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Keeping up with the ex-Yanks: New addition edition

Posted by Steve S. at 8:06 am 6 Responses »
Aug 072010

A Yankee no more

With the recent passing of the July 31st trade deadline, we have a new name to add to our bi-weekly updates. Mark Melancon reported to the Astros AAA Round Rock Express, where he earned his first save on Friday. He was also interviewed by Alyson Footer and had some interesting things to say about what was going on with him this season. Apparently, the Yanks wanted him to keep the ball down, so they changed his arm slot from over the top to a more 3/4 delivery and the results weren’t pretty.

In other ex-Yankee news, Brian Bruney was placed on the DL retroactive to August 3rd by the Mets AAA Buffalo Bisons affiliate, where he was working as a starter. Xavier Nady narrowly avoided being traded to the Giants at the trade deadline. Johnny Damon, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke return to the Bronx on Tuesday. Johnny had some kind words of support for ex-teammate Alex Rodriguez after #600. He has been dropped to 6th in the lineup, in an effort to get the struggling Brennan Boesch going by replacing him as the No. 2 hitter. Ian Kennedy has been struggling of late, posting a 6.39 ERA in his past 9 starts, which has ballooned his ERA for the season to 4.40. He’s on an innings limit, so even when he’s pitching well he tends to get pulled early and the stellar AZ bullpen goes to work for him.

Year                          Age                    Tm              Lg             Lev             Aff  W L  W-L%  ERA   G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP   H  R ER HR BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP  BF  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2010                           25               2 Teams           2 Lgs             AAA          NYYHOU  7 1  .875 3.41  43  0 19  0   0  7  60.2  68 24 23  5 32   0  60   3  0  7 277 1.648 10.1  0.7  4.7  8.9  1.88
2010                           25 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre              IL             AAA             NYY  6 1  .857 3.67  40  0 17  0   0  6  56.1  63 24 23  5 31   0  58   3  0  7 258 1.669 10.1  0.8  5.0  9.3  1.87
2010                           25             RoundRock             PCL             AAA             HOU  1 0 1.000 0.00   3  0  2  0   0  1   4.1   5  0  0  0  1   0   2   0  0  0  19 1.385 10.4  0.0  2.1  4.2  2.00


Year                      Age            Tm            Lg   G   PA   AB   R   H  2B 3B HR RBI SB CS  BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+  TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB   Pos Awards

2010                       25           ATL            NL 106  365  327  35  87  18  3  4  29  5  1  30  43 .266 .328 .376 .704   90 123   5   1  5  2   7         *789


Year                      Age            Tm            Lg    G   PA   AB   R    H  2B 3B  HR RBI SB CS  BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+   TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB    Pos   Awards

2010                       36           LAA            AL  101  399  354  32   87  15  0  14  55  0  0  41  79 .246 .323 .407 .730   96  144   5   1  0  3   3             *D7
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg    G   PA   AB    R    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB   SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+   TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB    Pos   Awards
2010                       36           DET            AL   98  414  360   63   99  27  2   7   34   7  1  50   56 .275 .364 .419 .784  109  151   3   1  2  1   1            D7/8
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg W  L  W-L%  ERA  G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP   H   R  ER HR BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP  BF ERA+  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
2010                       25           ARI            NL 6  9  .400 4.40 22 22  0  0   0  0 133.0 118  69  65 23 51   2 113   6  0 11 565  102 1.271  8.0  1.6  3.5  7.6         2.22
4 Seasons           4 Seasons     4 Seasons     4 Seasons 7 13  .350 4.90 36 34  1  0   0  0 192.2 181 112 105 29 88   2 156   8  0 14 842   92 1.396  8.5  1.4  4.1  7.3         1.77
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg   G  PA  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+  TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
2010                       23           DET            AL  99 438 406  63 124 26  7  1  24 16  4 28 113 .305 .355 .411 .766  105 167   5   3  1  0   0         *8
1 Season             1 Season      1 Season      1 Season  99 438 406  63 124 26  7  1  24 16  4 28 113 .305 .355 .411 .766  105 167   5   3  1  0              0
Year              Age           Tm        Lg       Lev       Aff  W L W-L%  ERA  G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP   H  R ER HR BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP  BF  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2010               19      2 Teams     2 Lgs      A-A+       ATL  9 3 .750 2.71 15 15  0  0   0  0  83.0  76 33 25  2 12   0  77   4  3  7 344 1.060  8.2  0.2  1.3  8.3  6.42
2010               19         Rome      SALL         A       ATL  9 3 .750 2.34 12 12  0  0   0  0  69.1  60 24 18  1  9   0  66   3  2  6 283 0.995  7.8  0.1  1.2  8.6  7.33
2010               19  MyrtleBeach      CARL        A+       ATL  0      0 4.61  3  3  0  0   0  0  13.2  16  9  7  1  3   0  11   1  1  1  61 1.390 10.5  0.7  2.0  7.2  3.67
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg   G   PA   AB   R   H  2B 3B HR RBI SB CS  BB  SO    BA   OBP   SLG   OPS OPS+   TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB     Pos Awards
2010                       31           CHC            NL  71  168  149  12  33   5  0  4  19  0  0  10  40  .221  .292  .336  .627   63   50   8   6  0  3   0          9/37D
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg  W  L  W-L%  ERA   G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP   BF ERA+  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
2010                       28           WSN            NL  1  2  .333 7.64  19  0  6  0   0  0  17.2  21  18  15  1  20   1  16   0  0  1   93   55 2.321 10.7  0.5 10.2  8.2         0.80
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg  W L  W-L%  ERA   G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP  H  R ER HR BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP  BF ERA+  WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
2010                       27           DET            AL  6 2  .750 2.60  52  0 10  0   0  1  45.0 42 15 13  1 17   3  38   2  0  1 188  167 1.311 8.4  0.2  3.4  7.6         2.24

