The LoHud Yankees Blog

This is from The Associated Press.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Derek Jeter has added a new dimension to his pre-spring training workout.

The New York Yankees captain, coming off a down season, worked in a batting cage Wednesday with hitting coach Kevin Long.

The 36-year old Jeter has a career batting average of .314, but hit just .270 last season. Long and Jeter are scheduled to have another session on Thursday at the Yankees’ minor league complex.

Jeter started on-field drills two weeks ago.

Also, new Yankees catcher Russell Martin also worked with Long and had a throwing session in the outfield.

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Also, a quick reminder that Brian Cashman is serving drinks from 6 to 9 tonight at Foley’s (18 W. 33rd Street, near 5th Ave). I’ll be down there, and I know some of my beat friends are planning to stop by as well. Come on out. It’s actually for a good cause.

Associated Press photo

Want to talk prospects this afternoon? Yesterday, mlb.com and MLB Network announced their Top 50 prospects, with three Yankees making the cut. This afternoon at 2 ET, minor league guru Jonathan Mayo will chat about the list and about prospects in general.

For those of you only interested in the Yankees who made the cut, the Yankees were one of eight teams to have three different players in the top 50, and one of only four teams to place three players in the top 35. These are the Yankees who made the list.

No. 9: Jesus Montero
The Yankees top prospect landed in the top 10 on the strength of, “a bat that should be penciled into the middle of the big league lineup for years to come.” Predictably, mlb.com mentioned Montero’s defensive future as the only remaining question, but the site also noted that Montero has “more than enough bat” to be a designated hitter or first baseman.

No. 32: Gary Sanchez
Even in an organization with remarkable catching depth, mlb.com note that Sanchez, “just might end up being better than all of them.” He’s very young, which is why he’s only in the middle of this list, but Sanchez has “plenty” of power and ability to hit for average — similar to Montero — and he has “better defensive tools” than Austin Romine. The question with him is development. He still has a long way to go.

No. 35: Manny Banuelos
It’s been mentioned several times that Banuelos came back from appendectomy and showed better fitness and stuff. He gained velocity to show a mid-90s fastball, and mlb.com noted that he’s shown “glimpses of above average or better” secondary pitches. If his development continues, Banuelos could have  ”front-of-a-rotation stuff,” and he doesn’t have far to go before he’s ready for New York.

No. 53: Dellin Betances
In addition to the Top 50, mlb.com listed the 10 players who just missed the cut, including the top right-handed pitcher in the Yankees farm system. Betances was actually ranked ahead of Banuelos by Baseball America. With a list like this, the difference between No. 35 and No. 53 is pretty small.

As first reported by Jon Paul Morosi, the Yankees have signed Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal.

The 37 year old did not pitch last season, but in 2009 he had a solid 4.19 ERA through 12 starts with the White Sox. This winter, Colon made seven strong starts in the Dominican Winter League, allowing more than one earned run only twice — and never more than three earned — and finishing with a 1.93 ERA. He struck out 28 and walked six through 37.1 innings.

As a minor league deal, obviously this is a low-risk signing. I have to assume he’s in the mix for a rotation spot.

Of course, there’s always the outside chance that the Yankees have signed Colon with hopes of trading him for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips.

UPDATE, 12:10 p.m.: Buster Olney notes that Colon was pitching for Tony Pena’s team this winter, so the Yankees got a good look at him. Colon will make $900,000 if he makes the team.

UPDATE, 12:41 p.m.: The signing has been confirmed by a Yankees source who said Colon pitched well enough in the Dominican to make the Yankees believe he still has something left. “He just threw well, as simple as that,” the source said. “He’s someone who showed he still has good stuff.”

Colon is being looked at strictly as a rotation option — “As many insurance policies as we can collect is valuable” — and if he doesn’t make the team out of spring training, he will be either released or traded. The Yankees have no plans of using Colon in Triple-A.

Our next Pinch Hitter is 26-year-old Ben Wolinsky, an IT professional living in Manhattan. He is a contributing blogger at www.nyat.net, with some television work mixed in. Ben’s family has followed the Yankees going back to his great-grandmother, who lived in the same Morris Avenue apartment building as many of the 1927 Murderers’ Row Yankees.

