05/28: Hughes, Thompson & Rasner
Posted by: James
Oh my!
Phil Hughes had a pretty effective start last night against Binghampton Mets. He went six very strong innings before faltering a little bit in the seventh. He left the game with two runners on base and having given up 1 earned run in 6 innings. T.J. Beam allowed both runners to score bringing Hughes' final line to 8 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks in 6.3 innings. I'm very happy to see the walks come down and the strikeouts rack back up and the K:BB ratio is down to 25:10 (for the season - 29.3 innings),
Over In Columbus, Darrell Rasner continued his string of good starts, getting the win last night by going 6.6 strong innings. He's putting up very good numbers at AAA using his Tiger Wang style, i.e. lots of groundballs and the occasional strikeout. In other news, Kevin Thompson is back in the lineup and he's responded well, hitting a home run and knocking in two. Give the man a couple of days to get back in the swing of things and get him up here for Terrence Long. I say this because a Thompson usually takes two shots to succeed at a level. Let's get him his first shot now or this year and next year, he'll be ready to go as a great option for an outfield spot. While we're doing that, why not call Rasner up and let him take Erickson or Small's place soon? Let's really get this Columbus shuttle going because right now, they offer the best bang for those roster spots.
Phil Hughes had a pretty effective start last night against Binghampton Mets. He went six very strong innings before faltering a little bit in the seventh. He left the game with two runners on base and having given up 1 earned run in 6 innings. T.J. Beam allowed both runners to score bringing Hughes' final line to 8 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks in 6.3 innings. I'm very happy to see the walks come down and the strikeouts rack back up and the K:BB ratio is down to 25:10 (for the season - 29.3 innings),
Over In Columbus, Darrell Rasner continued his string of good starts, getting the win last night by going 6.6 strong innings. He's putting up very good numbers at AAA using his Tiger Wang style, i.e. lots of groundballs and the occasional strikeout. In other news, Kevin Thompson is back in the lineup and he's responded well, hitting a home run and knocking in two. Give the man a couple of days to get back in the swing of things and get him up here for Terrence Long. I say this because a Thompson usually takes two shots to succeed at a level. Let's get him his first shot now or this year and next year, he'll be ready to go as a great option for an outfield spot. While we're doing that, why not call Rasner up and let him take Erickson or Small's place soon? Let's really get this Columbus shuttle going because right now, they offer the best bang for those roster spots.
05/27: Fun for Hours
Posted by: James
Not really Yankees related but hey, you can have alllll kinds of fun with this one (and if you look at the other ones people have already done, lots of people def. have!).
Posted by: David
After beating the Red Sox two out of three in Boston, the Yankees returned to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium against the worst team in the majors and possibly the worst team ever and couldn't get it done. They came back from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead but Scott Proctor gave it right back in the seventh.
The real goat however was Kyle Farnsworth who gave up a two out three run homer to Angel Berroa on a hanging slider to give the Royals a three run lead at 7-4. The Yankees fought back in the eighth when Giambi and A-Rod got on to lead off the inning but the Yankees were only able to score one run. Giambi singled hard to right and A-Rod double up the gap in right center to put runners on second and third with no outs. Robinson Cano then swung at the first pitched and popped up. Bernie Williams grounded out to score Giambi but then Melky Cabrera was retired to end the inning.
After the top of the ninth was played in a downpour, the tarp was put on and an almost two hour delay ensued. In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Terrence Long singled, Johnny Damon flew out for the first out before Derek Jeter walked. Sheffield then singled to center to score Long and push Jeter to third. However, Andrew Sisco got Giambi to ground into a game ending double play.
The Yankees really should be embarrassed to play so poorly against an awful team like KC. The Royals ended a current thirteen game losing streak and had also lost their last fourteen games at the stadium. The game was highlighted by Derek Jeter getting his 2,000th career hit in the fourth when he hit a swinging bunt down the third base line which catcher Paul Bako fielded but threw wildly into the stands. Jeter was credited with a single and took second on the throwing error.
