Rookie League Year in Review
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Nov 05, 2011 
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Putting too much stock into the Gulf Coast League is even more dangerous than putting too much stock into the New York-Penn League. That said, for the Yankees, the GCL is all about early player development. For the rest of us, it’s all about first impressions, and quite a few young Yankees made impressive first impressions this year.
The Yankees rookie league team hit .298/.378/.466 as a group. They were tops in the GCL in all three slash categories — by at least 20 points in each category — and no other team slugged higher than .397. To go with all that offense, the GCL Yankees pitching staff tied for the team lead in strikeouts but also finished second in walks and landed in the bottom half in team ERA. On the whole, there was more good than bad coming out of the Yankees lowest American affiliate.
Hitter of the Year: 3B Dante Bichette Jr.
An easy call. The Yankees top pick in this year’s draft led the Gulf Coast League with 67 hits, 47 RBI and 17 doubles. Putting to rest some question about whether he deserved to be taken so high, Bichette actually got off to a slow start before becoming the best player in the GCL and earning a late promotion to Staten Island. Bichette earned plenty of praise and established himself as a legitimate hitter. The Yankees have moved slowly with most of their top high school picks recently, so Bichette could open next season in extended spring before going back to short-season Staten Island.
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Taylor Morton
Sixteen different pitchers started games for the Gulf Coast League Yankees this season, and only one of them started more than six times. Things are different at this level, and in a lot of cases it’s easier to think of this as a single pitching staff rather than a rotation and a bullpen. Morton is clearly being groomed as a starter, and he had the strongest season of the bunch. Through 12 appearances — half starts, half lengthy relief outings — Morton had a 1.98 ERA to go with 35 strikeouts and eight walks. Half of his outings were scoreless and he had a 1.14 WHIP. A high school kid drafted in the ninth round last year, Morton was making his professional debut.
Breakout performance: CF Ravel Santana
The Yankees young center field depth extends beyond Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams. After two years in the Dominican Summer League, Santana’s first season in the States was a massive success, leading Baseball America to name him the second-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League (behind Bichette Jr.). Santana hit .296/.361/.568 with 10 stolen bases and a team-high nine home runs. Santana put up similar numbers last year in the Domincan, so this doesn’t look like a fluke season. The guy can play.
Disappointing numbers: 2B David Adams
Truth be told, the Yankees didn’t have any big names who had especially disappointing seasons in the Gulf Coast League this season. Instead, the bigger disappointment was the fact that Adams played more games at this level than at any other (and he played only 17 games here). A promising infield prospect, Adams was in Double-A last year and had the year cut short by injury. He was expected back this season, but he played in only 29 total games. He hit well in those games — .370/.421/.509 between the GCL and Florida State League — but obviously the Yankees wanted to see him on the field more than that.
Top prospect watch: SS Claudio Custodio
Bichette and Santana were the top prospects on this roster, but Custodio is another guy who could easily have been the Breakout Performer of the year. He landed on Baseball America’s list of top GCL prospects after hitting .325/.433/.414 with a team-high 26 stolen bases (he was caught stealing only twice). Originally signed by the Royals, Custadio wound up with the Yankees after it was discovered he had signed with Kansas City under a fake name. He led the Gulf Coast League in runs and put himself on the prospect map in his first season in the States.
Notable: Catching prospect just keep showing up in this organization. Find room on the list for C Isaias Tejada who hit .331/.404/.568 in his first action outside of the Dominican Republic. The bad news is that he threw out a league-worst 13.7 percent of base stealers… In addition to Custodio, the Yankees had INF Jose Rosario getting time at second, third and short, and he hit .331/.372/.529… 1B/3B Tyler Austin was a 13th-round pick last year and he raked in the GCL, hitting .390/.438/.622 to earn a promotion after just 20 games. He kept hitting in Staten Island, going .323/.402/.542 after the promotion… Another 1B/3B, Matt Duran, hit .301/.365/.506 in 23 games after being taken in the fourth round this year. He’s from New Rochelle… Two RHP who worked strictly in relief, Edwin Rodriguez and Mariel Checo, had 41 strikeouts apiece. Rodriguez reached that number in 39.1 innings. Checo did it in just 27 innings. Rodriguez had a 1.12 WHIP, Checo allowed a .184 opponents batting average.
To be honest, I wrote this a few weeks ago while trying to work ahead a little bit, and I nearly forgot it had it. There’s obviously not much going on today. Might as well look back at the lowest level in the Yankees system (technically not the lowest level, but I don’t know nearly enough about the teenage prospects in the Dominican to write a post about them).
Chad,
Any updates on Santana’s recovery and rehab from his injury?
the Yankees should sign Oswalt if he will come here. even if he gets injured the Yankees have the AAA depth to cover those starts.
That would be Ravel Santana, not Johan or Carlos
“I’m in the process of talking with everybody,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
Isn’t “process” the word Cash uses right before going into stealth mode?
pat,
No question that Cashman is hot on the trail of somebody and moving Banuelos and Montero won’t be part of it.