Ben his first Yankees game before his first birthday, and he has since attended the last game at the old stadium and the first exhibition game at the new stadium. Born in Manhattan and raised outside of Albany, he spent four years at Brandeis University outside of Boston and still managed to survive the 2004 World Series.

For his post, Ben considered Brian Cashman’s history of dealing — or keeping — the Yankees top prospects.

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In Cashman We Trust

As the head of baseball operations for the New York Yankees, Brian Cashman is responsible for building a strong farm system while at the same time entertaining and evaluating ways to improve the Major League club. He often speaks of “holding onto the future” and not sacrificing talented prospects for immediate fixes. Yet, the Yankees are always focused on the present. Such polarizing demands put Cashman in a difficult position.

The most recent example of this conundrum is Jesus Montero. At the beginning of the off-season, Montero was tabbed as the front-runner to earn the position of starting catcher next season. However, Cashman decided to award the position to free agent Russell Martin. With Cliff Lee having returned to the Phillies, this would seemingly leave Montero available to be traded for starting pitching. Yet, it appears that Cashman is not ready to deal Montero (despite his inclusion in last year’s near deal for Lee). If Montero is not going to be given the opportunity to contribute on the Major League level in the near future, what is the point in holding onto Montero?

Given Cashman’s reluctance to deal his most valuable trade chip, we must take a critical look at his ability to evaluate Minor League talent and determine its Major League potential. Let us take a look at a couple of the deals in which top prospects were dealt for veteran Major League talent and a few of the prospects that — despite having been heavily rumored to have been included in deals — were kept for the benefit of the Major League club:

Players Dealt

Brandon Claussen – In 2003, Claussen was considered the top pitching prospect in the organization, yet the Yankees decided he was expendable if they were to acquire Aaron Boone. I, like many others, did not agree with trading away a young left-handed starting pitcher in exchange for an average hitter in Boone. However, it appears that the Yankees were not worse as a consequence of this deal. Claussen made 57 starts for the Reds from 2004-2006, going 15-27. Boone hit one memorable home run before a knee injury indirectly led the Yankees to acquire Alex Rodriguez. While Claussen may have been able to provide rotation depth, it is apparent that they did not deal away a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Dioner Navarro – Navarro, a switch-hitting catcher, was ranked as one of the top prospects in the Yankee organization and was their top prospect heading into 2004. However, with Jorge Posada entrenched at catcher, he was deemed expendable in favor of acquiring Randy Johnson. Johnson did not perform as expected, but Navarro never turned into the player he was expected to be. With the exception of his All Star season with the Rays in 2008, Navarro has largely been a disappointment. After being sent down partway through last season, he was non-tendered by the Rays this past offseason.

Players Kept

Alfonso Soriano – From 1999-2000, almost every deal that the Yankees were rumored to be a part of included Alfonso Soriano. Yet Cashman held onto him and in the end, his patience paid off. Soriano had three productive seasons for the Yankees, including a near 40-40 season in 2002, before being dealt for Alex Rodriguez prior to 2004. Soriano continued to produce after departing the Yankees and his inclusion in the deal for Rodriguez was well warranted. Needless to say, we would have been quite sorry to see him dealt prematurely for a player such as the oft-injured Rondell White.

Phil Hughes – Phil Hughes was twice ranked the top prospect in the Yankee organization and was undoubtedly one of the top prospects in all of baseball. In his second Major League start, he no-hit the Texas Rangers into the 7th inning before leaving with an injury. Going into the offseason, Cashman was given the opportunity to acquire to Johan Santana from the Twins in exchange for Hughes. However, Cashman decided to hold on to Hughes. While the move initially looked to be an incorrect one, as Hughes went winless in 2008, Hughes went on to be a critical cog out of the bullpen in 2009 and took major leaps forward as a starter in 2010. At 24 years old, most agree that Hughes has not reached his ceiling.

To be fair, many of the veterans Cashman has acquired via trade did not work out as well as he would have liked. However, can we honestly think of one transaction in which the Yankees received a player who provided little value while the prospect traded away went on to superstardom? This is not to say that none of the prospects he has traded have gone to success (i.e. Tyler Clippard, Juan Rivera, etc). But have any of them lurked around the way Ken Phelps-Jay Buhner turned out?