It appears that the confidence of Scott Proctor is really shot. After his terrible performance in Boston, he has become very hittable and his control is suspect. The series resumes this afternoon with Chien Ming-Wang taking the mound for the Yankees.
The real goat however was Kyle Farnsworth who gave up a two out three run homer to Angel Berroa on a hanging slider to give the Royals a three run lead at 7-4. The Yankees fought back in the eighth when Giambi and A-Rod got on to lead off the inning but the Yankees were only able to score one run. Giambi singled hard to right and A-Rod double up the gap in right center to put runners on second and third with no outs. Robinson Cano then swung at the first pitched and popped up. Bernie Williams grounded out to score Giambi but then Melky Cabrera was retired to end the inning.
After the top of the ninth was played in a downpour, the tarp was put on and an almost two hour delay ensued. In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Terrence Long singled, Johnny Damon flew out for the first out before Derek Jeter walked. Sheffield then singled to center to score Long and push Jeter to third. However, Andrew Sisco got Giambi to ground into a game ending double play.
The Yankees really should be embarrassed to play so poorly against an awful team like KC. The Royals ended a current thirteen game losing streak and had also lost their last fourteen games at the stadium. The game was highlighted by Derek Jeter getting his 2,000th career hit in the fourth when he hit a swinging bunt down the third base line which catcher Paul Bako fielded but threw wildly into the stands. Jeter was credited with a single and took second on the throwing error.
It appears that the confidence of Scott Proctor is really shot. After his terrible performance in Boston, he has become very hittable and his control is suspect. The series resumes this afternoon with Chien Ming-Wang taking the mound for the Yankees.
05/26: Posada Has a Torn Tendon
Posted by: James
That'll put a damper on any good feelings, right? It turns out that Posada's knee problems are a result of a torn tendon in his hamstring.
Did someone on the team kick a black cat? I mean, I know it's a old team...but come on, this is getting ridiculous! Posada is vital part of this team and not having any sort of suitable replacement exacerbates the situation. Hopefully, this turns out not to be a lingering problem but when I hear the words torn and tendon, it nevers seems like an easy injury to recover from.
Update: The NY Post has a more detailed story about the tendon. Here's the highlight:
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has a torn hamstring tendon in his left knee and will be sidelined at least a few days.
Posada wasn't placed on the disabled list following his MRI exam that revealed the injury, but the club said Thursday that it planned to call up a catcher from the minor leagues on Friday. Posada is scheduled to be evaluated in the next few days.
Posada wasn't placed on the disabled list following his MRI exam that revealed the injury, but the club said Thursday that it planned to call up a catcher from the minor leagues on Friday. Posada is scheduled to be evaluated in the next few days.
Did someone on the team kick a black cat? I mean, I know it's a old team...but come on, this is getting ridiculous! Posada is vital part of this team and not having any sort of suitable replacement exacerbates the situation. Hopefully, this turns out not to be a lingering problem but when I hear the words torn and tendon, it nevers seems like an easy injury to recover from.
Update: The NY Post has a more detailed story about the tendon. Here's the highlight:
"Hopefully, we can avoid the DL," Cashman said. "We'll see in the next few days. Jorge said he felt better [yesterday] than he did [Wednesday]. If the swelling and pain don't dissipate, it could be a DL. I can only tell you what I have been told, and it's short term, but I can't define short term."
Working in the Yankees' favor is the tendon isn't a big part of the knee's function.
"It's the one they use for transplants," Cashman said. "It's one you don't need. It's an unusual injury."
Working in the Yankees' favor is the tendon isn't a big part of the knee's function.
"It's the one they use for transplants," Cashman said. "It's one you don't need. It's an unusual injury."
05/25: Teammates Talk About A-Rod
Posted by: Patrick
Just some quotes that I felt were worth repeating.
