Look who’s coming to camp: Left-handed releivers
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 02, 2013 
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Quite often it makes sense to lump all relievers into one big group, but the Yankees have reason to pay specific attention to the left-handers invited to camp. The team carried two lefties last season, one of whom was almost entirely limited to being a left-on-left specialist, and that seemed to fit Joe Girardi’s style of bullpen management. The Yankees most familiar left-handed reliever, Boone Logan, is heading toward free agency, which means there could be an opportunity for another lefty to emerge next season.
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40-MAN ROSTER
The Yankees have two lefties returning from last season, and it seems reasonable to think both Logan and Rapada have a good chance to reprise their roles (Logan, in particular, seems to be a bullpen lock).
Cesar Cabral
Working his way back from last spring’s elbow injury. Not expected to be 100 percent until after Opening Day. A name to really watch in May.
Boone Logan
The lingering piece of the Javier Vazquez trade. He’s been used as more than a lefty specialist.
Clay Rapada
Sidearming lefty was signed just as spring training opened last season, and he stuck around all year. Walks some guys, but effective against left-handed hitters.
Francisco Rondon
Added to the 40-man roster this winter. Good, powerful stuff with a need to improve his control. Pitched well in Double-A last season.
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MINOR LEAGUE FREE AGENTS
One guy was signed as a free agent last winter and the other was claimed off waivers this offseason, but even so, I wouldn’t consider either of these to be true organizational prospects.
Juan Cedeno
Kind of a surprise non-roster invite last spring. Pitched in Triple-A for the first time and had good enough numbers to bring him back. Should be considered left-handed depth.
Josh Spence
Claimed off waivers from the Padres, who had him in the big leagues part of the past two seasons. Has held lefties to a .158/.247/.237 slash line in the bigs.
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ORGANIZATIONAL PROSPECTS
Aside from Rondon (who’s on the 40) and Cedeno (who didn’t really come up through the organization) the Yankees didn’t invite any organizational left-handed relief prospects to camp.
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COULD SEE TIME AT THE POSITION
With very few exceptions — Andy Pettitte, for example, and probably Manny Banuelos — any left-handed starter has the potential of moving into the bullpen at some point.
Vidal Nuno
A Double-A standout last season, the Yankees have acknowledged that Nuno could be a relief option if the opportunity presents itself. Could legitimately big on the big league roster — in one role or the other — if he carries his Double-A success to Triple-A.
Nik Turley
Doesn’t look like a bullpen move is in the works any time soon — he had a 2.89 ERA in High-A last year — but you just never know. Should be in Double-A this season, and he’s already on the 40-man.
Matt Tracy
A bit of an under-the-radar prospect who’s pitched well the past two years. Has had too much rotation success to suggest a bullpen move at this point, but again, you never know what might happen down the road. Any work he gets in big league camp will almost certainly come out of the pen.
Associated Press photo
” Go on ahead and hate your neighbour, one tin shoulder rides away. From the mountain, ” peace on earth was all it said. ” On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away.
. Alfred Prufrock February 2nd, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Odds, I do think if Rothschild had been the PC instead of Eiland, Joba might be in the rotation today.
I hope that Rothschild, and the addition of Gil Patterson in the system, will reverse this trend, and that we start walking the talk.
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The Gil Patterson news is one of the best stories in the off season. It’s going to take some time but I’m hoping for the best
Good job, Chad, on all of these.
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jmills, if you want to see a great performance, find Patrick Stewart as MacBeth (PBS) on your computer.
Odds, let him follow Betances around (or have Betances follow him around – one). That’s the needle I want to see move.
Thanks, Alfred. Mac Beth is one of my favs, I just wish, afer all this temps, I could get the girl!
Against, Phil Collins rules!
Neil Diamond- ” solitary man “
yankeefeminista February 2nd, 2013 at 5:18 pm
As a starter in seasons 2008 and 2009, Joba had a 3.8 WAR, which was 4th on the team after Pettitte, Sabathia and Moose.
******
This is wrong, just plain wrong – Joba had 3.4 WAR according to baseball reference (3.3 fangraphs), but after his injury in Texas he had a 1.2 ERA (baseball reference – 1.8 fangraphs) in 2009. By comparison, A.J. Burnett had a 4.2 WAR in 2009 (BR) and 3.5 (fangraphs). The revisionist history of Joba in 2009 is very interesting. Plus, the guy had some development time (though late to the party) in college so that explains some of the innings difference between Nova and Chamberlain – no Chamberlain has never been consistently the same since the injury in Texas 2008. But we all need a scapegoat, and for this blog, it is the front office.