So in conclusion, let us have confidence that if Cashman chooses not to trade Montero anytime soon, it is with good reason and much to the benefit of the New York Yankees.

Associated Press photo

Some sad news, the Yankees passed along word that bench coach Tony Pena’s mother, Rosalia Padilla Pena, passed away in the Dominican Republic. She was 79 years old, and the funeral will be tomorrow in the town of Altamira.

Some other notes and links from today.

• Justin Duchscherer shot down the idea that his past issues with depression might cause him problems in New York. “I find it funny that people say I can’t pitch in that environment, but I’ve pitched in New York before,” he told Brittany Ghiroli. “As far as my mind, I have no problem being anywhere. Physically it’s a matter of what’s the best situation for me.” Duchscherer also said he much prefers to start and wants to sign with a team that will give him that chance. The Yankees can certainly offer that opportunity.

• Linked to the Yankees strictly through speculation as a possible trade target, Wandy Rodriguez has signed a three-year deal with the Astros.

• The Yankees did reportedly sign one pitcher today, agreeing to a minor league deal with Warner Madrigal.

• The Blue Jays makeover continued today when they shipped nearly acquired Mike Napoli to the Rangers for reliever Frank Francisco. Speaking of the Blue Jays changes, Vernon Wells bid an emotional goodbye to the franchise.

• Interesting stuff over at The Hardball Times, where Chris Jaffe looked at the worst playoff game endings, including two Yankees games.

• Remember when Chris Ray was a promising young closer? Today he signed a minor league deal with the Mariners.

• The International League announced the 2011 inductees into its Hall of Fame: Steve Balboni, Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. Balboni and Boggs are both former Yankees. For the purposes of the IL, Balboni is most closely connected to the organization, having hit 92 home runs in three years with the Columbus Clippers. Balboni is the only player in IL history to homer twice in one inning in two different games.

• I had to stop listening long enough to hear Michael Kay’s interview with Brian Cashman, but I’ve spent most of the day listening to the new Decemberists and Iron & Wine albums. Good stuff, especially from the Decemberists, who didn’t do much for me with their previous album.

Good stuff from today’s Michael Kay Show, where Brian Cashman went on the air to address any number of Yankees offseason topics. Of course Cashman talked about this morning’s Derek Jeter comments, but far more time was spent discussing Andy Pettitte’s ongoing retirement decision.

Cashman said he’s been in constant contact with Pettitte, including a phone call today.

“He’s not hurting us, he can only help,” Cashman said. “If not, we will find something to make us better. That’s the job. It’s going to take longer than everyone will like… Because of the available situation in front of us right now, patience is required.”

Given the current free agent market, Cashman said Pettitte’s indecision is not preventing the Yankees from making any sort of move. Cashman has told Pettitte that he doesn’t want the lefty to come back because of pressure from teammates or because of desperation from the fans. He only wants Pettitte back if he’s 100 percent committed to coming back.

“His heart’s got to be in it,” Cashman said.

• If you don’t listen to the entire Cashman interview, at the very least I highly recommend the part around the 20-minute mark when Cashman addressed his comments at the Rafael Soriano press conference. Cashman said he felt the need to acknowledge that he wasn’t onboard with the signing because he had previously told agents, GMs and the media that he didn’t want to spend that much money for a setup man. He needed all of those parties to know that he wasn’t lying. “You have to have credibility,” Cashman said.

• Along the same lines, Cashman said he and Hal Steinbrenner talked before the Soriano press conference, and Steinbrenner knew Cashman planned to make his feelings public. No one was blindsided. “It was not the first time I was overruled,” Cashman said. “And it won’t be the last”

• Cashman also addressed the speculation that he might be unhappy with the Yankees, wanting to prove himself with a smaller market club. “I think all things are pretty good (with the Yankees), and I’m proud to be a part of that,” Cashman said. “So why would I want to jump ship and run somewhere else?”

• Cashman said he’s proud of the fact he’s transitioned the franchise away from being strictly a “checkbook” organization, working to both buy the right pieces and build the right prospects. He called the amateur draft, “the most important day of the year.”

• The final word on the Derek Jeter position change situation: “We have no intention of moving Derek at this point. We’re not talking about moving Derek at this point.”