On some level, the continual need to defend A-Rod gets tiring, doesn't it? I've done it, other bloggers here at YB have, several other bloggers at other sites have. To me, it's all kind of funny. A-Rod is a clean cut professional who plays everyday, produces and is terrific at every aspect of the game, on and off the field.
I think that one thing that we, as fans, should not delve into is defending A-Rod at the cost of other Yankees. For instance, I have heard people say "A-Rod did this, but Jeter did this - why didn't Jeter get criticized?" You don't need to slam Jeter to boost A-Rod, that defeats the purpose. Jeter is a New York legend and rightfully so. So, I think we can safely stay away from that. Back on subject, I've always thought that most of the criticism I have heard of A-Rod was kind of fickle. Make no mistake, we're lucky to have him. There is a reason the Rangers offered him that contract, there is a reason the Red Sox wanted him, there is a reason we wanted him. He's great. Rare great. I mean, don't kid yourself, the Red Sox would be loving - loving - him if they had him. He won the MVP last year for pete sake! Personally, I want him to be a Yankee for life. Give me Jeter and A-Rod on that side of the infield for the rest of their careers and I will be a happy man.
Another funny thing, as I was writing this, I went to look up A-Rod's numbers with RISP, etc. He's hitting .273 with a .397 OBA with RISP. He's hitting .280 with a .455 OBA with RISP and 2 outs. This is what all the hullabaloo (I used that word - nice) is about? So, in other words, with RISP and 2 outs, he only makes an out a bit over half the time. OH MY GOSH, HE'S TERRIBLE! lol. Last year, hit .290 with a .410 with RISP and .302 with a .429 with RISP and 2 outs. That's excellent. So, I'm still looking for numbers I'd truly consider bad. I finally found them, in 2004. He hit .248 with a .346 OBA with RISP and .206 with a .308 with RISP and 2 outs. There we go. But that was 2 years ago. So, I don't know, but I just don't see it.
"People who care about the Yankees should be thinking about wins or losses, not just Alex, not one guy," Derek Jeter said. "Alex is a great player; there are lot of great players on this team. For some reason in my 10 years here, we've all gotten booed, myself and Mo and Bernie included." ...
"The thing about Alex is that he believes he should drive in every run, which is unrealistic," Sheffield said. "In a way, he brings it on himself. But the fans who get on him should be thankful they have a player who's that driven. Not many guys care as much as he does."
"The thing about Alex is that he believes he should drive in every run, which is unrealistic," Sheffield said. "In a way, he brings it on himself. But the fans who get on him should be thankful they have a player who's that driven. Not many guys care as much as he does."
On some level, the continual need to defend A-Rod gets tiring, doesn't it? I've done it, other bloggers here at YB have, several other bloggers at other sites have. To me, it's all kind of funny. A-Rod is a clean cut professional who plays everyday, produces and is terrific at every aspect of the game, on and off the field.
I think that one thing that we, as fans, should not delve into is defending A-Rod at the cost of other Yankees. For instance, I have heard people say "A-Rod did this, but Jeter did this - why didn't Jeter get criticized?" You don't need to slam Jeter to boost A-Rod, that defeats the purpose. Jeter is a New York legend and rightfully so. So, I think we can safely stay away from that. Back on subject, I've always thought that most of the criticism I have heard of A-Rod was kind of fickle. Make no mistake, we're lucky to have him. There is a reason the Rangers offered him that contract, there is a reason the Red Sox wanted him, there is a reason we wanted him. He's great. Rare great. I mean, don't kid yourself, the Red Sox would be loving - loving - him if they had him. He won the MVP last year for pete sake! Personally, I want him to be a Yankee for life. Give me Jeter and A-Rod on that side of the infield for the rest of their careers and I will be a happy man.