It is this rush to fit facts into arguments – this rush to say that – in the joint drug treatment there are only two ways to trigger a penalty or suspension – this – hey I am going to drop some supposed facts at this dinner party of elitist snobs – these – hey I saw Montero hit a shot in Lakewood in 2008 so he MUST be generational (to say nothing that Jackson Melian hit them further at the same age) – - – -
This is Stoneburner, reporting from Ceti Alpha V, with the Wax Poetic Minute for this Saturday – - – -
jmills February 2nd, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Thanks, Alfred. Mac Beth is one of my favs, I just wish, afer all this temps, I could get the girl!
//
MacBeth might have been better off if he hadn’t “gotten the girl,”
. By the way, Lady M is a bit obvious. But Stewart is worth the watch, despite her being over the top and despite the gratuitous and pointless Soviet imagery and the gore they felt they needed. Stewart surprised me, I didn’t expect him to give such a fantastically nonlinear performance. Just fantastic, worthy of the unworthy Thane 
Alfred, I suggest, go and listen to some, ” Crash Vegas “
Hey, I hope CompassRosy doesn’t think I’m calling her “obvious” or “over the top.” She’s the closest thing we have here to a Lady M
http://www.youtube.com/embed/e.....#038;rel=0
Hi, Yankee fans!, u guys r so smart!!!
Stoneburner, when you’re not haranguing LoHudders, do you repair to some kind of Fortress of Stone-itude?
http://photos3.zillow.com/p_d/ISz3v3k86qzk4j.jpg
Alfred, I hope Compass wins this year!
hey jmills, I just listened to Inside Out. Nice tune.
Made me want to hear Cowboy Junkies’ Now I know. Do you know it?
Alfred, ” inside out, ” is an amazing song by, Bryan Adams, No Doubt, Gwen Steffani .
Cowboy Junkies did the best version of, ” Sweet Jane “
jmills, I thought you wanted your Jays to win?
I like it, too, but I have a great fondness for Lou’s version, and Mott the Hoople’s.
Sinead O’Connor trumps Cobain’s “All Apologies” I think
.
I’d like to see him turn Dellin around. It might be too late though. What are the plans for him this season?
But we all need a scapegoat, and for this blog, it is the front office
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No scapegoat at all. Was Joba handled properly? The answer to the question is no. Even fans that wanted him in the pen said he wasn’t handled well. They botched it. It shouldn’t be a surprise though because they don’t have a grasp on developing pitching.
Odds, it’s never too late
.
I expect he’ll go to AAA and hopefully, pick up where he left off in the AFL. Good K/BB there, back to his usual good GB percentage.
They have a homestand in early April; I hope to catch a couple of those, and work in a Betances start, hopefully.
Alfred, between you and me, you’re my friend no matter what, eff the jays!!!
Manny Banuelos has started his throwing program!
Joba’s WAR in 2008 is indeed 3.8 as a starter. Joba is technically second to Pettitte in terms of SP WAR for the years 2008 and 2009. No one besides Andy pitched for us in both those years.
jmills,
Here’s a test of that friendship: give me Edwin for Youk, and throw in the chubby little Tainted One.
.
I’ll be your friend for life.
Odds, it is not too late for Dellin. Not by a long shot.
Yankeefem – That’s great news!!!!
YF – we’ll likely intercept Manny’s rehab once he moves on from Tampa
.
J. Alfred Prufrock February 2nd, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Against All Odds February 2nd, 2013 at 5:26 pm
No wonder we cancelled him.
———————-
And then Cashman blamed it on Joba smh lol. ///
Odds, that’s what’s so amateurish about these guys. They have unrealistic ideas about development. Even Girardi comes out and says “young pitchers don’t have the luxury in New York to develop” at the MLB level.
That is a very odd statement; who deprives them of the luxury? Answer: the Yankees don’t have the stomach, so instead, they assign this timeline, this “luxury” to supernatural forces or something, that are preventing them from growing a pair.
How does this statement of Girardi’s even square with Cashman’s “pitching wins” and “pitching is the key to the kingdom” (as long as we aren’t in charge of actually developing them?
————-
The Yankees are weird. They want to develop from within but kids don’t get a chance. When they do get a chance they have to perform or the FO starts to pace back and forth and you read in the paper “Yankees losing patience with *insert young player here*
Odds, we’ll see if the Patterson-Rothschild Pipeline yields more patience and better results.
Here’s hoping.
Yf, Sting rules!
J. Alfred Prufrock February 2nd, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Odds, it’s never too late .
I expect he’ll go to AAA and hopefully, pick up where he left off in the AFL. Good K/BB there, back to his usual good GB percentage.
They have a homestand in early April; I hope to catch a couple of those, and work in a Betances start, hopefully.
———-
Hopefully you’re able to do that. We look forward to your scouting report.