Year                      Age            Tm            Lg W L  W-L%  ERA  G GS GF CG SHO SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP  BF ERA+  WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
2010                       25           ATL            NL 1 0 1.000 0.00  8  0  2  0   0  0  6.0  3  0  0  0  9   0  5   0  0  0       29 2.000 4.5  0.0 13.5  7.5         0.56
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg   G  PA  AB  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+  TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
2010                       21           PIT            NL  49 217 199 30  60 12  0  2  16 11  5 16 26 .302 .353 .392 .745  103  78   4   0  2  0   0         78
Year                      Age            Tm            Lg  W  L W-L%  ERA   G GS GF CG SHO SV    IP   H  R ER HR BB IBB  SO HBP BK WP  BF ERA+  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards
2010                       25           WSN            NL  8  6 .571 3.38  54  0 12  0   0  1  64.0  49 26 24  5 31   4  73   2  0  1 267  122 1.250  6.9  0.7  4.4 10.3         2.35

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Its Time To Make Those Tough Bullpen Decisions

Posted by EJ Fagan at 9:00 am 15 Responses »
May 182010

The banged-up Yankee roster had to resort to using Javier Vazquez as a long reliever last night. I actually give Joe Girardi a lot of credit for foresight – he skipped Javier in the rotation in part to take a start away from his worst starting pitcher, but also in part to allow the team to use their 5th starter as a long man while Sergio Mitre recovered from his spot start. However, he appeared only after the Yankee bullpen blew yet another lead. After Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain, Alfredo Aceves, and Sergio Mitre, the Yankee bullpen has been a disaster this season.

I definitely expected the group of David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves, Chan Ho Park, Damaso Marte, and Joba Chamberlain to be an effective bridge to Mariano Rivera. Instead, they have been a glaring weakness on an overall strong team. With injuries to key players, including the effective Aceves, the Yankees can’t afford to let their bullpen plod along all season in the middle innings. They have replacement options, and would be stupid not to use them.

Boone Logan has been a complete and utter failure this season. Joe Girardi’s desire to have a second left-handed pitcher for strategic purposes has led him to hold on to a player that should never have been, and should never be, a part of a major league contending team’s bullpen. He has proven time and again to be a terrible pitcher who is incapable of getting hitters out. Left-handed batters are getting on base 50% of the time this season against him. Boone Logan should be immediately optioned down, or outright released, and replaced by a member of the Yankee Triple-A bullpen.

Who should replace Logan? Mark Melancon. Melancon has never been given any kind of extended shot at a regular major league role, despite great stuff and plenty of Triple-A success. Melancon’s line this season? 15 appearances, 23 innings, 12.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 2.74 ERA. He no longer belongs at that level, and should already be in the majors. The Yankees have been reluctant to promote Melancon permanently for whatever reason, and it has cost them.