Another funny thing, as I was writing this, I went to look up A-Rod's numbers with RISP, etc. He's hitting .273 with a .397 OBA with RISP. He's hitting .280 with a .455 OBA with RISP and 2 outs. This is what all the hullabaloo (I used that word - nice) is about? So, in other words, with RISP and 2 outs, he only makes an out a bit over half the time. OH MY GOSH, HE'S TERRIBLE! lol. Last year, hit .290 with a .410 with RISP and .302 with a .429 with RISP and 2 outs. That's excellent. So, I'm still looking for numbers I'd truly consider bad. I finally found them, in 2004. He hit .248 with a .346 OBA with RISP and .206 with a .308 with RISP and 2 outs. There we go. But that was 2 years ago. So, I don't know, but I just don't see it.
Posted by: Patrick
Now, I imagine most know that Derek's next hit will be number 2,000. He'll be the 8th Yankee to do so. But, another one to watch for is Mariano's next save, which will be number 390, placing him in a tie for 4th all time in saves with Dennis Eckersley (thanks David).
Looking at their career numbers is a joy - the level of consistency that these two have demonstrated is incredible.
Looking at their career numbers is a joy - the level of consistency that these two have demonstrated is incredible.
05/25: The Yankees Bullpen
Posted by: James
While they weren't tremendous for the entire series, the Yankees bullpen has, for the most part, performed very well. So when in his latest article, Bill Simmons said mentioned the Yankees pen somewhat disparagingly, I couldn't just let it go at that.
Oh, you mean Mike Myers of the 0.93 ERA who struck out David Ortiz last night (.200 BAA), Scott Erickson & Colter Bean - pass - Bean's gone and Erickson soon will be, Ron Villone - 2.04 ERA (.206 BAA), Scott Proctor - 3.16 ERA (.211 BAA), Kyle Farnsworth - 3.66 ERA (.224 BAA). The Yankees relievers have done a better job than most of the pens in the league (3.83 ERA and .711 OPS allowed) and this is with Farnsworth rounding into form and without Octavio Dotel.
Surely you can't be chuckling at the state of the Yankees pen when the current Red Sox bridge to Papelbon reads like this; Keith Foulke (4.62 ERA and .253 BAA), Julian Tavarez (4.26 ERA and .301 BAA), Rudy Seanez (5.82 ERA and .269 BAA) and Mike Timlin (0.96 ERA and .221 BAA). Oh and by the way, every one of those guys outside of Timlin has a SLG allowed of .500 and over. The Red Sox reliever corps has an 3.84 ERA and .762 OPS allowed and that's only due to Papelbon's 23 innings of 0.39 ERA and .345 OPS allowed.
Mike Myers, Scott Erickson, Ron Villone, Colter Bean, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.
(I don't even have a joke to add. Just thought I'd list the set-up guys for Mariano Rivera right now.)
(I don't even have a joke to add. Just thought I'd list the set-up guys for Mariano Rivera right now.)
Oh, you mean Mike Myers of the 0.93 ERA who struck out David Ortiz last night (.200 BAA), Scott Erickson & Colter Bean - pass - Bean's gone and Erickson soon will be, Ron Villone - 2.04 ERA (.206 BAA), Scott Proctor - 3.16 ERA (.211 BAA), Kyle Farnsworth - 3.66 ERA (.224 BAA). The Yankees relievers have done a better job than most of the pens in the league (3.83 ERA and .711 OPS allowed) and this is with Farnsworth rounding into form and without Octavio Dotel.
Surely you can't be chuckling at the state of the Yankees pen when the current Red Sox bridge to Papelbon reads like this; Keith Foulke (4.62 ERA and .253 BAA), Julian Tavarez (4.26 ERA and .301 BAA), Rudy Seanez (5.82 ERA and .269 BAA) and Mike Timlin (0.96 ERA and .221 BAA). Oh and by the way, every one of those guys outside of Timlin has a SLG allowed of .500 and over. The Red Sox reliever corps has an 3.84 ERA and .762 OPS allowed and that's only due to Papelbon's 23 innings of 0.39 ERA and .345 OPS allowed.