Odds, that Joba discussion I couldn’t stick around for has me burned up all over again
Gil’s also supposedly a biggie for really working on the mental part of a SP prospect’s game. I am hoping our kids get to work out of trouble more in the minors. They are often frustrated by being pulled in a critical situation when they are at 100 pitches. To let them try to work out of a jam late in a game within reason would be a welcome change.
jmills,
A good friend of mine played on the same bill as Sting in London back in the 80s. She played a gig at Hyde Park where she performed Lennon’s Imagine. She had a hit single at the time, but was hardly a household name. She said Sting went out of his way to connect with her, really complimented her on her voice (she has amazing pipes), and was generally very cool. She said a lot of those things are very clique-y, so she appreciated the gesture.
Obviously laborious innings vs. easier ones make a difference in the decison making, but they do rarely even let them go 90. Interestingly they did let Marshall go deep in that one Reading playoff game, and he was not expecting it and was gassed. The big damage was done because he had nothing, but they kept him in.
yankeefem – I appreciated Patterson saying they don’t try to mess too much with what comes naturally to the pitcher, and try to work with that. I think Dellin is maybe too suggestible, which you’d imagine is normal for these kids. But he looked so uncomfortable much of last season. Maybe Patterson is the guy for him, including letting him and others have a little more input on how they’re feeling when the pitch count is climbing.
He was gassed. That was curious.
J. Alfred Prufrock February 2nd, 2013 at 7:25 pm
Odds, that Joba discussion I couldn’t stick around for has me burned up all over again
——-
It’s one of the few discussions that makes me respond the way I did. Joba made and I.stated that in the thread. But the front office messed up. If that was any other organization wouldn’t ppl say they didn’t handle him the right way.
Pruf, here’s hoping. Dellin’s been down at the Complex for a while. So have many others. I wish we had more information. Hopefully, we’ll get more info in ten days when P&C’s report. Maybe tyanks will give us a report.
I saw Sting do a sound check at Le Forum in Montréal before the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals. (I am a sucker for old rinks; I miss both the Forum and the Gah-den in Boston.)
Odds, he’ll go somewhere else and have a nice career. It’s too bad it won’t be with us.
I love this Sinead song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n14lwdpYkAA
yankeefem – tyanks is missed! Tell her to keep an eye on Dellin. She always understood how good his stuff is.
Turkey has had very food numbers the last two years? Real prospect?
And very good numbers too.
Ghostwriter February 2nd, 2013 at 11:29 am
I would like to see Hughes return if he can put together another solid year like last year, and I think he will on both counts.
_____
Thing is we wait that long and Hughes puts together another solid year, we won’t be able to afford him.
“Turkey has had very food numbers the last two years? Real prospect?”
Absolutely, but check back in November.
Yankeefem – thanks for heads up on Banuelos. Just read the story.
jmills, are you still out there? I want to send you a link.
Alfred, ok.
austin, “Turkey” has “food” numbers? lol.
I think he is a real prospect, based on video and what I have read. His velo is up slightly (big for a lefty to be low 90′s but getting it up to mid 90′s occasionally) and the most importantly is he is supposedly now commanding his CB. And he’s always had a changeup. Interesting to see how he does in a full season in Trenton. Think he should move pretty quickly.
Unfortunately, I’ve had very bad luck regarding seeing Turley live. His first AA game with Trenton wasn’t a home game. His game 4 start in the first round of the 2012 playoffs in Trenton that I had tickets to, got rained out and I couldn’t attend the makeup game because of work. His game 4 start in the championship series was on Sept. 15th, I got hit by a car on Sept. 14th, breaking my ankle. In the emergency room, I was actually thinking among other things Oh, curses, I am going to miss Turley pitch yet again. So, I have missed him twice. But I should hopefully get to see Turley pitch a lot this season.
Pruf, yes, tyanks will sleuth around and shoot video, no doubt.
Pruf, hopefully Manny B. is a fast healer. I think he will be; from my observations (warning: eye test, proceed with caution), the Kid just radiates health.
jmills,
Thanks for the Toronto snow song and for the Rush ballet video. I sent you my link just now
Yes, I hope so, YF. He’ll need to be built up and then go from there. He’s still so young.
Going to say goodnight.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/t.....#038;rel=0
I like it my own small way to remind people of GB’s typing skills.
YF,
Thanks for the info. It is food for thought.
I hope everything regarding your ankle injury is going well. Ouch. Sue the . . .
Austin, you are welcome. And I appreciate your sweet tributes to GB. I was just researching getting tickets for this year’s SALLY All Star game which is nearby, and it made me recall how excited GB was to go to that special pre-All Star Sally event. I am glad he got to go. I miss him too.
…and thanks much re: the ankle; it is healing nicely. And I do have a lawyer.
Btw, if you have MiLB-TV you can access the archives and watch Turley pitching for Trenton in those Sept. playoff games.
YF,
I remember his excitement about the all star game on the carrier. Very cool.
I will look for Turley on mILB.