Furthermore, the Yankees should temporarily start changing the roles of Sergio Mitre and Chan Ho Park. I’m willing to give CHoP a pass for tonight after coming off the DL, but overall he has yet to prove he can consistently pitch at a high level. He has however proven that he can provide the Yankees innings, which sets him up perfectly for the long relief role. Sergio Mitre is one of the few Yankee relievers actually getting hitters out right now, and should be used in shorter, higher-leverage situations until Alfredo Aceves returns, he starts to pitch poorly, or CHoP proves himself able to pitch well.

Sergio Mitre needs to be pushed into a short relief role because David Robertson can’t seem to handle it this season. He seems to have lost some of his magic, and has proven easily hittable. His walk rate has skyrocketed, and his pitch counts have gone up with it. Something is seriously wrong with Robertson, but he keeps being pushed into important situations out of necessity. Robertson needs to get himself straightened out, but right now the Yankee roster situation doesn’t allow the team to carry a project. If one of Melancon, CHoP, or Robertson himself doesn’t settle in to an effective setup role in the next week or two, the Yankees need to let Robertson get straightened out where he is supposed to get straightened out: Scranton.

Who should replace Robertson? Jon Albaladejo. Albaladejo has the quietest 1.49 career ERA at Triple-A ever. He has absolutely dominated the level, and continues to do so this year. In 18 1/3 innings, he has 21 strikeouts and 7 walks. This is after posting a year after posting a 0.8 BB/9 for Scranton. I’ve always been a huge Robertson fan, and continue to be confident in his future, but it is ridiculous to allow one guy to blow games in the majors while you have a young prospect dominating Triple-A like Albaladejo is. All it costs is an option.

Joe Girardi is so much better than Joe Torre that I almost feel guilty complaining about the decisions he makes with his bullpen. I really hate to think about how beat up Alfredo Aceves’ arm would be if Torre was still manager. But his use of Boone Logan and David Robertson this season in key situations has been borderline inexcusable. With the Yankees chasing what seems like an unbeatable Rays team, he can’t afford to keep making the same dumb decisions. The Yankees need to use the options that they have.

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If Park Heads To DL, Who Takes His Place?

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 3:00 pm 5 Responses »
Apr 162010

From Marc Carig:

In the sixth inning of a 6-2 Yankees victory against the Angels, Park had already completed his final warm-up pitches in the bullpen and was making a few extra throws when he felt what he described as tightness in his right hamstring.
Though Park called the sensation “minor,” bullpen coach Mike Harkey told Park it was too early in the season to risk pitching through the issue.
Park missed most of last September with a pulled his right hamstring but returned in time to help the Phillies in the postseason.
Said Park: “This is a different spot and much more minor than that.”

This does not sound like a big deal, but the Yankees might choose to be cautious and put Park on the DL. If they do, there are 3 options to take his place: Mark Melancon, Boone Logan, and Royce Ring. Here are their minor league numbers with Scranton thus far:

Melancon: 7 IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 8K, 1HR
Logan: 6.2 IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 9K, 0HR
Ring: 4.2 IP, 2H, 0ER, 3BB, 3K, 0HR

Logan and Ring are both lefties who are likely to be used as specialists in the majors, while Melancon is a righty without drastic splits who can be used for multiple innings. While Melancon seems to be the best choice due to his similarity to Park, I think Logan would get the call. I am not certain that the Yankees want to have Melancon on the “Scranton shuttle,” coming up and down every time a reliever is needed for a few days. Rather, they likely will bring him up when he will have a chance to hold onto a spot for a while. Furthermore, Girardi has said that he likes to have two lefties in the pen for strategic reasons, and the Yankees have plenty of arms out there that can give them enough length to justify carrying a specialist. While I would like to see Melancon get a shot, it seems likely that Logan is the next in line for a roster spot.

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Pat Venditte Finally Considered a Prospect?

Posted by EJ Fagan at 3:00 pm 11 Responses »
Apr 122010

Pat Venditte made a sensational season debut on Saturday. He pitched 3 perfect innings, striking out four. You’re probably already familiar with the switch-pitcher, so I won’t rehash it here. Venditte has questionable MLB talent as either a right-hander or left-hander, but has a career 11.6 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and .3 HR/9 in 103 minor league innings, and has started to look like more than just a novelty act. He started the season at High-A Tampa instead of Double-A, which led many (including myself) to question how much faith the Yankees have in the 25 year-old.

