The LoHud Yankees Blog

Back in June, the Yankees chose high school shortstop Cito Culver as their first-round draft pick. For Culver’s first full season as a professional, the Yankees have a familiar plan in mind.

The Yankees first-round pick in 2009 was also a high school position player, and Slade Heathcott was moved cautiously in his first full season. Heathcott opened last year in extended spring training and didn’t join Low-A Charleston until June.

Vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman said the Yankees will “most likely” do the same thing this season with both Culver and second-round pick Angelo Gumbs. Both are 18 years old and developing at key defensive positions. Rushing them is not in the plans.

The same sort of caution could be true for fourth-round pick Mason Williams, a 19-year-old center fielder who played five Gulf Coast League games last season. Newman said the Yankees will “see where he is” in spring training before deciding where Williams opens the season.

Newman said there’s “no question” Culver will continue to be developed as a shortstop, but Gumbs will be tested at different positions. He could see some time at second base, and center field is a legitimate option. “We’re still in the evaluation stage,” Newman said.

• Speaking of Heathcott, he hit .258/.359/.352 with 101 strikeouts in 76 games with Charleston last season. It’s entirely possible he’ll return to Charleston for the beginning of the 2011 season. “We’ll see,” Newman said.

• Last year’s third-round draft pick, Rob Segedin, was selected out of Tulane, so he’s older and more advanced than Culver and Gumbs. Segedin will open in Charleston, where he’ll continue to play third base while also getting some reps in right field.

• If David Adams, Corban Joseph and Brad Suttle all open the season in Double-A, they’ll have to mix and match positions, including some reps at DH, to give all three regular at-bats. Newman said there’s a chance one of those three could open at a different level, but it’s a “low” chance.

• Outfielder Cody Johnson, acquired from the Braves this winter, is most likely heading for Double-A instead of Triple-A. He’s been in Double-A for part of the past two seasons, but he has yet to hit above .189 at that level. The guy does have some power, though.

• Don’t rule out lefty Shaeffer Hall for Double-A. He opened last season in Low-A Charleston but pitched his way to High-A Tampa where he had nine wins and a 3.91 ERA in 15 appearances. This is only his second full season, but Hall is already 23 years old, so the Yankees might push him to Trenton to open the season.

• The Yankees have not decided where shortstop Carmen Angelini will open the season — Tampa or Charleston — but this is clearly a season when Angelini needs to finally show something at the plate. “He needs to get it going,” Newman said. Culver and Gumbs are already overshadowing him in the lower levels.

• Pretty much every scouting report you’ll ever read about Graham Stoneburner suggests his ultimate role could be as a reliever rather than a starter. The Yankees, though, will continue to use Stoneburner out of the rotation, and they believe that he could remain a starter if his changeup continues to develop. Stoneburner had a 2.41 ERA between Tampa and Charleston last season, and the Yankees won’t change his role until he pitches himself out of the rotation. “The game is smarter than us,” Newman said.

• I mentioned Anderson Feliz in yesterday’s look at the Yankees second base depth, and Newman sounds excited about the young middle infielder. “He’s a good player,” Newman said. “He’s got hitting ability. He’s got power. He can run.” Feliz is probably going to open in Charleston.

• Fu-Lin Kuo, a third baseman out of Taiwan, could be developing into a legitimate prospect. “He looked like it at times last year,” Newman said. Last season Kuo hit .243 in the Gulf Coast League, but that was his first season in the United States, and Newman said it’s hard to make much of those stats because of the significant cultural adjustment. The Yankees saw some flashes of promise at the plate. Kuo is probably going to open the season back in extended spring training, but he’s a player to keep the name in the back of your mind for now.

Pretty sure Pete took that picture of Heathcott. I just found it in the blog archives.

Making a change at third base would require the Yankees to make a change with the highest paid player in baseball. It will have to happen at some point, but for now, such a change would do more harm than good. Health permitting, that change won’t happen for a long time.

In the big leagues
The Yankees have committed a lot of money and a lot of years to the belief that Alex Rodriguez will remain an elite player for the better part of a decade. He’s had some lower-body injuries the past two years — hip surgery in 2009, a hard-to-define hip/groin problem in the early part of last year, a strained calf that landed him on the disabled list back in August — but indications are that Rodriguez is perfectly healthy this winter. When the season ended, Rodriguez said he was looking forward to falling back into his usual offseason routine, which he was hoping would bring him back to his old self in 2011. Even in a down year, Rodriguez remained a productive hitter last season. With Rodriguez, though, being productive only scratches the surface of what’s expected.

