Yankees got a hoss in Ross

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/485885p-409054c.html

BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

One scout at the Princeton-Old Dominion game clocked the ball that struck Ross Ohlendorf above the right elbow as traveling 106 mph coming off the bat. Ohlendorf, pitching a few years ago in a marquee game against ODU star Justin Verlander that attracted more than 100 talent evaluators, reached down, picked up the ball that had just stung him and threw out the runner at first.
"I went out there to get him out of there," Princeton coach Scott Bradley recalled. "You could see the welt. But he said, 'You gotta let me stay in. I'm fine.' He got the next guy out with a 94 mile-an-hour fastball. He pitched the sixth inning, too.

"He's a guy who was one of the brightest we had at Princeton, got high honors out of the engineering program and couldn't be any nicer. But that doesn't mean he isn't some kind of tough hombre, too."

Ohlendorf, 24, beat Verlander, last season's AL Rookie of the Year, that day and the Yankees believe his career highlights are just starting. According to sources from inside and outside the organization, the righthander was the key prospect the Yanks wanted from Arizona in any deal for Randy Johnson.

Ohlendorf, 25, was 10-8 for the Diamondbacks' Double-A team last season and had a chance to crack Arizona's rotation this spring. He's been taught by ex-major leaguers since at least high school, when Keith Moreland was his coach in Texas. Bradley played in the majors from 1984-92, including 1984-85 for the Yankees.

"He's a phenomenal young man," Bradley said. "He's an absolute horse with big, thick calves and big, strong legs. He's a power-sinker guy and hitters will have a tough time getting on top of that pitch."

Bradley recalled looking at Ohlendorf's stats the last two years and wondering if his former player was throwing too many innings - he pitched 157 in his first full year, 2005, and 177-2/3 last season, not counting the postseason or a stint in Triple-A. "A lot of organizations wouldn't think of letting a guy throw that much and I called a friend of mine who works for the Diamondbacks and said, 'Are you concerned?' He said, 'Normally, we would be.'"

Turns out, though, that Ohlendorf's velocity was consistently higher at the end of the season - from 91-95 mph hour - than it was at the start, when he was averaging 89-93. "My friends said, 'He's getting stronger while everyone else is getting tired,'" Bradley said.

"He's going to be a bona-fide big-league pitcher," Bradley added. "I think so much of this kid."

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

i have a question jack

does mlb still have a 40 man roster??

based on your projections i think there are 200 guys that suiting up in stripes this year

26 Reasons to Hate Us · January 5, 2007

Young pitcher steal of a deal for Yanks

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01052007/sports/yankees/scout__young_pitcher_steal_of_deal_for_cashman_yankees_kevin_kernan.htm

January 5, 2007 -- The Yankees hope they have something similar to Chien-Ming Wang in young Ross Ohlendorf, the pitcher they targeted in the Randy Johnson deal with the Diamondbacks.

"This kid is special," explained a National League scout last night. The scout has closely watched the development of Ohlendorf, 24, a sinkerballer, like Wang. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-hander struck out 125 batters and walked only 29 last year in the minors as he posted a 10-8 record with a 3.29 ERA at Double-A Tennessee and a 0-0 mark with a 1.28 ERA at Triple-A Tucson.

"He's a tough kid, a smart kid," the scout said of the former Princeton star. "He got over 1,500 on his SATs."

The Diamondbacks thought highly of Ohlendorf, too, but to get Johnson, they thought the gamble was worth it.

The Yankees also will receive major league reliever Luis Vizcaino and two other minor leaguers in the trade. The deal was tentatively agreed upon yesterday and will be finalized when Johnson and the Diamondbacks come to terms on a one-year extension for 2008. The two sides have until 5 p.m. Sunday to work out the extension, which will not be a problem.

Johnson wants to go home to Arizona and the Yankees, who are replenishing their farm system through the trades of Gary Sheffield and Johnson, believe Ohlendorf is the type of pitcher who could bust into the rotation soon. That was the plan for him in Arizona.

"He really has a power arm," said the scout. "He's the kind of kid you just love to have. He's special."

As for the other young players in the deal, shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, 23, and Double-A pitcher Steven Jackson, 24, here is the scout's take:

"Gonzalez's bat is a little weak, but he can start for a lot of teams right now at short," the scout said. "He reminds me of Orlando Cabrera. He can definitely help a big league team. He could be around for 10 years.

"Jackson is a competitor, they could turn him around in another trade, but Ohlendorf is the story of this trade. [Yankees GM] Brian [Cashman] got a steal."

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

i have a question jack
does mlb still have a 40 man roster??
based on your projections i think there are 200 guys that suiting up in stripes this year

LOL. That made me laugh Crunchy.

