Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News
I don’t want to make too much of this, but Brian Cashman was reported to be in attendance for Andrew Brackman’s start last night for the Trenton Thunder. The fact that Brian Cashman was in attendance to watch Brackman pitch doesn’t mean he’s getting called up anytime soon, but it does raise an eyebrow. There could be any number of reasons to make the trip, including evaluating him for possible trade considerations, but the fact that he’s now on Brian’s radar tells me he’s in the mix. I remember a similar trip where Brian brought along Reggie to watch Joba pitch in 07, and we all know what happened then. Heading into this season, I thought Andrew was a possibility for the MLB bullpen for a number of reasons. Here’s a rundown:
-As with 07 Joba, he would be approaching his innings limits in August, so a bullpen move would be a way to get him some MLB experience while keeping his innings down.
-After a slow start he’s had a breakout season so far, most impressively keeping his walks down.
-He was good last year out of the bullpen in what was an otherwise horrendous season.
-He’s old (24) for his level (AA) and he could be a fast mover once he puts it together.
-He’s throwing around 96 MPH, and could even add a few ticks in the pen.
-He’s already on the 40 man roster, so you don’t need to make a roster move.
-It’s an internal option, which is generally preferable to making a trade.
Looking at the recent Yankee trade rumors, there doesn’t appear to be anything exciting on the horizon to supplement the Yankee bullpen this year via trade. Also, relievers are so inconsistent and there’s often a learning curve in how to use them, so mid-season pickups are fraught with pitfalls. It’s simply preferable to go with internal options. No doubt there will be other farmhands ahead of Brackman on the depth chart, with Mark Melancon, Jon Albaladejo and Romulo Sanchez all in line to get the call once the Yanks finally release Chan Ho Park and/or Chad Gaudin. But none of those pitchers have Brackman’s upside. It’s time to start keeping an eye on Andrew Brackman, this could get interesting.
“I’ll answer Steve’s title: No.”
So you don’t think he could be a September call up? I do. I only bring up Joba because both are high-upside starting pitchers who would be used as relievers down the stretch to keep their innings down. I don’t mean to imply that I expect Brackman to post a 0.38 ERA. Steve S.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 9:27 am
No. I think they stay far away from what they did with Joba. No need to push Brack like that. Let him finish out in AA, and if successful, get to AAA by next May or so, and then you see from there. Moshe Mandel(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Actually, reports are that Brackman was sitting 90-91-92 mostly yesterday when Cashman watched.
What I don’t understand about Yankees is why Triple A is full of 30 year bums while kids are fighting for a chance to pitch and develop on the other minor league teams throughout the organization, including in the DR.
Guess it’s the same mentality that loves Damaso Marte/Sergio Mitre and Chad GAudin types and gives away Coke/Mike Dunn types so we can have a worse CF’er in Granderson while we play Gardner in Left.There were 100 guys who could have played LF available for the Yankees including Austin Jackson and Colin Curtis and we’d be a stronger team this year with a better chance to win due to the depth we’d still have in young players.
Instead Cashman (who is just horrible) gave away the chips we had that could be used now to obtain what is necessary without really damaging the farm system, which admittedly he’s helped to improve, which is no biggie because we have so much money to sign the top foreign guys and to gamble with the Brackman types.