On the verge
The Yankees drafted three third basemen in 2009. Brad Suttle was their fourth-rounder, but injuries have slowed his progress enough that he passed unprotected through this year’s Rule 5 draft. Braedyn Pruitt was their 14th-round pick, but he was released after only a year and a half in the organization. In the 27th round, the Yankees took Brandon Laird, and it’s Laird who’s poised to help the big league club at some point this season. Laird has consistently hit, and 2010 was a breakout season with .281/.336/.482 line between Double-A and Triple-A. Laird has worked in the outfield corners, but he’s primarily a third baseman. If Laird struggles, the Yankees still have Kevin Russo ready to play third base, and Trenton offers three interesting possibilities in Suttle — who seems finally healthy — along with Corban Joseph and possibly regular second baseman David Adams.

Deep in the system
The Yankees used their first three draft picks on infielders last season. Their first two picks were shortstops, but their third-rounder was Tulane third baseman Rob Segedin.  There seems to be a chance Segedin will eventually play the outfield, but third base has been his primary position and that’s where he played late last season in Staten Island. Ahead of him is 2009 sixth-rounder Robert Lyerly, who hit .312/.352/.425 last year in Charleston. Coming up maybe a half step behind Segedin is Fu-Lin Kuo out of Taiwan, who made an impression in extended spring training last year and cracked the Top 50 prospects list over at Pinstripes Plus.

Organizational depth chart
My own rough guess. It’s far too early for the Yankees to settle on who will be where next season.
New York: Alex Rodriguez
Scranton/WB: Brandon Laird
Trenton: Brad Suttle, Corban Joseph
Tampa: Robert Lyerly
Charleston: Rob Segedin

After Rodriguez, the big league depth chart at third base first goes to whoever wins the utility job — probably either Eduardo Nunez or Ramiro Pena — but if Rodriguez is injured and the Yankees need longer-term solution, Laird might have the upper-hand assuming he proves he can hit in Triple-A.

Much like second base, third base should be something of a mix-and-match situation in Triple-A and Double-A. Suttle, Joseph and David Adams could get time at the hot corner in Trenton, while Laird, Russo and Jorge Vazquez could get starts there in Scranton. Catcher J.R. Murphy is also slated to get some third base time in either Charleston or Tampa, and Kuo could get some time in Charleston after (probably) opening in extended spring training. Garrison Lassiter, Kevin Mahoney, Addison Maruszak, Justin Snyder and Doug Bernier also fit into the third base mix as utility types.

Associated Press photo of Rodriguez, headshots of Rodriguez, Laird and Lyerly

No surprise here. The Yankees have announced their 2011 coaching staff, with Mike Harkey, Mick Kelleher, Kevin Long, Tony Pena and Rob Thomson returning to their familiar roles. The only change will be at pitching coach, where Larry Rothschild has replaced Dave Eiland.

• Harkey, 44, will begin his fourth season as Yankees bullpen coach.

• Kelleher, 63, will return for his third year as the Yankees’ first base and sixth year as a coach or instructor in the Yankees organization.

• Long, 44, will return for his fifth season as Yankees hitting coach and eighth year in the Yankees organization.

• Pena, 53, will return for his sixth season on the Yankees Major League coaching staff and third as bench coach.

• Thomson, 47, will enter his 22nd season in the Yankees organization and his third as third base coach.

This morning, Yankees vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman was good enough to provide some updates on a few of the injured players in the Yankees minor league system.

Two quick updates: Damon Sublett missed most of last year with a thumb injury, but he was back by the end of the season and is expected to be fine for spring training. Jairo Heredia, who seems to have been perpetually injured, made it through last season and is expected to still be healthy heading into spring training.

Eduardo Nunez
Bruised face
Back in December, Nunez was hit in the face by a botched bunt attempt in the Dominican Winter League. He missed some time, but he’s back on the field, playing shortstop again in the DWL postseason. He should be 100 percent in spring training.

Reegie Corona
Broken arm
In late July, Corona had to be carried off the field after a violent collision on the final play of the game. The diagnosis was ultimately a broken humerus bone in his right arm. Corona is in Tampa, but he won’t be healthy enough to open the season on an active roster. He’ll likely be limited to designated hitter before he’s ready to play the field.