Major League teams are very clear to their minor league affiliates: some players are prospective major leaguers, and some players are not. They treat the two very differently: better spots in the batting order, guaranteed playing time at a position regardless of performance, etc. Minor league managers are always torn between the two competing goals of developing players and winning ballgames.

Usually, you can tell who the Yankees consider a prospect and who they do not. The Yankees do something very specific with their prospect relief pitchers: they stretch them out and put them on a set rotation. That means that they will pitch every 3rd day for 2-3 innings. They’ve done it with David Robertson, Mark Melancon, Wilkins De La Rosa, J.B. Cox, Anthony Claggett, and Michael Dunn. No others on a real schedule come to mind. Those guys are far and away the seven most-valued Yankee relief prospects of the last 5 years. Guys like Jon Hovis, Eric Wordekemper, Josh Schmidt, etc have stuck around the Yankee farm system, but haven’t been given the playing time of the true prospects. Venditte was getting playing time similar to the latter group up until the end of last year, but the Yankees started stretching him out more following his promotion to High-A in 2009.

What happened on Saturday? Pet Venditte pitched a fairly unnecessary 3 innings, following Adam Warren’s 6-inning start. A well-rested Tampa bullpen had plenty of guys who could have used work to pitch a third inning, but the Yankees pushed Venditte back out, who was dominating and presumably going to go until he hit his pitch count.

So, I’m ready to make a call: if Venditte pitches 2+ innings Tuesday, 3 days after his April 10th appearance, then I think the Yankees officially consider his future very, very bright. The team is usually the best judge a player’s potential. If the Yankees think that Venditte is a MLB-quality reliever, then I’m ready to rate Venditte as a top-20 prospect on the strength of his ridiculous stats in the minors.

One final note: I’ve written a lot about how I love the Yankee relief regimen. I think that the Yankees correctly decided that a series of one inning stints similar to what a pitcher should be prepared for in the majors will fail to give a relief pitcher enough playing time to develop. A lot of teams pitch their minor league prospects for 40-50 innings per year, which is ridiculous. David Robertson pitched 84 innings in 2007, and 83 (which was stunted by time riding the bench the majors) in 2008. Mark Melancon pitched 95 innings in 2008. I bet you Venditte, having the benefit of two different sets of muscles to tire out, can top either of them if the Yankees want him to.

Photo Credit: Noah Addis, Newark Star-Ledger

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Melancon a "victim" of the Yankees' relief depth

Posted by Chris H. at 3:00 pm 14 Responses »
Mar 112010

Right-handed relief prospect, Mark Melancon, previously hailed as Mariano Rivera’s successor because of his live heater and hard curve, tossed 16 1/3 innings last season posting a 3.86 ERA. A closer look at his numbers indicates a much weaker performance than his ERA suggests, however, as Melancon walked 5.51 batters per nine and only struck out an identical 5.51 batters per nine, leading to a 4.44 FIP. Not too impressive, right? This was obviously an extremely small sample though, a mere handful of nervous rookie innings that were atypical of the work Melancon had done while in the minor leagues. With just over 150 innings pitched in the Yankees’ farm system, the confident righty boasts a 2.54 ERA and a 0.906 WHIP, numbers which are understandable given his dominant minor-league peripherals (9.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.5 HR/9). Basically, down on the farm, he has been as effective as anyone could have hoped.

And so, I wonder, what will happen to Melancon this season? I definitely expect to see him, at some point, and believe he would be a tremendous asset to the team’s relief corps. Yet, with an already crowded bullpen, it seems the soon-to-be 25-year old will be slated for Scranton for most of the year, although someone could certainly falter or experience an injury that would alter such an outcome. CHONE projects Melancon to post a 4.42 FIP this season and Marcel sees a 4.23 FIP, but, given his legitimate success in the minors, his stuff, and his makeup, I’m inclined to believe FanGraphs’ fan projection, which forecasts the Colorado native as a 3.33 FIP pitcher with stellar peripherals. So far this spring, Melancon has appeared in 2 games, giving up 2 hits and striking out 3 over 2 2/3 innings pitched.

