Checking in on the Farm

Good morning Yankee fans! Sorry for the lack of posts, but its been a bit slow since we're in that weird limbo between the true start of the offseason and the Yankee-less playoffs. Curious what some of our prospects are up to so far in winter/fall leagues? The Yankees assigned a few prospects Waikiki BeachBoys (Hawaii Winter League) and the Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League). For your guidance, the AFL is a higher level of competition then the HWL.

HWL:
Damon Sublett: Sublett is a young middle infield prospect with a good arm and good pop in his bat. He was impressive in his pro debut for class A- Staten Island in 2007, but fell a little short of expectations in Charleston. So far in the HWL, Sublett is hitting a healthy .289/.325/.500. I'd like to see his strikeouts go down (15 in 10 games) and his walks go up (2). Sublett isn't a top prospect, but that doesn't mean he can't learn and grow into one.

Jeremy Bleich: Bleich was the highest draft pick that we actually signed in 2008, since Gerrit Cole never signed (Bleich was taken in the supplemental round). The lefty so far in the HWL is off to a nice start at 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 4 starts. He's got 14 strikeouts in 18.1 innings and 8 walks. I'd like to see a better K/BB ratio, but 14/8 isn't too bad. Most of those walks came in his first two starts anyway.

Andrew Brackman: Our first round pic from 2007, the tall right-hander missed all of 2008 because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Brackman s 1-3 with a 6.14 ERA. I know that looks ugly, but he's only pitched 14.2 innings since major elbow recontruction surgery and he hasn't thrown a pitch in over a year. Trust me, Brackman has the talent, he has the body (he's 6'10'') and he has the head. His 16 strikeouts in this 14.2 innings is a good sign, but he also needs to cut down on his walks (11). Give him some time before he gets labeled as a bust too. He was much better in his most recent start: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

Austin Romine: Romine is one of our top catching prospects. He is young, but had a standout season in class A Charleston. So far in the HWL he's hitting at .269/.355/.346. He'll turn it around. He hit .300 over the course of the Charleston season. Romine left his last game after being hit by a pitch on his wrist. No word yet on an injury, but hopefully its nothing serious.

Now for the AFL:
Juan Miranda: Miranda, our lefty hitting, righty-mashing, potential first base platoonman, is off to a hot start down in Arizona. He's played in 8 games so far, hitting an impressive .452/.514/.871. In those 8 games, Miranda has 1 homer, 2 triples, 6 doubles, and 7 RBIs. If he keeps up this pace (or even a pace below it) he will likely make the 25 man roster and may even find himself a starting gig if we don't sign Teixeira.

Austin Jackson: Our top position player prospect. Jackson got off to a hot start in his firts few games, cooled off until he dipped below the Mendoza line, and is now in th eprocess of resurging again. Currently AJax is sitting at .267/.306/.400. Obviously that is not reflective of Jackson's talent. We all know he is capable of more, especially in the hitters league that the AFL is. JThe season is still young, so I will assume he will find his groove soon enough. The main thing he needs to work on are his strikeouts. 11 K's in 11 games isn't what we want to see. However, with his recent hot hitting, he has been named to the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game. Its basially an all-star game for top-prospects.

Kevin Russo: The Yankees appear to be grooming Russo to be a super-sub kind of utility player. The heir to Wilson Betemit, I suppose. Russo doesn't have the glove that some guys to, but he's more of a healthy balance between glove and bat than a lot of utility guys. The key for Russo will be to show is versitility by playing multiple positions and keep up a decent batting line. So far Russo has impressed. He has rotated through 2B, 3B, SS, and LF so far and is holding a .323/.382/.387 batting line. Russo could make a nice piece of trade bait or another utility player if he keeps it up.

Phil Hughes: Ah, the famous Phil Phranchise. He has been struggling a bit, going 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in his first 3 starts. His 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings is nice, but he needs to come down on his walks (8). Hopefully Phil turns it around soon. He was also named to the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game.

Jeff Marquez: He is pitching out of the bullpen this time, although he is normally a starter. He seems to be finding some success there however, as his line looks like this so far though 4 games: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K. Good looking line (2.70 ERA), but he needs to come down on the walks. Maybe he'll stay in the pen if he has success there, since the Yanks have good depth for starters.

Kevin Whelan: Whelan came over in the Gary Sheffield trade. In 3 games, he's thrown 4.2 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts and only 1 walk. Whelan is also pitching out of the pen, as he usually does. He's got great stuff, but has had problems with control in the past. He could be a great future addition to our bullpen if he shows that he has finally worked out the kinks.

Humberto Sanchez: Came over in the Randy Johnson trade. He has been going back and forth between starter and reliever, but is pitching out of the pen this winter. He's off to a rough start at 0-1 13.50 ERA in 2.2 innings. Still, he's got the stuff and he is, after all, just coming back from TJ surgery as well. Give him some time.