David Adams
Broken ankle
Initially labeled as a sprain, Adams fractured his ankle sliding into second base back in May. He missed the rest of the season, but Adams is healthy again and should be ready to open the season, probably back in Trenton.

Jeremy Bleich
Torn labrum
A supplemental first-round pick in 2008, Bleich was eight games into the Double-A season when he underwent surgery to repair a torn left labrum. He’s expected to pitch again in 2011, but Newman said it’s unlikely Bleich will be able to open the season.

Carmen Angelini
Torn hip labrum
A significant risk-reward pick back in 2007, Angelini struggled through his first three professional seasons, then lost all of last year because of a hip injury and a few smaller lower-body ailments. Angelini is healthy again, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll open in Tampa or return to Charleston, where he played all of 2008 and part of 2009.

Caleb Cotham
Knee and shoulder surgeries
A fifth-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2009, Cotham has pitched eight professional innings, but he’s missed most of two seasons because of knee surgery followed by shoulder surgery to repair his labrum. Cotham showed quite a bit of promise before the injuries — “Good arm, strike thrower,” Newman said — but shoulders are tough and Cotham has missed a lot of time. He’s throwing again, but Newman said they won’t know much until he gets into spring training.

Late last night, Jack Curry reported that the Yankees seem unlikely to sign Jeremy Bonderman. This morning, Jerry Crasnick reported that the opposite is true of former Oakland starter Justin Duchscherer.

A source told Crasnick that the Yankees are “stepping up their pursuit” of Duchscherer.

Spending all of his career in the American League West, Duchscherer has been an all-star starter and reliever, but a series of injuries and a battle with depression have limited his career. He had a 2.89 ERA through five starts last season, but a hip injury meant he didn’t make a start beyond April 29.

Crasnick notes that it’s unclear whether the Yankees are interested in Duchscherer as a starter or reliever. It could be one of the perks of signing him that he could serve either role, potentially — and I’m guessing here — depending on whether Andy Pettitte comes back.

There have been a lot of risk-reward pitchers in this free agent market, and the Yankees have been linked to several of them — from veterans Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood to relatively young guys like Jeff Francis and Jeremy Bonderman.

Late last night, though, Jack Curry reported that it seems safe to take one of those names off the list.

On his Twitter account, Curry reported that the Yankees are still looking at rotation options, “but don’t expect them to sign Jeremy Bonderman.”

Garcia, Millwood and Francis are still out there, but even this part of the market is starting to dwindle. It’s has never been a good starting pitching market, and it’s not getting any better.

On behalf of the Steinbrenner family, Hal Steinbrenner this afternoon released an official statement mourning the death of Christina Taylor Green.

“The Steinbrenner family and the New York Yankees organization join the entire nation in mourning Christina and send our deepest condolences to Dallas Green and his family as they deal with this tremendous loss. This is a tragedy that is beyond words and our thoughts and prayers are with the Green family, as well as all of the affected families.”

Dallas Green was a manager of the New York Yankees in 1989 and his son John, Christina’s father, pitched in the New York Yankees organization in 1989 and ’90.

• Mike Lupica did a terrific job of capturing Dallas Green’s emotion in the wake of tragedy.

• Wally Matthews talked to a baseball executive who said the Yankees, ” would be crazy not to at least consider (Andruw Jones).”

• One of those risk-reward pitchers on the free agent market, Brad Penny, seems to be close to choosing a team.

• Interesting work by Doug Gray combining some research to come up with a value-based ranking of each minor league system. The Yankees landed in sixth place (tip of the hat to the guys at River Ave. Blues).

The Yankees are known to be in the market for a fourth outfielder, and the one name that keeps popping up is Andruw Jones.

Jon Heyman reported again today that the Yankees are in pursuit of the former Braves superstar turned role player. It’s a natural fit — Jones hits left-handed pitching and plays solid defense in the corners — but Heyman reports that the two sides are still figuring out the money.

Jones signed $500,000 deals, with incentives, the past two years.

Robinson Cano is signed through 2013, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him stay with the Yankees well beyond his current contract. Second base is not up for grabs today, and it might not be up for grabs until the end of the decade. The Yankees have second base talent coming up through the system, but the bulk of that talent brings defensive versatility and could emerge as some sort of utility option should Cano keep his hold on second.