Based on the ETAs I have read it sounds like the Bronx is gonna be a revolving door on the field. Obviously, those ETAs are just when these guys are projected to be ready for the leap, not when they will have room for them.

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

seems every year the sox break a record for players used

this isnt a good thing mind you

in the never ending struggle for balancing youth and age it seems to me the yanks are finally making a concerted effort to banking some talent

of course come july 31st if theyre 6 back this may change the price of poker

i can see steinbrenner now

gurbing up his creme of furina after corkey farnsworth walks in the winning run in the 12th inning against baltimore on july 29th

OHLENDORF??

he sounds like a member of the gestapo

go get me eric milton

i always liked that kid

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

seems every year the sox break a record for players used
this isnt a good thing mind you
in the never ending struggle for balancing youth and age it seems to me the yanks are finally making a concerted effort to banking some talent

of course come july 31st if theyre 6 back this may change the price of poker
i can see steinbrenner now
gurbing up his creme of furina after corkey farnsworth walks in the winning run in the 12th inning against baltimore on july 29th

OHLENDORF??
he sounds like a member of the gestapo
go get me eric milton
i always liked that kid

eric Milton? He makes the disappearing ball trick look like it is child's play. Now you see the ball moving towards the plate, now the ball disappears over the fence. He is the best mistake we never made.

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

seems every year the sox break a record for players used
this isnt a good thing mind you
in the never ending struggle for balancing youth and age it seems to me the yanks are finally making a concerted effort to banking some talent

of course come july 31st if theyre 6 back this may change the price of poker
i can see steinbrenner now
gurbing up his creme of furina after corkey farnsworth walks in the winning run in the 12th inning against baltimore on july 29th

OHLENDORF??
he sounds like a member of the gestapo
go get me eric milton
i always liked that kid

george may be pissing and s***ing himself by then regardless of the yankee position. Word is, he aint doin so hot.

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

milton had a couple good years with the twins

the guy they traded milton for ended up knocking out keith olbermans mother who was sitting 40 rows deep with a simple throw from 2nd to 1st

remember him??

he was no steve sax

He Hate Me · January 5, 2007

milton had a couple good years with the twins
the guy they traded milton for ended up knocking out keith olbermans mother who was sitting 40 rows deep with a simple throw from 2nd to 1st
remember him??
he was no steve sax

He was also the leadoff hitter for us during 1998-2000. I'd say it worked out pretty well for us.

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

He was also the leadoff hitter for us during 1998-2000. I'd say it worked out pretty well for us.

I agree. I'd sell every single player in the yankee minor leagues for an 06-08 championship run.

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

see

this is what ive been saying

f*** the prospects

theyre good for trade bait and every so often you get a wang or a paplebon or a cano

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

see
this is what ive been saying
f*** the prospects
theyre good for trade bait and every so often you get a wang or a paplebon or a cano

Nah, that is not what I am saying. I would trade them all for a dynasty. If you told me, listen, I'll give you a world championship in 07, then complete misery for the next 5 years I wouldnt take it. Nothing is more fun than watching something wonderful blossom, win a championship, and have hope for more afterwards. I dont want to relive the 80s after we won it all in the late 70s. I'd rather not relive the days of Steve Howe, Mike Pagliarulo, and Pascual Perez. Give me sustained excellence and a chance at the title every yr. No valleys, all peaks.

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

ya i know jack

i agree its nice to see a home grown kid spend his entire career in boston with sunshine and good will towards man kind

i mean look how well nomar did emotionally playing here right??

my point is this

with our fiscal resources it is almost a certainty that both teams will be competetive always due to the insanity of the money being spent...

pitching wins in baseball

pitching costs money

ny and boston have it and will be in the middle of any and all big name moves when it comes to the above mentioned arena

this is why i fear not whether clay buckholtz can keep his slider down or if jacoby ellsburg can hit a major league curve and lay off the split finger in the dust

i am of the mindset that they can be replaced with a fistfull of dollars and if that dont work then a few dollars more

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

That is where I differ with you Mr C. If a fistful of dollars could buy us pitching we wouldnt have taken the fist square in our bumhole the past few seasons. Teams are smartening up. You dont see the young aces hit the market anymore. Santana, Sheets, Peavy, Oswalt, etc all are being locked up prior to hitting the market. This leaves #3 and #4 starters to hit the market. And then there is the adjustment to the AL, then to the ALE, then to NYC and the rivalry and the like. But if you want to get a young pitcher in his prime, you better pony up the prospects. Either develop them yourselves or deal for them. That is the fatal flaw with George's reasoning the past few yrs. That is something that is being righted by Cash.

