I was given the opportunity to purchase individual tickets ahead of time, on Monday. All I wanted was tickets to Opening Day, so I go online, punch in my password and have to wait 20 minutes. Finally, I am down to a one minute wait time, and I get an “error processing” message, so I have to start all over. Of course, by the time I got back on line, they were all gone.
So I decided to try it again today. No luck either. I still have hope though, I plan to purchase tickets on either Ebay or StubHub. StubHub is guaranteed, but expensive, while people might screw you over on EBay but generally cheaper. I have to go though!!!!
The way I see it is we’re probably going to see the following matchups next season:
Wang v. Matsuzaka
Mussina v. Schilling
Pettite v. Beckett
Pavano v. Wakefield
Igawa v. Papelbon
If you really compare those matchups I don’t really see Beckett and his 5+ ERA challenging Pettite, I’d take a proven 19 game winner over the Japanese sensation, Mussina and Schilling had almost identical seasons last year only Mussina’s ERA was 40 points lower, and the only real place that the Red Sox have the Yankees is with Wakefield battling Mr. Glass, and Papelbon battling with Igawa. The way I see it is that its basically even, and I think both teams will get similar production from their starters.
I don’t understand why people think Sanchez is closer to the majors than Hughes. Sanchez is older, but age isn’t the important thing — it’s about the innings on their arms. Sanchez has actually thrown fewer innings than Hughes (Sanchez’s high is 122 in ‘06). It was the most he threw since 2003, since he has battled injuries. So Hughes actually has a higher one-year innings-pitched total than Sanchez does.
If they want to take the kids along 30 innings every year (leaving Hughes at about 180-185) that would only get Sanchez to 152. And even if they were to push him to 180, that’s an increase of nearly sixty innings, which is a lot.
The AAA rotation is going to be Hughes, Sanchez, Clippard, Ohlendorf, Karstens/Rasner/whoever.
I think that’s about the order for those four guys of who will be first in line to make it to the bigs. I would say Hughes gets first crack, then Sanchez, then Clippard, then Ohlendorf (though if anyone is lights-out then obviously they ascend to the top of the list).
Be careful with Stubhub. No one has Yankee tickets in hand to sell right now. They have thousands of listings but there are no tickets to ship. Beware of the bait and switch.
Newman’s comments get me little excited. It’s nice to see someone from the front office saying they think he could compete for a spot in the rotation out of spring training. Of course I agree with Stormy that you start him at AAA, regardless. I also agree with Chris NY that if he’s good to go in June, there is no sense in keeping him down.
While you should always be careful in buying tickets from a 3rd party, i’ve used stub hub a number of times here in NY, Boston, and Chicago, and never once had a problem getting the tickets I bought, and in a timely manner.
Gotta love the stubhub!
I think everyone assumes that Hughes will be up midseason, but if Pavano comes back healthy and motivated, and Igawa can provide innings, I just dont know how they would adjust the rotation/bullpen to accomodate, and thats before considering the posiibility of Clemens in the mix for June.
Of course, it’s all a gamble right now, and that’s what spring training is for to decide… And maybe its too optimistic of me to think Igawa and Pavano can both be effective, but part of me thinks another full season at AAA wouldn’t hurt the kids, either.
and i like the stuff i’m reading thats coming out of Moose and the clubhouse… calling out Pavano, and making him feel a little uncomfortable walking into that clubhouse “for the first time,” so to speak.
for the same reason i like having Moose and Pettite, and then Clemens if he comes aboard, is the work ethic and attitude they can bring, and mentor Pavano and these other young arms who are almost ready to make their mark in NY.
I think the reason people have considered Sanchez closer is that he’s pitched in Triple A, and I beleive the Tigers were planning to bring him up.
If they were to call up Hughes for the right reasons (really only one good one, would be because he’s ready and a phenom), they’d make room, probably with a trade of Pavano. Same goes for Clemens, if they get him, someones shipping out or possibly shifting Igawa to the bullpen, depending on the timing and the Hughes situation.
I agree Hughes is in front of Sanchez, and articles and scouts’ comments I’ve read seem to indicate the same. But I also wouldn’t rule out Rasner or Karstens coming up first if they need someone before any of the higher profile guys like Hughes, Sanchez, Ohlendorf, etc.. aren’t ready yet, mainly because they thought enough of those 2 to bring them up last year. Should be interesting though, because a lot of the AAA guys are supposed to be very close and scouts have said about most of them that they could help a major league club right now. Hopefully we’re lucky and we don’t have to rush any of them up before the time is right. But when that time is right, I have no issue shipping Pavano out no matter how well he’s pitching if Hughes or someone else can come up and be just as effective, or even close to it. I just don’t trust Pavano in October until he shows some character through major adversity.
and I also would love to see Clemens, Mussina, and Pettite mentoring these young guys. Clemens showing “the next Roger Clemens” the ropes, Mike “our next pitching coach” Mussina teaching guys how to prepare and out-think hitters…. All coupled with Posada behind the plate calling games and keeping things on-track.