It’s a shame we won’t see Melancon more this season, but, I guess that is a testament to the team’s bullpen depth.

Photo by the AP

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Chamberlain Struggles; I Don't Care and Neither Should You

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 7:00 pm 4 Responses »
Mar 052010

I didn’t see the game at all today, but I heard that Joba’s line was pretty crappy. He gave up three runs in just an inning and a third and, via Chad Jennings, he gave up two triples, a double, and three walks. That’s bad. But, why should we care? It’s Spring Training. Everyone has a bad game at some point in ST and we shouldn’t look into this too deeply.

Of course, if this becomes a trend, we should probably start to worry. But, for now, let’s realize that, like most (all) Spring Training stats are next to meaningless. If the pitchers look a little rusty at first and the hitters don’t perfectly hit their strides in February and March, don’t panic.

On Joba and Phil, though, I have another thought. It will be interesting to see how hard they–and the other fifth starter “candidates” push themselves. While it’s publicly a competition, I think it’s anything but (the job is Joba’s to lose). That won’t stop each guy from trying his hardest to win that spot. As a manager, I’d imagine Joe Girardi wants to see each guy give it his best to show he should get that spot, but there’s also the balance that must be struck. Joe, and we, has to hope that no one exerts himself too hard and injures himself during a fairly meaningless Spring Training game.

Also from Jennings, other notes from Thursday:

• Nice work by Boone Logan today. He retired all four batters he faced, and three of them were lefties.

Logan’s in a spot to really compete for a job. Depending on how Cashman and Girardi want to construct the bullpen, Logan’s got a shot to make the team as the second lefty.

• Speaking of relievers pitching well, Mark Melancon looked sharp today. He struck out two in his one inning of work, and made Jayson Werth look pretty bad on a curveball.

Keeping with the bullpen theme, I’m really pulling for Mark Melancon this season. We’ve long had high hopes for him as a key part of the Yankees’ bullpen. Hopefully, he can make big strides this year and fill a role similar to David Robertson’s in 2009.

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Is Aceves Ticketed For The Minors?

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 11:00 am 10 Responses »
Mar 012010


Mike Silva spoke to Chad Jennings last night, and Jennings suggested that the Chan-Ho Park addition could result in Alfredo Aceves beginning the year in the minors. Here’s how:

Rivera, Robertson, Marte, Joba/Hughes, and Park. I would put Aceves as a lock, but what if Melancon or Albaladejo have a great spring? Don’t forget Chad Gaudin who the Yankees brass likes. The Yankees rotation is going to give length on most nights and Park is someone that could go 2 innings plus, if necessary. Last year he was called on for two or more innings eleven times by Charlie Manuel.
Another thing going against Aceves is the fact that he has options. Gaudin will need to clear waivers if he is demoted. Knowing the state of pitching in the game it’s hard to imagine another team not claiming him if he has a good spring. Aceves might very well become a victim of the numbers game.

Basically, the idea is that Park might make carrying Aceves and Gaudin redundant, such that the club would be inclined to take a one inning type reliever such as Melancon rather than both Aceves and Gaudin. Being that Aceves has options and the others do not, he would be the odd man out.

The one thing that bothers me about this idea is that I’m not so sure Melancon or Albaladejo are better one inning relievers than Aceves at this point. If Aceves only provided flexibility over the one inning type options, I would understand giving that up for better performance due to the flexibility of the other Yankee relievers. But if the Yankees believe that Aceves is the better pitcher, he should not be sent down simply because his greatest attribute is something that the Yankees have plenty of. Hopefully, the Yankees take their seven best bullpen arms north.

What do you think? Is there a scenario under which you would send Aceves to AAA?

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Quick Answers

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 1:00 pm 1 Response »
Feb 182010

Yesterday, Moshe posted 25 questions/issues going into Spring Training. Tackling them one-by-one in full posts would take way too long, so I’m going to give some quick hit answers to each one.

1. Jorge’s decline: Steve’s got legit concerns about Jorge declining, and if there’s anyone on the Yankees who’s going to decline, it’s likely to be Jorge. The average projection for Jorge doesn’t seem too ominous, but you never know with older catchers. My guess? Jorge doesn’t fall off a cliff, but he’s not as productive with the bat as he was last year.

2. The back up catcher: barring injury, I think this job is Cervelli’s to lose. His bat is iffy, but it’s okay for a back up catcher and his defense is solid.