• Will Jeter stay at shortstop throughout this contract? “It’s hard to say,” Cashman said.

• On Joba Chamberlain: “The stuff as a starter has been watered down. I think we’ve seen enough of a sample.”

• Had the Yankees signed both Cliff Lee and Pettitte, Ivan Nova would likely have opened the season as a long man in the bullpen.

• Cashman indicated that in-house young pitchers could compete for the fifth starter spot in spring training. He specifically mentioned Adam Warren and David Phelps, saying they could be, “Nova or better.”

Associated Press photos

For better and worse, Brian Cashman is generally a candid speaker when he’s in a relaxed environment. He puts up his shields when he has to, but when there’s an easy back and forth, he’s more willing than most general managers to go along with it and speak his mind.

That’s what he did today, and it became a story that Cashman never expected until his phone started ringing off the hook with reporters asking about Derek Jeter moving to the outfield. Step-by-step, here’s how Cashman described this morning’s Jeter discussion at a WFAN breakfast/Q&A.

1. A fan asked whether Jeter would remain at shortstop. Cashman said right now there are no plans to move him away from the position.

2. Mike Francesa, serving a kind of host for the event, brought up his idea that Jeter could eventually move to third base and Alex Rodriguez could move to designated hitter.

3. Cashman, rolling with Francesa’s hypothetical, said that he prefers more power in the corners and said that — given Jeter’s athleticism and offensive style — a move to the outfield would be more likely.

That was the back-and-forth. Cashman was willing to go along with the hypothetical situation of Jeter leaving the shortstop position, and guessed that a move to the outfield would be more likely than a move to third base. It’s interesting and it’s newsworthy, but there’s no indication that the Yankees are planning or preparing for such a change.

“It wasn’t a declaration of any kind,” Cashman said.

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To me, the more interesting news coming out of Cashman’s breakfast was his acknowledgment that Joba Chamberlain has not been the same since injuring his shoulder in Texas back in 2008. I don’t remember the Yankees acknowledging the impact of that injury, but Cashman said he’s said all of this in the past.

“That’s not the first time,” Cashman said. “… (Chamberlain) hasn’t been since that episode in Texas. I still think he has a chance to be an exceptional pitcher. It’s just not the same physicality he had prior to that.”

In particular, Cashman pointed out the diminished velocity, which used to reach into the high 90s whether Chamberlain was working as a starter or as a reliever. The velocity was higher as a reliever, certainly, but it was still up there as a starter, much more so than it has been since the injury.

“I don’t think that equipment necessarily exists now,” Cashman said.

As Rob Neyer pointed out on ESPN, it could be that Chamberlain is just another in a long line of pitchers who couldn’t quite hold up to throwing 100 pitches every five days. Chamberlain had been pitching professionally less than two years when that injury occurred, and he’s currently been in the organization only four years. It’s not especially unusual to discover things like this in a pitcher’s first four years in organized ball. The difference for Chamberlain is that the discovery came at the big league level, in the spotlight of Yankee Stadium.

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A few other notes from my conversation with Cashman.

• The open competition at catcher is for the backup job, not the starting job. “Russell Martin is our everyday guy,” Cashman said.

• The Yankees obviously could still use a starter, and there are still some risk-reward starters on the free agent market. The fact the Yankees have not yet signed any of them, Cashman said, does not mean they won’t eventually sign one of them. “I wouldn’t say I’m out,” Cashman said.

• When the Andruw Jones signing becomes official, the Yankees will have their fourth outfielder. They already have internal candidates for the utility infield role and the backup catcher role. That leaves one bench job open, either for an in-house candidate or a free agent. “We’re never finished,” Cashman said. “We’re always open to doing things.”

Associated Press photos

Brian Cashman was at a WFAN sponsored breakfast this morning, and while addressing the crowd, he acknowledged several truths about the Yankees. Most notably, Cashman said it’s possible Derek Jeter will be playing center field by the end of his current contract.

“I like corner outfielders and corner infielders who have power, so for me, if he’s ever gonna move, it’s probably gonna be a Robin Yount situation. But we don’t have to deal with it at this point,” Cashman said, according to ESPNNewYork. “We’ll deal with it when we have to.”