05/25: Yankees 8, Red Sox 6
Posted by: Jason
It is a pleasure to write this recap for YB.com. Add another game to the list of memorable tilts between these AL East powerhouses. That the Yankees took 2 of 3 given their depleted condition is gratifying. In the immortal words of WW: Let's go to the videotape!!!
Top 2: Cano walked and Bernie hit a liner off of Clement. I mean literally off of his leg. Canadian comedy duo Terrence (and Phillip) Long drew a walk(!!) and Kelly took one in the arm to cut the Sox lead to 2-1. Melky pulled an inside pitch to drive in Long and Bernie. "The deuce" (DJ) then drove Kelly in with a wall ball and the Yankees led 4-2.
Bottom 2: Randy Johnson was again disturbingly erratic in the early innings, surrendering a homer to Youkilis to tie the game 4-4. Even though he would surrender one more run, this outing was different for the towering lefty: RJ decided to fight. He made a few strong pitches in the 3rd, 4th and 5th, and clawed his way through 5 complete. Like Jake LaMotta, if RJ must go down this season, he showed us tonight he will go down swinging.
Top 5: After Alex and Robinson both singled, Bernie's single tied the game at 5-5. Terrence (and Phillip) Long's single give the Yanks the lead 6-5. After a wild pitch, Melky's single gave the Yankees the lead (for good) at 8-5.
Just a moment: Melky leading off? Bernie and Terrence Long as back to back offensive machines? Scott Erickson shuts Boston down in the 6th??!?!? Torre is a genius with his lineup and bullpen moves.
(I apologize to my YB.com colleagues, all Yankees fans and other Yankees blogs for that offensive joke, forgive me Sensei Kreese.)
Bottom 7: Myers was at his LOOGY best, fanning Ortiz. Scott Proctor threw a little batting practice to Ramirez, 8-6. Thankfully, he regained his composure and erased Varitek and Lowell, thanks to a superior catch in right by Melky.
Bottom 8: Farnsworth on the hill. A breathtaking turn of events beginning with the hit that wasn't. Pena's foul ball did not touch Kelly before shooting foul. The home plate umpire missed the call. Nixon impeaches himself with a popup. Alex Gonzales loops a single on a curve ball: Kyle throws plasma fastballs and he's throwing a curve to a weak hitter? Youkilis K'd and then Loretta drew a patient walk.
Bases loaded for Ortiz. Given that KF had walked Loretta with a ball that was 64 feet high of the strike zone, I was worried. After several fastballs, a Medusa curve turned Ortiz to marble for strike 3. One hopes that delivering under that pressure will strengthen Kyle for the future. Overall, this is why baseball is the best spectator sport.
Bottom 9: Mariano knows that when a hitter is in a groove, some uncomfortable smoke can upset that groove. Result: Ramirez flies harmlessly to Bernie. DJ ended the game with a marvelous, Brett Favre jump throw to first.
Resume breathing. 26 wins, 19 losses.
Top 2: Cano walked and Bernie hit a liner off of Clement. I mean literally off of his leg. Canadian comedy duo Terrence (and Phillip) Long drew a walk(!!) and Kelly took one in the arm to cut the Sox lead to 2-1. Melky pulled an inside pitch to drive in Long and Bernie. "The deuce" (DJ) then drove Kelly in with a wall ball and the Yankees led 4-2.
Bottom 2: Randy Johnson was again disturbingly erratic in the early innings, surrendering a homer to Youkilis to tie the game 4-4. Even though he would surrender one more run, this outing was different for the towering lefty: RJ decided to fight. He made a few strong pitches in the 3rd, 4th and 5th, and clawed his way through 5 complete. Like Jake LaMotta, if RJ must go down this season, he showed us tonight he will go down swinging.
Top 5: After Alex and Robinson both singled, Bernie's single tied the game at 5-5. Terrence (and Phillip) Long's single give the Yanks the lead 6-5. After a wild pitch, Melky's single gave the Yankees the lead (for good) at 8-5.