No, Brackman isn’t ready and doesn’t have the velocity.He REPORTEDLY touches 95-96 occasionally but doesn’t sit there as of yet.Let him build arm strength and maybe he can be here at the end of next season for a Joba type introduction. leftylarry(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 9:26 am
You are hilarious. Cashman is so horrible that they won it all last year and have the best record this year. Yeah, Colin Curtis would have been awesome. And have you seen A-Jax numbers lately? Moshe Mandel(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Matt Imbrogno Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 9:38 am
I have not seen Ajax’s numbers lately, but the way people talk about him, I’m sure his triple slash is .500/.750/1.000, right? Matt Imbrogno(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Stephen R. Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 9:50 am
/looks at austin jackson’s 6/1-6/30 stats
//sees that he’s posted a .614 OPS
yep! that’s right! i hate hate double hate you cashman!!!! Stephen R.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Absolutely not. If the Yankees have any inclination to use Brackman as a starter long-term, and every indication is that they do, then they need him to pitch a full season in MiLB this year, get as many innings as possible, polish his offspeed stuff, and prepare for 2011. Thanks to his contract, they’re have a shorter timeframe w/ Brackman and can’t afford burning a half-season of his development by using him in the ‘pen. Plus, I’d argue that it’s not necessarily true that Brackman has higher “upside” as a reliever than Melancon. Melancon’s upside in the pen is very high. Let’s give him, and Albaladejo, a shot at it before we go short-circuiting another starting pitching prospect’s development. Stephen R.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Steve S. Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:25 am
You’re right, they should let him get as many innings as possible in the minors this year, and maybe even send him to the Puerto Rico winter league to further hone his craft. But as with Joba, a late August/early September call up really doesn’t impact that all that much. The minor league season ends in late August, so that’s really not an issue. We also agree that Melancon and Alby will get the call before Brackman is even considered, I just think he’s a dark horse candidate. Steve S.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
After trying Alby and Melancon and a few others, the BP will be stronger…much like last year. Last year it took a while to put the BP together, this year it will be the same. Oldranger(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Yea, I’m hilarious.You guys know so little, it’s sad. How’s Brandon Laird doing Moish? is he a top 35 prospect yet? LMAO.
They have the higest budget in all of baseball and unlimited funds and they finally won last year after 9 years of mistakes.
Big f-king deal !!!!!!!
Cashman is a clown with more power and assets than any GM in baseball.He makes one bad trade after another and now George isn’t there to blame it on.
He’s dead with Vasquez also.He tried to copy what the Sox did with Wagner, get a season and then get a #1 draft pick and a sandwich pick when Vasquez left, so he’d get 1 good year for Dunn and Vizcaino and then replace them but now he won’t even be able to offer Javy arbitration becuase Javy will accept it and Yankees won’t want him with the kids in the minors like MacAllister, Nova & Noesi pretty much ready and Phelps, Brackman and Betances in the mix also.
Remember Vasquez was supposed to be the # 4, capable of pitching in the playoffs but he’s throwing 90 tops and is a HR waiting to happen.Nobody will sign him and we won’t offer arbitration and we gave away two promising arms (Dunn would be up and mowing them for us now) for nothing.
Had he done nothing last year, this is a much stronger team & franchise.
Now, he should be giving away prospects to control Lee and isn’t.
If he signs Lee (he wants to be a Yankee) he loses a #1 next year anyway so, why not keep that #1 , draft an overslot type player and give away a few good prospects now who are close but blocked by other YAnkees?
That would get us to a series this year and you might find a better player in next years draft at #32.It’s where you got Brackman. LeftyLarry(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 10:57 am
Wow, so I was wrong on Brandon Laird, so I know so little. Should I dredge up comments of yours from last season? They wont be pretty. Moshe Mandel(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
MJ Recanati Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 4:30 pm
The Yanks can’t entirely dictate to Seattle which “blocked prospects” they can trade. Seattle will want either Jesus Montero or Austin Romine (along with others) in any trade. So while Juan Miranda, Brandon Laird, David Adams and a few others might be blocked in the traditional sense, none are going to be so attractive to Seattle so as to convince them to trade their best trade asset for a bunch of C-level prospects just because they’re redundant to the Yankees.
Further, if you were paying attention, you’d know that the Yankees drafted several signability/”overslot” guys in the 2010 draft. While I’ll agree in saying that the Yanks could have gone in a different direction with their first pick and taken one of Ranaudo, Allie, Gyorko, Brentz, Vettleson or Castellanos, I’m not entirely sure that Cashman sees losing a 2011 draft pick as the end of the world. If only having two picks in the first three rounds of last year’s draft wasn’t a dilemma for the organization then I don’t see why picking Lee as a free agent and forfeiting a 2011 first rounder should make us uncomfortable. MJ Recanati(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 4:32 pm
As usual MJ, you hit it right on the head. And Lee is super redundant on this club and largely unnecessary. Moshe Mandel(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
MJ Recanati Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Thanks Mo!