3. The Jesus and 2010/catching: If we see El Carpentiero at all in ’10, it’ll likely be as a September call up. As for whether he can handle catching, I’m cautiously optimistic. Regardless, that bat is downright dreamy and I want it sticking around in the Yankee organization for years to come.

4. Nick Johnson: Like with Hideki Matsui in ’09, keeping Johnson off the field could be the key to keeping him healthy. If he does stay healthy, I think he could at the very least come close to matching Hideki/Johnny Damon, he’ll just do it in different ways. His power should bounce back by being in YSIII and I’d expect his HR/FB anomaly from 2009 to correct itself as well.

5. Cano’s defense: I think he’ll stay where he is, which is frustrating ’cause he’s brilliant out there at times.

6. Jeter’s contract situation as a potential distraction: I don’t think it will be an issue until after the ASB.

7. A-Rod’s defense: I think we’ll see the second half A-Rod on defense–still below average with the range (but what an arm!), but not as bad as he was immediately after returning.

8. Utility role: I say Pena, unless Russo really wows everyone in ST.

9. Which Swish: It may not be an exact copy, but I’d put good money on the ’10 Swisher looking a lot like the ’09 Swisher.

10. Grandy vs. lefties: Hopefully, Kevin Long can work some magic. And, yes, moving to YSIII will definitely help C-Grand.

11. Gardner as an everyday player: I’m cautiously optimistic for Gardner, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on this issue.

12. Randy Winn’s possible decline: 2009 looks like one of two outliers in the last 8 seasons, 2006 was the other. If he can bounce back, great. If not, it’s not a huge sunken cost and he’s replaceable.

13. Gardy or Grandy in CF: I’ll be happy either way, but the numbers point to Gardner in CF.

14. Hoffmann or Thames: I think they’ll go with Hoffmann, just to see what he’s got unless Thames absolutely destroys the Grapefruit League.

15. October hangover for SPs: It’s possible, but they’re veterans who know how to manage their bodies. Hopefully, there are no ill effects.

16. Javy as unclutch: I see good things for Javy this time around.

17. A.J.’s health: Burnett will pitch at least 185 innings in 2010.

18. 5th starter: I’ve written more than once about this. Joba it shall be.

19. BP or SWB: See above.

20. Damaso: He won’t be as lights out in the playoffs, but he’ll be his usual lefty destroying self since he’ll finally be healthy for a full year.

21. Second lefty: I don’t think a second lefty is a must, but I think General Joe likes the idea of having two lefties, so I think they’ll at least start off the year w/2 LHRPs.

22. If not, who gets the job: No thinking, gut reaction, Melancon.

23. Mo and…aging…: I’ll defer to Chris Turk for the answer.

24. Girardi’s lack of job security: The only way it becomes an issue is if Joe really screws up this year, which won’t happen.

25. Room in the budget if needed: They’ll find it.

So, there you have it: 25 quick answers to 25 complex questions. Before you know it, it’ll be November and we’ll be looking back on these (hopefully after a 28th championship) issues and their outcomes. Here’s to hoping they all turn out the way we want them to.

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Which Minor Leaguers Will Impact The Yankees in 2010?

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 1:00 pm 19 Responses »
Feb 122010

Each year, USA Today creates a list of minor leaguers/rookies that all baseball fans should know and watch for in 2010. This is not a top prospect list, but is a list of the 100 players most likely to reach the majors for more than a cup of coffee, and make some sort of impact. Last year’s list included Brett Gardner, Austin Jackson, and David Robertson, with Gardner and Robertson scoring regular roles on the 2009 Yankees. This year’s list includes 2 former Yankees (Jackson and Jose Tabata), and 4 current Yankees:

52. Mark Melancon, RHP, Yankees: Next in line to continue the run of success the Yankees had last season with young pitchers setting up in front of closer Mariano Rivera, Melancon, 24, should fill one of the openings. He’s a hard thrower with a sharp-breaking curve. Groomed as a reliever since turning pro in 2006, he has bounced back well from missing 2007 after Tommy John elbow surgery.

56. Zach McAllister, RHP, Yankees: He’s a sinkerballer who induces plenty of ground balls and can pitch himself into the mix as a 22-year-old this spring. Major league bullpen work is a possibility, but McAllister would be among the first to be considered if there’s a need for a major league starter. His chances would improve if the Yankees decide to keep Phil Hughes in the bullpen.