Of the 2011 pitching draftees for the Yankees, 21 year old Mark Montgomery is the one to watch. He’ll start in Charleston and be in Tampa by June. This is the Yankee closer of the future.
http://www.baseball-reference......ntgo000mar
I don’t see Cashman walking away without adding a starter this winter……he’s been after one for 2 years and he has no Cliff Lee to wait in this year. There arr options out there and I think he finds a match with one of them.
” Magnitude-3.2 Quake in SF Bay Area Jolts Berkeley ”
L . o . l .
The West Coast and their small earthquakes .
L . o . l .
Come back when it is at least 5.8 .
GB…He’s the one ( Monty ) that I’ll be following after you mentioned him and I saw a little video of him….He could be a fast climber……And I did see your Rhonda Fleming comments, and I do agree….And that was the movie ……
Cash talking about which of the young arms might show up in the Bronx first among other things.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/medi.....id=6354440
Let’s hope the Bichette Jr story works out. Wouldn’t we all love to cheer that guy?
CC Sabathia
Been in Paris and Florence,heading to Rome. best vacation me and @AmberSabathia have ever been on.. Can’t wait to see the coliseum!
AmberSabathia
I wore heels out our first night in Florence @CC_Sabathia said “didn’t u learn anything from jersey shore!” #jerseyshoreladies
CC watches Jersey Shore.
“November 5, 2011 at 6:25 pm I wonder when Duquette will tell Matt Wieters he’s in the twilight of his career like he told Clemens?
An awful GM. Perfect for an awful owner like Angelos.”
Well maybe he gave up on Clemens…..but he also brought in Pedro, Manny, Damon, varitek etc…..so I wouldn’t call him awful. Theo gets all the credit but the truth is he won with a lot of Duquettes players.
Pat M. November 5th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
GB…He’s the one ( Monty ) that I’ll be following after you mentioned him and I saw a little video of him….He could be a fast climber……And I did see your Rhonda Fleming comments, and I do agree….And that was the movie ……
————————————————————————————————————————-
Montgomery, in one of his first games after being promoted to Charleston had 5 strikeouts…in one inning. There were two passed balls on strikeouts. Anyone that averages almost 2 strikeouts per inning is a guy to watch. 93-95 MPH fastball and an in the dirt slider that is untouchable. Looks very much like Robertson. Had hopes for Daniel Burawa, but, he’s starting to look a lot like Brackman with the control and untimely home runs allowed. Tampa will also have a another fireballer in Tommy Kahnle. Lots of bullpen help on the way with Chase Whitley and Preston Claiborne. Ryan Flannery is another one, but, he’s almost 26 years old.
http://www.baseball-reference......hnle001tho
Nick in SF….I’m certain you’re at Pac Bell for the Cal game, for the record I jumped all over LSU + 5.5 and the money line @ 195.00…..Can’t remember the last time a # 1 has been such a dog…….Looks like Cal spotting Wsh. St 9 points was the lock of the season…..
Gerrit Cole about to take the mound on the MLB channel for the AFL Rising Stars game.
If anyone is going to follow a pitcher from last years draft it should be Matt Tracy. Mark Montgomery could move faster but Tracy is a lefty with 3 big league pitches.
tucker….There’s been times when Gerrit has looked like a monster….He could be in PNC Park before you know it….
5 runs and 4 hits in a third of an inning for Cole with a double and 2 homers allowed.
The desert air isn’t treating him well today. He went two-thirds of an inning, two home runs, five runs. Sort of misleading – the ball carries well in the desert air and the wind is blowing out … Still, would have been nice to see him in pinstripes. He’ll be a fast riser for Pittsburgh.
It’s not that misleading. Those 2 homers were well hit. Straight fastballs tend to travel well.
GB, those weren’t cheapies. Looks like home runs could be a bugaboo for Cole. Hard, straight fastballs go far. Even mustelier, the 27-year-old Cuban in the Yanks system, took Cole deep a week or so ago.
One of the great ones in the ring. He of the classic bout, ‘The Thrilla in Manila’ when he decked Ali. Smokin Joe Frazier under hospice care with advanced liver cancer.
All the best Joe.
Lenny Dysksta skips town with the loot. Why would anybody give this guy money upfront without putting an armed guard on him?
http://www.philly.com/philly/b.....front.html
No surprise there. lol !
The Yanks have cleaned up in the last two drafts. They have also quietly signed some really good players in IFA over the last few years like Ravel, Custodio and and a few others. It’s gonna be fun to follow them.
Use/Overuse of bullpens.
pgammo Peter Gammons
Per James Handbook: fewest times P used in back-to-back games: Balt.(9), Tor.(13), Yankees(14), Angels(15), Dodgers and Royals(16)
per B James Handbook: back-to-back relief appearances–Venters 33, O’Flaherty 30, Kimbrel 28, Bray 28. Braves 9-18 in Sept.