Just a moment: Melky leading off? Bernie and Terrence Long as back to back offensive machines? Scott Erickson shuts Boston down in the 6th??!?!? Torre is a genius with his lineup and bullpen moves.
(I apologize to my YB.com colleagues, all Yankees fans and other Yankees blogs for that offensive joke, forgive me Sensei Kreese.)
Bottom 7: Myers was at his LOOGY best, fanning Ortiz. Scott Proctor threw a little batting practice to Ramirez, 8-6. Thankfully, he regained his composure and erased Varitek and Lowell, thanks to a superior catch in right by Melky.
Bottom 8: Farnsworth on the hill. A breathtaking turn of events beginning with the hit that wasn't. Pena's foul ball did not touch Kelly before shooting foul. The home plate umpire missed the call. Nixon impeaches himself with a popup. Alex Gonzales loops a single on a curve ball: Kyle throws plasma fastballs and he's throwing a curve to a weak hitter? Youkilis K'd and then Loretta drew a patient walk.
Bases loaded for Ortiz. Given that KF had walked Loretta with a ball that was 64 feet high of the strike zone, I was worried. After several fastballs, a Medusa curve turned Ortiz to marble for strike 3. One hopes that delivering under that pressure will strengthen Kyle for the future. Overall, this is why baseball is the best spectator sport.
Bottom 9: Mariano knows that when a hitter is in a groove, some uncomfortable smoke can upset that groove. Result: Ramirez flies harmlessly to Bernie. DJ ended the game with a marvelous, Brett Favre jump throw to first.
Resume breathing. 26 wins, 19 losses.
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees tied this three game series at a game apiece last night, although it turned out to be closer than it should've been, as they defeated the Red Sox by a score of 7-5. The victory brings the Yankees to within a game and a half of Boston for first place. The game was somewhat closer than was probably expected after A-Rod's three run homer that made the score 7-1 in the top of the 7th, but the Red Sox scored three runs in the 7th and one in the 8th to cut the defecit to 7-5. Mariano Rivera was brought in with one out in the 8th and did a superb job, recording five outs to record his 9th save of the season.
Jaret Wright pitched 5 solid scoreless innings, allowing four hits before being pulled after 5 with a "tweak in his groin." Most of the damage done by the Red Sox was at the expense of Scott Proctor, who allowed four runs in an inning and a third, including a monster home run to center by Manny Ramirez. The other run was given up by Kyle Farnsworth, who struggled by walking 3 in an inning pitched.
Manny's showboating in the 7th is a good example of why I cannot stand him.
It was good to see A-Rod's three-run shot become the difference on a day the papers and ESPN were especially destroying him about only hitting when the game doesn't matter anymore. Is it his fault alone that the Yankees were down 8 runs in the 9th last night? It was also good to see Damon wrap one around the Pesky Pole to lead off the game after he's struggled so much in his first few games at his former home.
Randy Johnson and the Yankees will try to take the rubber game of this series tonight as they will face Matt Clement at 7:05 ET. Johnson has struggled lately, but has a good track record as a Yankee against the Red Sox. Let's hope the latter holds up.
Jaret Wright pitched 5 solid scoreless innings, allowing four hits before being pulled after 5 with a "tweak in his groin." Most of the damage done by the Red Sox was at the expense of Scott Proctor, who allowed four runs in an inning and a third, including a monster home run to center by Manny Ramirez. The other run was given up by Kyle Farnsworth, who struggled by walking 3 in an inning pitched.
Manny's showboating in the 7th is a good example of why I cannot stand him.
It was good to see A-Rod's three-run shot become the difference on a day the papers and ESPN were especially destroying him about only hitting when the game doesn't matter anymore. Is it his fault alone that the Yankees were down 8 runs in the 9th last night? It was also good to see Damon wrap one around the Pesky Pole to lead off the game after he's struggled so much in his first few games at his former home.