And I like developing kids here. Because it is all they know. Yankee stadium = major leagues. It makes it easier than someone who hits the majors, adjusts to it, then has to adjust again to one hell of a crazy place. And, if a kid dont have the cajones to fit here, then we owe him nothing, we can deal him away. If a FA doesnt have the stones to hang here, we are stuck with em.

jacksonianmarch · January 5, 2007

ya i know jack
i agree its nice to see a home grown kid spend his entire career in boston with sunshine and good will towards man kind
i mean look how well nomar did emotionally playing here right??

my point is this
with our fiscal resources it is almost a certainty that both teams will be competetive always due to the insanity of the money being spent...
pitching wins in baseball
pitching costs money
ny and boston have it and will be in the middle of any and all big name moves when it comes to the above mentioned arena

this is why i fear not whether clay buckholtz can keep his slider down or if jacoby ellsburg can hit a major league curve and lay off the split finger in the dust
i am of the mindset that they can be replaced with a fistfull of dollars and if that dont work then a few dollars more

and trust me on this one. If the sox prospects all develop well, hit no snags and make it to AAA, then you'd be singing a different tune. Offense is different. That is why I really dont care about Duncan. Tabata is nice but a long way away. This SS kid could be the next best thing since sliced bread, I really dont care all that much. We can buy offense. There is always someone available who will hit as long as you are willing to pay the piper, but pitching, WHOA NELLY. That is something that is a problem buy.

Mr Crunchy · January 5, 2007

sure they are

but every year there are a couple names out there that will be available to our clubs

every year in july one of these teams that has a stable of arms will deal out of fiscal need as well

add this to the fact that the far east is coming on like crazy and that pitchers are going into their 40s then it seems to me that every year there will be a arms to buy

it isnt prudent and id rather pay jon lester 350k than barry zito 150M but it is what it is

i am pleasantly surprised with theos drafting

theyve done real well

good

trade em

go get me a f***ing closer who has an era under double digits and i can rest till march while kansas city or miami worries about developing craig hansens slider

a700hitter · January 6, 2007

Another pointless thread about an over-hyped prospect received in return for a HOF pitcher. Congrats! He will not beat us in 2007, so I don't care.

jacksonianmarch · January 6, 2007

Another pointless thread about an over-hyped prospect received in return for a HOF pitcher. Congrats! He will not beat us in 2007' date=' so I don't care.[/quote']

Ooooooooooooooo my jealousy.

If we give up today for tomorrow, I am alright with that. BTW, there is a chance he will beat you in 07.

a700hitter · January 6, 2007

Ooooooooooooooo my jealousy.

If we give up today for tomorrow, I am alright with that. BTW, there is a chance he will beat you in 07.

It's just such a bore to be discussing this nobody in such detail. I play softball on two teams in NYC with some hardcore Yankee fans, and I'd be surprised if one of them ever heard of this guy prior to this trade. I'm glad that your glad that you no longer have Randy Johnson. I am too, and this Ross the Hoss doesn't concern me one for 2007.

jacksonianmarch · January 6, 2007

what about for 08 and beyond Mr 700?

a700hitter · January 6, 2007

what about for 08 and beyond Mr 700?

What does Joe Torre have to say about 2008? I f he doesn't care, why should I care. Also, if I plunk down $30 in parking plus $130 for two tier box seats to watch someone like Karstens get lit up in 2007, it would be no comfort to me that Ross the Hoss maybe, could be, might be on the '08 team. I'd rather watch Randy Johnson.

jacksonianmarch · January 6, 2007

What does Joe Torre have to say about 2008? I f he doesn't care' date=' why should I care. Also, if I plunk down $30 in parking plus $130 for two tier box seats to watch someone like Karstens get lit up in 2007, it would be no comfort to me that Ross the Hoss maybe, could be, might be on the '08 team. I'd rather watch Randy Johnson.[/quote']

I honestly think that given a full season Karstens and RJ would put up similar numbers at this stage of their careers.

jacksonianmarch · January 8, 2007

This is the scout.com scouting report released today by the DBacks people on Ross Ohlendorf

Of the four prospects the Diamondbacks gave up for the Big Unit, Ross Ohlendorf may be missed the most. He does not necessarily have a brighter future than Alberto Gonzalez does, but an organization can't have too many talented young pitchers. Where Gonzalez would have been hard pressed to land a starting job with the Diamondbacks, Ohlendorf might be ready to impact the majors right now.

Vitals:

Name: Curtis R. Ohlendorf
Position: Starting Pitcher
DOB: 08/08/1982
Height: 6'4”
Weight: 235 lbs
B/T: R/R

History: There had been speculation that Ross Ohlendorf would be the number one overall pick of the 2004. And why not? He was already big, and some thought he would even grow another inch or two in height. He threw in the mid-to-upper 90's, showing decent command of that fastball. And he was playing at Princeton, so there was little question that he'd be able to figure out the subtleties of pitching.