I’m sorry, but if Pavano is on an 8-0 tear with a low 3 ERA there’s no way they’re going to trade him, even to make space for Hughes. On the other hand, when Pavano blows out a lung because he tried to hold in a sneeze and has to miss the remainder of the season, then you’ll see Hughes get a call.
You do not want to see Hughes till July.
FOr a number of reasons. One is that he is on a strict pitch count and it would be much better to have him throwing those innings in Sep-Oct.
Two, if hes up early that means one of the starters didnt work out which wouldnt be good. And prob no Clemens.
Let him go to Triple A. Do his work. Refine his pitches. Then come up and add a fresh power arm to the stretch run.
If Pavano blows an eye socket playing too much X-box, his trade value will be worth as much as the Porsche he totalled, probably less (I’m sure a wheel or two were left in tact, worth a couple grand….). Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see the guy come out healthy with great stuff, but I’m sure you’d agree 8-0 with a sub ERA is not very likely. Even if he did (as Mussina did before slowing down and having what turned out to be just an ok year), would you trust him to keep up that pace?
If his stock goes up and we have guys ready that allow us to move him, be it Clemens or a rookie, he’s gone unless Cashman just wants some return on the $20M he’s already been paid instead of cutting our losses. It really depends on more than just how he’s pitching – status of the rest of the rotation, what teams offer for him, etc.. If there’s a surplus and we can get something solid in return, who would you rather ship than him (assuming Igawa pans out)?
Like Mussina said, he has a lot of trust to earn, why shouldn’t that include ours..
Sometimes when I read posts like these, about high-ceiling Yankee prospects that we are not going to trade away for aging overpaid veterans, I question whether it’s all a hallucination.
Hughes is the Yankees’ long-term ace. He doesn’t need to be used to plug a hole…I think most fans would rather he be brought along as carefully as possible and avoid a Prior-esque experience. You don’t just use a guy like Hughes for fun, or to flaunt him to the other teams. He’s only going to be in the Majors if the Yankees are in serious trouble and need a solid pitcher to stop the bleeding.
Last season, the Yanks had the luxury of being far ahead in the division and were able to let Karstens, Rasner, and Henn get cracks at starting. I don’t care for Henn, but my point is they’re not going to throw their top pitching prospects into the Majors to fill holes unless they REALLY need to do so. Might as well see what the not-as-high-ceiling guys can do…and I ask, did Karstens and Rasner disappoint?
[...] Here is some minor league player news from Peter Abraham. [...]
… or, jeremy, simply deja-vu.
my thoughts on all this:
* keep Hughes down one more year. Isn’t this kid only 21? He can stay with AAA one more year, and let the Yanks get in his innings total with the gradual rise that they’ve been implemented from (seemingly) day-one.
* if they struggle out the gate, then they can forget about Clemens. I think his biggest note between Houston, Boston, and NY will be overall records and established in-season reputation. Whichever one is doing better on the whole, and seems the most formidable… he’ll join them. You’re telling me Boston wouldn’t mind putting Wakefield in their bullpen as their long reliever? Beckett’s going to be good for at least one short appearance, more than likely against us.
* I think, if anyone should get a shot near the middle of the year… and I’m talking NEW guys, unlike Karstens and that lot… it should be Sanchez. Like Russ said, he was in the same pack as Verlander and Zumaya for Detroit last year. That has to carry some weight with it as far as whether the guy is ready or not… those two guys did pretty well for the Tigers, I heard.
* I like Betances, too. Will be interesting to see his progression.
* JRVJ’s post confused me. I had to read it, literally, five times. To get the connection. Best of luck to that kid, though. Whoever he is.
* If Pavano comes out firing, why not try to keep him? If he’s pitching lights out… keep him for the year, and give him a go. I think anyone would take him with the aforementioned 8-0 start, and would be willing to take the risk… but why aren’t we included on that? Moose is gone after this next year. Andy will probably be, too. If Clemens comes on, that’s obviously until November 1st at the latest. Why wouldn’t we want to try and have an experienced guy with Wang to anchor the rotation? If he pitches well this year… give him next year. I stay we stick with the plan to build within, and not throughout the rest of the league. Pavano’s within our system now; let’s see what he’s got.
* aren’t we just 10 days away? Or less? Man, my adrenaline just kicked in… April can’t get here fast enough.
I definitely agree swo, my thoughts of bringing up Hughes are only if the time is right for him to come up, in-line with his gradual increase of innings and his development, not to plug a hole. I really think that’s the team’s philosophy also, if he’s not ready, he’s not coming up, period. They think too highly of him as a long term ace to ruin it for one year. That could all go out the window if things get desperate, but I hope not and with all the other talent floating around down there, I’d like to at least think that won’t be the case.
They brought up Cano looking for a spark, but also felt that he was ready during Spring Training, but we had just signed Womack or he might have stayed up then. Same could happen with Hughes IF they truly feel he’s ready and it won’t hurt his development.