|
New York Yankees minor league system
analysis
January 9, 2006
Free agents, free agents, free
agents ... the lament of Yankee farmhands. If you had the good/bad fortune to be
a position player in the New York Yankees minor league system, you probably had
the good/bad fortune to be used in a trade which acquired major league ready
talent for the big team. Otherwise you continued to labor on, honing your
skills, getting lots of reps at the various levels until you were needed to fill
in due to an injury or used in a trade package.
One of the noticeable things
about the NY systems is the age of the organizational players at AA and AAA.
Players like Mitch Jones, Kevin Thompson and Russ Johnson continue to labor on
in the Yankee system. Though they may be useful players and might even make it
to the bigs due to an injury, these guys would stand a much better chance of
advancement in another teams system. I particularly like Jones due to the power
he has shown. Probably the strength of the system is the pitchers they have ….
Steve White and Phil Hughes look to be legitimate prospects. The players in the
lower minors are made up of guys who have “potential.”
Overall, the best position
prospects are playing below AA. Eric Duncan is probably the top position
prospect the Yankees have, however, absent his HR power, he still strikes out a
good bit. Last season, the Yanks minors provided Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano,
Aaron Small and Chien-Ming Wang to the big team when injuries struck. All four
stand a good chance of sticking in the Bronx again this season. Most likely,
Cano and Cabrera represent the best the system can provide in terms of position
players, although, there is a modicum of depth in the lower levels behind them.
Getting past Duncan, the Yanks
do have an interesting first baseman in the lower levels, John Urick, who has
had injury problems. Recent drafts have brought some decent players into the
system, and given time, they may turn out to have big league futures. Most of
the position players with significant upside in the lower minors need to show
they can continue to develop.
The system features two very
good pitching prospects in Philip Hughes and Tyler Clippard. Hughes has had some
shoulder problems already and must stay healthy to progress. Clippard had a
terrific season last year which moved him up in everyone’s eyes. In addition,
the Yankees can point to Christian Garcia and Jeff Marquez in the lower levels.
Both have plenty of upside. Matt DeSalvo, though older, had a nice season last
year in AA.
Position Players:
1) Eric
Duncan, 1B - Any list of Yankees position prospects has to start with
Duncan. Originally a third-baseman, Duncan made the move across the diamond
to first last season. The 2003 first round pick of the Yanks (27th
overall) has moved steadily through the New York system. Last year at AA
Trenton, he hit 19 homeruns. On the downside, he batted only .235, the
result of too many strikeouts. In an effort to speed his development, the
Yankees sent him to the Arizona Fall League where, he rebounded offensively
hitting eight homeruns and batting .362, though the strikeout bug still
plagued him.
2) John
Urick, 1B – The 22nd round draft pick of the Yankees in 2003,
Urick was taken out of Oklahoma State University. A left-handed batter,
Urick has modest power and does possess the ability to get on base. Urick's
swing is impressive and after having a tough 2003 campaign at Staten Island,
he rebounded at Battle Creek in the 2004 season. The 2005 campaign saw him
start at single A Tampa with a short promotion to AAA Columbus where he
appeared in one game. He's a very good defensive first-baseman. Not really a
top notch prospect due to his ups and downs, but he is an interesting player
none the less.
3) Marcos Vechionacci, 3B/SS - Played last season
at the age of 19. Vechionacci did not have a huge offensive season last year,
but at the age of 19, he still has the upside which many feel will propel him to
becoming a very good player. Vechionacci will continue to grow and mature
physically. Big upside is his best asset right now.
4)
Brett Gardner, OF - I got to see
Gardner play last season against the Aberdeen Ironbirds, and I walked away
wishing he were an Oriole farmhand. That night, he was an offensive sparkplug
for the SI Yankees; he even managed to steal home. Had a very respectable OBP of
.377 while hitting .284 with five homers, 32 RBIs and
19 stolen bases
last year while playing a solid
defense in Center. He can disrupt a game with his running ability.
Pitchers:
1) Phillip Hughes, RHP –
One of the youngest players in the Sally League last season, Hughes is considered to be a legitimate prospect. A first rounder in
the 2005 draft, Hughes throws a 90-94 MPH fastball along with a hard slider and
has a changeup in the works. Has battled injuries, he broke his big toe
answering a cell phone and has some shoulder problems. Overall, he finished his
first professional season with a record of 7-1, 1.97 ERA at Charleston and a
2-0, 3.06 record with Tampa of the FSL.
2) Tyler Clippard, RHP – Last
season he went from Hi A to AA to AAA, albeit for one game apiece at the higher
levels, but still he made the jump. He throws a 90 MPH fastball and curve. Clippard had a huge season last year and increased his stock. He gave up only
118 hits in 147 innings pitched at Tampa. Overall, he had a very respectable
WHIP of 1.03 while striking out almost five times as many hitters as he walked.
3) Steven White, RHP – After a
nice 2004 season, White split his '05 season between AA
and Hi A, struggling the entire way. While he is still only 24, White is a power
pitcher who rebounded in the Arizona Fall League. He throws a fastball in the
mid 90s, a curve and changeup. The former Baylor star was one of the best
pitchers last fall.
--- John
Kazlo
(Kazlo is a diehard Orioles fan and Richmond Braves supporter from Virginia) |