58. Jamie Hoffmann, OF, Yankees: Hoffman, 25, is a strong defender who can play all three outfield positions, has plenty of speed and is a consistent contact hitter. That’s why the Yankees believe he someday will be an everyday player. In the meantime, Hoffman must be good enough to make the roster because he was a Rule 5 draft selection from the Dodgers and must be offered back to Los Angeles before he can be sent to the minors.

66. Jesus Montero, C, Yankees: His power is his biggest asset, but the fact that he’s a catcher and there’s no other obvious successor to Jorge Posada could have Montero, just 20, in the major leagues this season. Barring an emergency, his initial stay won’t be long because he has had only a half-season at Class AA and needs to continue developing his defensive game.

I am assuming that Ramiro Pena and Frankie Cervelli do not qualify, as both have an excellent chance to play roles on the 2010 club. I would be surprised if any of the four listed above make the club out of spring training, which would likely mean that Hoffmann will be returned to the Dodgers. Furthermore, I do not think it is likely that we see Zach McCallister at all this season, as he is at best 9th on the starting pitching depth chart and still has room for improvement at the AAA level. Montero seems to be a longshot as well, but a major injury to Jorge Posada or a late season loss of Nick Johnson could press him into MLB duty. It is unlikely, but possible, as the Yankees will certainly be tempted to use Montero for his bat should those players go down. Finally, I think Melancon has the best chance of the four to stick with the Yankees for much of the season, as he could nab the last bullpen spot out of camp and has the talent to hold onto a spot once he is given the chance.

What do you think of this list? Are there other minor leaguers that you think can have an impact on the 2010 Yankees? How about Romulo Sanchez? Ivan Nova? Kevin Russo?

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Discussion: Building A Bullpen

Posted by EJ Fagan at 11:00 am 12 Responses »
Jan 192010

Spring training will no doubt show us a battle between relievers looking for their spot in the bullpen. Barring a Ben Sheets surprise, we already know what players will make up most of the bullpen. They are:

Certains: Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves

Strong Candidates: Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Boone Logan

Weaker Candidates: Mark Melancon, Edwar Ramirez, Jon Albaladejo, Wilkins De La Rosa, Zach Kroenke*

*Has to be returned from the Rule V draft

The Yankees will likely carry 7 relief pitchers on their roster. That means that two candidates will make the team. I don’t know about you, but the prospects of two of Mitre, Gaudin, and Logan don’t make me feel very confident. Logan and Mitre have career ERAs in the 5s, and really only make sense in a super-specialized role (Mitre as mop-up guy and Logan as an extreme LOOGY). Gaudin at least has a major league track record of consistently keeping opponents to a slight below average ERA. He’s pretty clearly the best of the lot.

Boone Logan has an option, so he can go down. But will the Yankees send the very affordable Sergio Mitre to waivers? I don’t think they will. I think that its much more likely that they trade Gaudin’s 3 million dollar salary and use Sergio Mitre as their long man and spot starter, which will almost certainly cost them wins. The other possibility is that they carry both Gaudin and Mitre, which seems incredibly redundent with one of Hughes or Chamberlain and Alfredo Aceves also on the roster.

I would much rather see Mitre jetisoned and one of the weak candidates be given the spot in spring training. Mark Melancon’s time is coming eventually. We’ll have to see when that will be. I think that Melancon disappointed a lot of Yankee fans this season, but only because expectations were incredibly high. Melancon had an admirable minor league season, but showed jitters in his brief major league time. With certainty and stability to his routine out of spring training, I think that Melancon could really show us what he’s got. God knows he doesn’t have anything more to learn in Triple-A (2.84 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.65 IP/G) that would justify sending him back down.

I really believe that keeping Mitre is one of those “easy” decisions that the Yankees need to avoid making. Interia is the only thing that justifies his roster spot. At the very least, Alfredo Aceves can do Mitre’s job 10x better. I’m open to trading Gaudin if freeing up the salary space helps bring back Johnny Damon or bring in Reed Johnson or someone else in left field, but even then Mitre should go.

But that’s enough of me. My vote is for Gaudin and Melancon. What do you guys think? How would you construct the 2010 bullpen?

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