I’ll say that Lee is unnecessary on the 2010 team but that with the potential vacancies created by Pettitte and Vazquez, I’d be completely on board with signing Lee to the team in 2011. MJ Recanati(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
OK, the premise of this article is on the money. If Cashman is in attendance for a Brackman start, it definitely means he’s on his radar. Brackman is on the 40-man and in prime position to pitch his way through the minors. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, it may, but it absolutely raises some eyebrows. lenNY’s Yankees(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Steve S. Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:27 am
Bingo. I know the headline was a bit of an attention grabber, but “Brackman on Cashman’s radar” just struck me as too vague, and I thought there was an obvious implication that wasn’t addressed in it. Steve S.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
I don’t see how bringing him up when he nears his IP limit affects his future as a starter at all. As we’ve seen with Hughes (et al), getting some MLB innings as a RP can help a pitcher gain confidence in his stuff. And if he’s already near his IP limit his progression into a starter won’t be affected at all.
Of course this is all contingent on him being a viable option, and there are some guys who probably are ahead of him in the BP parade (tho’ Melancon and Alby still being in the minors doesn’t bode well for them.) oldpep(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Steve S. Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:32 am
Yeah, that argument has never held much water with me. There’s a long list of outstanding pitchers who began their career working out of the bullpen, with David Cone and Pedro Martinez coming to mind immediately. Cone was a big proponent of the practice, saying that the bullpen stints got him back on track. There certainly is an argument for getting pitchers some experience in the minors, but a late August/early September call up won’t impact that significantly. The minor league season ends in late August. Steve S.(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Just pointing out that if recent history is any guide, the Yankees will not be offering arbitration to Vazquez. Given that inconvenient little fact, the notion that Cashman traded for Vazquez for the arbitration rights goes right out the window. Cashman traded for Vazquez because he needed a starter that could pitch 200 innings and produce league-average (or better) results. And, you know what? That’s what he’ll end up getting when it’s all said and done. MJ Recanati(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Oldranger Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 6:24 pm
MJ, how you doing?
Vazquez is not as big a loser as you may think, look at the runs he has given up in his last 3 starts…3–1–3. Now, everyone says if a pitcher only gives up 3 runs a game we should win, and he is considered a good pitcher (not great).
Why is Vazquez so bad if he has only had two (i think) bad games of giving up a ton of runs? Phil gave up a few runs, dose that make him a loser also?
Vazquez isn’t a bad pitcher, he isn’t one of the best either, he is what he is…a good #4/5 and that is it. Oldranger(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
MJ Recanati Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:49 am
Hey Oldranger, I never said Javy is a loser or a bad pitcher. Quite the contrary, I think he’s a solid back-end starter for the team and, as you said, has been pitching very well for the team since mid-May. If it continues is anyone’s guess but my money is on his numbers being right around league average for the year. I’ll take that from the back end of my rotation every single time! MJ Recanati(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Oldranger Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 am
MJ..
Oldranger(Quote)
Thank you, I must have misunderstood you…sorry ’bout that!
[Reply To This Comment]
I have no problem with Brackman helping out in the bullpen. The Orioles used to make a policy of doing this with starters and it usually worked out quite well. If Brackman in the pen can help win a WS in 2010, go for it.
As for Lee, I am thinking of Hughes as part of a package, with the proviso that Lee agrees to a long term deal before the trade is finalized. Hughes is innings limited this season, and as a RHP that sits at 92-93 is a fungible piece, especially with Noesi, Brackman, Betances and Stoneburner, one of whom could well be in the rotation in 2012-2013. Noesi is getting more love from scouts, and could be a solid number four starter. If the Yankees can get Lee and get him signed, their odds of winning the WS this year are great, better than with an innings limited Hughes. If the Twins or Bosox or Phillies or Cardinals get Lee, that changes the dynamic. Don(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Oldranger Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Don…
You are kidding right?!? Phil in a package with other players for Lee?
That would be a non starter for Cashman. Why give up a very good #3/4 pitcher for a number 1 pitcher when we need Phil, Lee, CC, AJ and Joba for the rotation next year.
Yes, we have some good arms down on the farm but, when will they be ready and will they be ready for 2011? Oldranger(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 6:20 pm
They arent giving up Hughes now that he’s shown he could be a strong MLB starter. They know that they can win it all right now with what they have, and then sign Lee in the offseason. Moshe Mandel(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Oldranger Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Abso-tutly! Oldranger(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]