But apparently 29 teams did question it. Ohlendorf fell to the fourth round of that draft as his velocity fell to the low-90's. He never did gain those extra couple of inches. He did, however, really learn how to pitch. Ohlendorf had begun using a sinking fastball, which necessarily comes in a little slower than the four-seamer. While most organizations shied away from the big lad, the Diamondbacks still saw great potential, and were able to develop Ohlendorf into a fine young prospect.

The Yankees wouldn't have asked about him a year ago. Ross was coming off of just a passable season at Low-A South Bend, when suddenly the sinker really clicked in 2006. Diamondbacks Director of Player Development AJ Hinch considers Ohlendorf to be the pitcher who took the biggest leap forward in the entire organization last year.

[We] found out how well his sinker plays when he throws strikes," analyzed Hinch. "He's got impeccable control, and you can't overstate how important that is to a pitcher at his level."

Last year, Ohlendorf averaged just over one walk allowed per start, and that contributed greatly to his overall success. The Diamondbacks "sold high," as it were. Some might criticize the organization for not tasting the fruit of the tree they planted, but every farmer has to bring some good fruit with him to the marketplace.

"Our job is to get as many players as possible as ready as possible for the big leagues," Hinch reiterated. "If those guys play in the big leagues for us, great, but if they help us acquire other talented players, we're still doing our job."

Pitches: Once Ohlendorf really gained that good command of his sinker, it became his most dominant pitch. Sound familiar? It should. The same thing happened to Brandon Webb, and it transformed him into a Cy Young Award winner. The fact that Ohlendorf was able to master this control several years younger than Webb points towards a bright future indeed.

Lost in the glory of Ohlendorf's newly enhanced sinker is his plus curveball. His hammer has a hard dip to it, and it's tailing action makes him nearly unhittable against fellow right-handers. His changeup does still need work, though. Ohlendorf needs that change to fade better against lefties in order to prevent them from just sitting on his sinker.

Prediction: Dustin Nippert and Micah Owings were the other two top pitching prospects discussed in the Randy Johnson trade talks. Did the Yankees make the right choice in Ohlendorf? Arizona would probably only have sent three players in the deal had one of them been named Owings. But while the younger Owings is ranked higher on the FutureBacks 50, there are some evaluators who would have taken Ross Ohlendorf over Micah Owings straight up.

"He's more polished than Nippert, with better stuff than Owings; its just a matter of putting it together," said one Southern League scout.

Major League Clone: Zach Duke

ETA: Ohlendorf would have battled for the fifth starter's slot all year with Arizona were it not for the trade. He moves to an organization that is stockpiling young pitching, but one that has a history of favoring veterans over youngsters at the major league level. Some of these Yankee pitching prospects are going to be dealt before this time next year, but it remains to be seen where Ohlendorf himself fits into their plans.

Nevertheless, he'll be in some team's front five by the start of the 2008 season.

Read more from Keith Glab at BaseballEvolution.com

not too shabby. I have a feeling that Cashman plans on keeping this kid. Owings seems to be the most valuable chip to the majority of teams out there, but they chose this kid cause they think he's gonna be good. Makes me think he'll hit the majors a Yankee.

a700hitter · January 8, 2007

Major League Clone: Zach Duke

What potential!

jacksonianmarch · January 8, 2007

What potential!

you would take Zach Duke on your team at a moments notice and you know it.

a700hitter · January 8, 2007

you would take Zach Duke on your team at a moments notice and you know it.

As a 4th or 5th starter, maybe I would, but being a 4th or 5th starter is not great upside potential. If he falls a bit short of that, he'll be a bum.

jacksonianmarch · January 8, 2007

As a 4th or 5th starter' date=' maybe I would, but being a 4th or 5th starter is not great upside potential. If he falls a bit short of that, he'll be a bum.[/quote']

Duke is a #2-#3 starter potential and currently is a 4. Ohlendorf has the same potential.

a700hitter · January 8, 2007

Duke is a #2-#3 starter potential and currently is a 4. Ohlendorf has the same potential.

So...Ohlendorf has the potential to have Zach Duke's potential or the potential to be what Zach Duke is now which is a 200 inning pitcher in the NL with a 4.50 ERA and 117 k's? I don't get it. Either way it is not a very high ceiling. Who is the # 3 pitcher on Pittsburgh? Answer: Some punching bag. Who cares?

jacksonianmarch · January 10, 2007

Jim Callis' take

Quick Take
Though the Diamondbacks didn't surrender a blue-chip prospect, the cost of a $24 million contract, a useful big league reliever and three solid minor leaguers is high for a 43-year-old pitcher on the decline. The Yankees got rid of a pitcher who never fit in well in New York, fortified their bullpen with Vizcaino and added more depth to their farm system.