Nothing in Cashman’s comments suggests the Yankees are planning to make a move with Jeter, but Cashman has acknowledged the simple truth that a 36-year-old can’t stay at shortstop forever.

Most of the breakfast comments came from the Twitter account of ESPNW contributor Amanda Rykoff. Some other highlights:

• As far as I can remember, this is the first time Cashman has acknowledged that Joba Chamberlain hasn’t been the same since his injury in Texas.

• Cashman still wants to add a starting pitcher. “We’re one starter away from being a World Series contender,” he said. Cashman also acknowledged that the rotation best-case scenario is to have Andy Pettitte come back, moving Ivan Nova into the fifth spot.

• The Yankees see Andruw Jones as a new version of Marcus Thames with “slightly better defense.”

• Cashman has previously said Russell Martin, as long as he’s healthy, will absolutely be the Yankees starting catcher. Today he said there will be an open competition for the job.

• Cashman said that right now the Red Sox look like a better team than the Yankees, but the Yankees have the better bullpen.

Associated Press photo

I didn’t intentionally time it this way, but Ed’s guest post about the construction of the Yankees minor league system happened to come on the same day MLB Network and MLB.com are revealing their Top 50 Prospects. The list will be announced at 9 p.m., broadcast on the television network and on the website. You can bet that Jesus Montero will be near the top.

Leading up to the Top 50, MLB.com has already ranked the top 10 prospects at each position.

Catcher
Yankees on the list: Jesus Montero (1), Gary Sanchez (3), Austin Romine (8)
Yankees top prospect: Montero
The top catcher on last year’s MLB.com list was National League Rookie of the Year Buster Posey, who opened 2010 in the minor leagues before hitting his way to San Francisco. There’s obviously a chance Montero could do the same thing for New York this season.

First base
Yankees on the list: None
Yankees top prospect: Luke Murton
The Yankees really don’t have a standout first base prospect, which isn’t a significant issue with Mark Teixeira in New York. The Yankees best long-term first base prospect is probably someone currently playing a different position, maybe third baseman Brandon Laird or catcher J.R. Murphy. Of the guys primarily playing first right now, I’ll give the nod to Murton, but you could just as easily make a case for Jorge Vazquez (more advanced), Kyle Roller (higher draft pick) or Reymond Nunez (more raw talent).

Second base
Yankees on the list: Eduardo Nunez (9)
Yankees top prospect: Corban Joseph
MLB.com put Nunez, a natural shortstop, on its list of second basemen and cited the probability that he’ll be cast in a utility role with the Yankees. Makes perfect sense, and I agree. Of the guys currently playing second base for the Yankees, I’ll go with Joseph as the top prospect, barely ahead of likely Trenton teammate David Adams. Both are interesting young players, but Nunez is more advanced.

Shortstop
Yankees on the list: None
Yankees top prospect: Eduardo Nunez
Nunez made MLB.com’s list at second base but not at shortstop. What stands out about the shortstop ranking is how many of the Top 10 are low-level players who are still extremely raw and young. It’s tough to stick at shortstop, which is part of the reason Nunez has real value (he’s made it this far). The Yankees have their own young, raw shortstop in first-round pick Cito Culver.

Third base
Yankees on the list: None
Yankees top prospect: Brandon Laird
Frankly, I think Laird has a chance to make the same sort of impact as some of the guys on MLB.com’s list. I might not have said that two years ago, but Laird has steadily produced, and now he’s one level away from the big leagues. Might not be a superstar, but he’s a good bet to help at the Major League level.

Outfield
Yankees on the list: None
Yankees top prospect: Slade Heathcott
MLB.com’s list of outfielders starts with Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Domonic Brown. The Yankees don’t have anyone with that kind of hype or perceived potential, but Heathcott is a good young athlete, and the Yankees have quite a few interesting center fielders in their lower levels. On the whole, though, the outfield is a bit of an organizational weakness.

Right-handed pitcher
Yankees on the list: None
Yankees top prospect: Dellin Betances
Predictably, there are a lot of talented right-handers in minor league baseball, and listing the top 10 would be a matter of extreme preference. Betances is a legitimate prospect who belongs in the same sentence as some of the guys listed by MLB.com. He could pitch his way into the middle of the rotation, if not higher, and he could do it within the next year or two.

