Comments on: Updated signings list

By: zimster

zimster — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:49:06 +0000

Living in Omaha (where Creighton is) I have seen Venditte pitch several times, sometimes as a starter, sometimes as a reliever. While I would say he is an above average pitcher in D1 college, I currently would not view him as above average in the minors at this point. The Yankees do have an excellent farm system, though. They were able to turn Joba into a well above average Major League pitcher when at Nebraska he wasn’t a completely lights out pitcher like he was as a reliever for the Yanks. Then again, I thought Joba needed to pitch his senior year and get more experience so what do I know.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:03:21 +0000

Being that the guy doesn’t have four legs, I don’t think you can double Venditte’s pitch count from what a normal pitcher would do.

By: bigjf

bigjf — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:20:09 +0000

I’ll be excited to hear about Venditte’s progress through the system. I would be upset if the Yanks try to make him give up being a switch pitcher. That’s what makes him stand out and he’s been successful doing it to this point.

By: Doreen

Doreen — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:43:47 +0000

Randy -That’s quite a story!

By: The Fallen Phoenix

The Fallen Phoenix — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:38:01 +0000

Well, obviously the Yankees can’t sign Bleich until his college season ends, and Stanford’s in the College World Series. Otherwise, the big left hander to look for is Blake Monar, and the Yankees are going to wait until they see him pitch in the summer to decide whether throwing third-round dollars at him, since he reportedly rejected fifth-round money.

On a tangentially-related note, I have to disagree with Kevin Goldstein’s assessment over at Baseball Prospectus–a guy I generally respect when it comes to prospect rankings. He seems to be the only person I’ve found claiming that Bleich’s ceiling is as a lefty reliever; personally, I think that if reports that he can get his four-seam velocity sitting between 90 and 91 (anything over that I’d take as gravy), he’d be a solid mid-rotation starter.

Cole Hamels generally sits in the lower-90s, and I’d say he’s doing quite well for himself down in Philadelphia. I’m not comparing Bleich to Hamels, just pointing out that velocity isn’t the end-all for lefties the same way it can be for righties.

By: randy l

randy l — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:27:00 +0000

doreen-

back in a cape cod semi pro league league

we had a college pitcher from kansas who had pitched with both arms.

he has just finished winning a couple of games in the college world series when he came to our team, the chatham pirates.

he could throw 90 righty and 80 lefty.

he was only doing so so after a few games when i talked him into just throwing all righty fastballs because he had so much movement on them.

i told him they couldn’t touch his fastball in our league.

after 5 straight hits to lead off the game without an out, he called me to the mound and told me if i called another fastball he was going to beat me to death with both arms.

By: Teddy

Teddy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:21:49 +0000

Blake Monar doesn’t just have average secondary pitches, his curveball is one of if not the best I have ever seen at the high school level. Plus, his ability to throw 4 pitches for strikes is unbelievable.

By: Lampchop Louie

Lampchop Louie — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:15:45 +0000

Having Patrick Veniditte in the bullpen is like having a 26-man roster or the same as having the luxury of a extra position player.

By: Sudakis

Sudakis — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:12:09 +0000

Guess the $750 All-Star tickets aren’t enough:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) â€” New York City officials confirmed that the New York Yankees are seeking more public financing to build their new stadium.
State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky of Westchester, whose committee investigates public debt projects, said Wednesday that the Yankees now say that if they donâ€™t get another $400 million in public financing the club might not be able to finish the stadium.
Janel Patterson of the New York City Economic Development Corp. that is working with the Yankees said the project isnâ€™t threatened. But she said the city is working to relieve an Internal Revenue Service regulation that prohibits more public debt to be incurred for the stadium. Brodsky says that IRS change also is being sought to help
stadium and arena projects for the Mets and Nets.
The Yankeeâ€™s new stadium is scheduled to open next year.

By: Doreen

Doreen — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:01:00 +0000

randy l -

no, same guy.

we just drafted his right arm last year.

this year we got his left one.

What can I say? Terrific line!