In the big leagues
If Cano continues his current production, and carries that into his mid-to-late 30s, the Yankees might never have a need for any of the players currently in the system to see significant time at second base. Cano is 28 years old and should be just now entering his prime. He showed last season that he’s already developed into one of the best hitters in the American League, and certainly one of the top second basemen in baseball. The Yankees have an abundance of players who could fill-in at second base to cover any sort of short-term need — nagging injury, unexpected absence — but the organization’s best-case scenario is to simply stick with Cano for the foreseeable future.

On the verge
Here’s the list: Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo, Reegie Corona, David Adams and Corban Joseph. Six young players, all of them ready to play second base at Double-A or higher, and all of them with enough tools to play some sort of role in the big leagues sooner rather than later. Each of them can also play at least one other position, which some defensive flexibility for potential bench roles down the line. Nunez, Pena and Russo have already gotten to New York, Corona has a spot on the 40-man and needs to come back from a late-season shoulder injury, and Adams was hitting in Trenton before an ankle injury cost him most of last season. The name to watch might be Joseph, a former fourth-round pick who’s been building prospect buzz with his bat the past two years. 

Deep in the system
The top second base prospect in the lower levels was Jimmy Paredes, who put himself on the prospect map with a strong 2010 season. Paredes, though, was traded to Houston in the Lance Berkman deal, and without him, the top lower-level second base prospect might be Anderson Feliz, a former shortstop out of the Dominican Republic who hit .273 with some power in the Gulf Coast League last year. Of course, the real second base depth might ultimately depend on the development of Cito Culver and Angelo Gumbs, last year’s first- and second-round draft picks. Both are shortstops, but Cano also saw a lot of time at shortstop when he was a kid. As they develop, Culver or Gumbs could — in theory — find themselves shifted to second base.

Organizational depth chart
My own rough guess. It’s far too early for the Yankees to settle on who will be where next season.
New York: Robinson Cano
Scranton/WB: Kevin Russo, Reegie Corona
Trenton: David Adams, Corban Joseph
Tampa: Walter Ibbara, Emerson Landoni, Kevin Mahoney
Charleston: Anderson Feliz, Casey Stevenson

The big league depth chart beyond Cano probably begins with two players not listed here. Nunez and Pena are the front-runners for the big league utility job, and those two probably have a leg up should the Yankees need someone to fill in at second base for a few games (or even a few months). Russo is also in that discussion, and Adams or Joseph could climb into the mix by the end of the summer.

I have more than one player listed at every minor league level because there are a lot of multi-position players who are going to need time at second. Tampa especially could be a bit of a mix-and-match. The natural fit should have been the since-traded Paredes, and without him, a series of utility types — none of them highly touted — could get opportunities in High-A. Stevenson was the Yankees 25th-round pick last year, and he got most of the second base time at Staten Island last season, but Feliz is the bigger name of the lower-level second basemen. Additional upper-level bench depth will come from versatile infielders like Justin Snyder, Luis Nunez and Doug Bernier.

Associated Press photo of Cano, headshots of Cano, Joseph and Feliz

This free agent market doesn’t match the Yankees needs. We know that. It’s been discussed time after time, day after day, but this morning the good people at MLBTradeRumors listed the 11 players remaining from their initial list of the top 50 free agents. It paints a pretty convincing picture of just how little is out there. Here’s their list.

1. Rafael Soriano — Significant cost, in dollars and draft picks, for a setup man.

2. Carl Pavano — There was never a real chance of the Yankees bringing him back.

3. Jim Thome – Hasn’t played the field in three years. DH spot isn’t available.

4. Vladimir Guerrero — Another designated hitter, best kept out of the outfield at this point.

5. Manny Ramirez — Probably a better defensive option than Guerrero, but still questionable. Plus, Manny in pinstripes?

6. Andy Pettitte — This one’s not up to the Yankees. It’s all up to Pettitte.

7. Brian Fuentes – If he wants to close, he won’t come to the Yankees.

8. Kevin Millwood — Amazing how quickly the starting pitching market falls into the questionable zone. At least Millwood has been fairly durable.

9. Grant Balfour – Another setup man who would cost a draft pick.

10. Scott Podsednik – Left-handed, speed-oriented left fielder. The Yankees already have one of those.

11. Johnny Damon — Probably a better defensive option than some of the other guys who are primarily DHs. Might prefer an everyday role. A right-handed hitter would be a better fit.