Randy Johnson and the Yankees will try to take the rubber game of this series tonight as they will face Matt Clement at 7:05 ET. Johnson has struggled lately, but has a good track record as a Yankee against the Red Sox. Let's hope the latter holds up.
05/24: Quick Hits
Posted by: James
Just wanted to throw some things out there and don't have nearly enough time to make a more coherent post, so here goes.
First, John Sickels over at MinorLeagueBall.com posted a Prospect Smackdown recently comparing two of the best pitching prospects in the minors, Mike Pelfrey of the Mets vs. Phillip Hughes of the Yankees. No new information but it's interesting to see that John's got them very evenly matched even though Hughes is 2 years younger. Both pitchers have dominated A ball this year and have scuffled a little bit in AA (Pelfrey more than Hughes so far). Still, a Mets-Yankees arms race would certainly be fun to watch (probably would have been even more interesting had a certain power lefty not been traded...not to address old wounds but OUCH).
John has also posted a prospect retrospective on Mr. Bernabe Williams Figueroa. I thought it was worth a read just to go back and remember where our borderline HOFer came from. It was certainly interesting to read how much he progressed and how long it was before he finally broke out (at the age of 26 in 1995).
Peter Abraham over at the LoHud Yankees Blog mentioned the following:
First off, Amen to the waving bye-bye to Terrence Long. Secondly, the Post is speculating that Matt Smith will be called up rather than Mendoza. Honestly, I don't mind either of the two at this point. I like Smith - he's young (27 in a couple of weeks), he's a lefty, this is his second year of performing well and he can get the K every now and again. With Mendoza, it's not just the nostalgia talking - he's been very good in the minors so far and has even started the last two games (12 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 Ks). I'd love to see what he can do back in the majors again. If he can still pitch, great. If not, what have you really wasted other than innings that would have gone to Scott Erickson or Aaron Small. Heck, it'd be great to see Erickson sent down and Ramiro take that role and if Small continues to struggle, there looks to be a young (25) and seemingly more than serviceable option in AAA just waiting for a shot.
First, John Sickels over at MinorLeagueBall.com posted a Prospect Smackdown recently comparing two of the best pitching prospects in the minors, Mike Pelfrey of the Mets vs. Phillip Hughes of the Yankees. No new information but it's interesting to see that John's got them very evenly matched even though Hughes is 2 years younger. Both pitchers have dominated A ball this year and have scuffled a little bit in AA (Pelfrey more than Hughes so far). Still, a Mets-Yankees arms race would certainly be fun to watch (probably would have been even more interesting had a certain power lefty not been traded...not to address old wounds but OUCH).
John has also posted a prospect retrospective on Mr. Bernabe Williams Figueroa. I thought it was worth a read just to go back and remember where our borderline HOFer came from. It was certainly interesting to read how much he progressed and how long it was before he finally broke out (at the age of 26 in 1995).
Peter Abraham over at the LoHud Yankees Blog mentioned the following:
Joe Torre said they would bring up a pitcher for the last game of the series. I suspect it will be Ramiro Mendoza, who has pitched well for Columbus. Best of luck, Kevin Reese. They should dump Terrence Long (0 for 8, two balls out of the infield), however.
First off, Amen to the waving bye-bye to Terrence Long. Secondly, the Post is speculating that Matt Smith will be called up rather than Mendoza. Honestly, I don't mind either of the two at this point. I like Smith - he's young (27 in a couple of weeks), he's a lefty, this is his second year of performing well and he can get the K every now and again. With Mendoza, it's not just the nostalgia talking - he's been very good in the minors so far and has even started the last two games (12 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 Ks). I'd love to see what he can do back in the majors again. If he can still pitch, great. If not, what have you really wasted other than innings that would have gone to Scott Erickson or Aaron Small. Heck, it'd be great to see Erickson sent down and Ramiro take that role and if Small continues to struggle, there looks to be a young (25) and seemingly more than serviceable option in AAA just waiting for a shot.