Left-handed pitcher
Yankees on the list: Manny Banuelos (10)
Yankees top prospect: Banuelos
This is a pretty impressive list of lefties, and MLB.com notes that Banuelos showed improved velocity in 2010, leading to projection as a “front-line starter in the not-too-distant future.” I consider him the top pitching prospect in the system, though Baseball American ranked him one spot behind Betances.

Next up in our Pinch Hitters series is Ed Conde, the head of the federal government’s Alcohol Countermeasures Laboratory in Cambridge, MA. Ed was born in the Bronx and remembers watching Mickey Mantle play in the original Yankee Stadium. He has lived among the enemy in Boston for 25 years and was very happy when the Yankees won in 2009. “It is hard living among the enemy,” he wrote. “But it is much better when the Yankees win!”

For his post, Ed examined the Yankees ability to build a minor league system, and how that might be affected by the new collective bargaining agreement.

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Most Major League Baseball teams use a cyclical approach to team building. They build primarily by drafting and developing players taken high in the amateur draft, trying to hit on enough picks to build a playoff team. After a few seasons, these teams age and lose players to injuries and free agency. Team performance invariably declines, and the cycle starts anew.

The Yankees do not operate this way. Winning precludes the Yankees from picking high in the draft. The high ceiling/high probability prospects are long gone before the Yankees select in the first round. Therefore, the team has had to use alternate methods to amass talent. The Yankees have:

1) Drafted young high school players with high upsides. These players are talented, but much less likely to reach their potential than similarly talented college players. Examples are Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson, Slade Heathcott, Austin Romine, Cito Culver, and Brett Marshall.

2) Drafted players coming off an injury that other teams shied away from. Examples are Joba Chamberlain, Andrew Brackman, and Ian Kennedy.

3) Drafted hard-to-sign players and then offered far more (over slot) money than the Commissioner’s Office recommended. Examples are Austin Jackson and Dellin Betances.

4) Signed very young International Free Agents who were not subject to the draft. Examples are Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, Melky Cabrera, Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, Manny Banuelos, Hector Noesi, Ivan Nova, and Eduardo Nunez.

This four-pronged approach has replenished a farm system that was rated a lowly 24th by Baseball America only seven years ago. A healthy farm system allows the GM to make deals for players like Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Chuck Knoblauch, and Alex Rodriguez.

Unfortunately, trouble may be brewing. Rumors have surfaced that the next Collective Bargaining Agreement may include hard slotting for the amateur draft and the introduction of an international players draft. These changes could have a devastating effect on the Yankees ability to amass young talent.

What can the Yankees do to offset these changes? Three things that could work are:

1) Become even better at scouting both the minor league and amateur levels. Use the Yankees vast financial resources to develop the best network of scouts. Become better at finding the next Dustin Pedroia or Albert Pujols that other teams overlook.

2) Build the best coaching staffs at both the major league and the minor league levels. Use the team’s financial clout to get the very best coaches at every level. The Yankees have to do a better job of developing talent – especially pitching. It is especially difficult to see Clay Buchholz (Baseball America #4 prospect 2008), John Lester (#22 – 2006), Jonathan Paplebon (#37 – 2006) and Daniel Bard (#98 – 2009) surpass Phil Hughes (#4 – 2007), Joba Chamberlain (#3 – 2008), Ian Kennedy (#45 – 2008), and Humberto Sanchez (#57 – 2007).

3) Be creative and amass more draft picks. Take a page from the Red Sox book and try to use the rules to obtain additional first round and supplemental round picks.
The Yankee Dynasty crumbled when they were unprepared for the implementation of the amateur draft in 1965. Before 1965, the Yankees could pick and pay any player that they wanted. When forced to scout and develop players, they were not up to the task. The team went through the worst period in its history from 1965 to 1975. Similarly, the team crumbled in the early 90’s when a preoccupation with high-priced free agents caused them to neglect scouting and development.

The future may very well hinge on how well the Yankees develop players like Hughes, Chamberlain, Banuelos, Betances, Brackman, Montero, Sanchez, etc., and by how well they are able to identify and obtain new young talent. Despite the Yankee penchant for signing high impact free agents, sustained success will only come if they maintain a vibrant minor league system.

Associated Press photo of homegrown Yankees Robinson Cano and Francisco Cervelli