2011 Yankee Minor League Notes

[jacksonianmarch]

Time to ditch the old thread and move into a new one for the 2011 season, and also time for a 2011 update one month in...

 

AAA

 

Jesus Montero continued to light it up. He missed a handful of games after a ball bounced off his cup behind the dish, but he returned rather well. He's hitting .370 thus far this season, although his patience (3BB's) and his power (IsoPower .087) are a little late to the party. Regardless, once the power starts coming back, they will be clamoring for him to come to the bigs and take over the DH spot and garner some time behind the dish

 

Jorge Vazquez also has been hitting well. He was being considered as a possible replacement for Chavez before they went with Pena. Vazquez is hitting .294 with 9HR, which is pretty solid

 

Justin Maxwell was acquired from the Nats before the season. He was a flop in the bigs, so the Yanks took a flier on him and it looks to be a good investment thus far. He leads the team with 10HRs and a .971OPS, and is second on the team with 5SBs. The AVG could use some help, though, as he's only hitting .237 and has struck out 44 times. Yikes

 

Adam Warren has been solid at times and awful at others. His 3.97ERA doesnt accurately portray the peripherals as his WHIP is 1.53 and he's struck out only 19 in 34IP. My guess is that he will heat up as the summer moves along

 

David Phelps has been the horse. Averaging over 6IP per start, he owns a 3.47ERA, a 1.18WHIP and a 30:9 K/BB ratio over 36.1IP. Wouldnt be surprised to see him in the bigs should another pitcher falter or get injured. He's looking big league ready

 

DJ Mitchell is a guy who keeps getting bumped for rehabbing pitchers, well he was bumped twice for Deadwood who is off the team now. His ERA of 2.82 doesnt accurately portray his peripherals either. 1.30WHIP, but a 15:12 K/BB ratio is a bit troubling for 22IP and for a guy who is known for typically good command

 

Hector Noesi took the train up to the bigs for a little while and it obviously affected him. Known as a guy with impeccable control, he's walked 8 batters in 13.2IP and has a WHIP near 2. He has yet to get on track

 

Andrew Brackman joins the list of underachieving starters. His ERA is north of 5, he's walked 17 in 26IP and has given up a hit per inning. His command issues looked to be in check last season, but through one month, they have appeared to crop up again.

 

Onto the pen..

George Kontos is a former highly touted starter who was pretty much the next pitcher in line for callup in 2009 when he blew out his elbow has come back on the scene as a reliever. 9K/9IP, 1.19WHIP and a 2.79ERA plus the return of a solid fastball-slider combo makes him a possible callup candidate later in the yr if one of our pen arms go down

 

Kevin Whelan is the last holdover from the Sheffield trade with Detroit. Well, he's always been a guy with lights out stuff who cannot find the plate. This yr, as the SWB closer, he is finding the plate. 16K in 14.2IP, 1.23ERA, 0.75WHIP and only 4 walks in those innings. He has found it, and the question is going to be how long does he stay in AAA.

 

AA

 

Austin Romine has shown a resurgence of late. He's hitting .287 with 3HR, tied for the team lead with 17RBI and has also showed an improve eye (10 walks). Once Montero moves up, this kid is ready to be promoted to AAA

 

Corban Joseph shook off a rusty start to get back to productivity. .281/.352/.406 is a respectable line for a guy who couldnt hit for the first 2 weeks of the season. The biggest improvement thus far, though, has been his D. If he can continue to play solid D, then he might stick in the IF

 

Bradley Suttle has also been hot of late. He's tied for the team lead with 3HR and 17RBI, but he also leads the team with 9 doubles and a .495SLG. He's also looking very comfortable at the hot corner. He is also in line for a callup and finally seems healthy after missing 1.5yrs due to a labrum issue and complications from diabetes

 

Melky Mesa, Jose Pirela, and Cody Johnson were guys the Yanks were hoping would be able to prove themselves in AA. Well, all three have been collosal failures thus far. Mesa is hitting .139 and has struck out almost 40% of the time. Pirela is hitting .161 with a sub .500 OPS and has made 10 errors already. Cody Johnson has struck out more than half the time and has only smacked 3 homers.

 

Shaeffer Hall is a guy who just doesnt go away. Craftly lefty who tops out in the 88-90mph range, he's once again proven to be solid. Only 3 walks in 37IP, and the owner of a solid 1.08WHIP and 2.92ERA, he's been an anchor on the staff

 

Manny Banuelos was lost for a little while with a family issue, then some blister issues. His command has yet to come around as he's walked 11 in 21IP, but they are being very cautious with him, letting him go on average, 4IP per appearance. They will start to let him loose a little more this month

 

Graham Stoneburner started off the yr well (1.69ERA, 1.19WHIP) but is on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time right now.

 

Dellin Betances also missed time with a blister issue, but he's been lights out. 1.38ERA, 11:2 K:BB ratio, 1.00WHIP and only 2 walks in 13IP. If he keeps pitching like that, he wont be in AA for long

 

Also, the sideshow looks to be coming to a close. Pat Venditte, the switch pitcher has been smoked thus far this yr. 1.84WHIP and an ERA north of 6. The only bright side is that he is still striking out a batter per inning.

 

A+

 

Luke Murton is having a solid season, hitting .306 with 2 homers.

 

Robert Lyerly is also hitting well, with a .297AVG, although the walks arent there for a corner IFer

 

Other than that, their offense has been completely forgettable. Zoilo Almonte and Kyle Higashioka are hitting in the .210 range with little or no poer. Abraham Almonte has been in a ridiculous slump coming off a labrum tear that cost him 2010.

 

Brett Marshall can really be described in 2 starts. In start #1 and #4, he allowed a combined 14ER, 12H, 3BB in 5.2IP. In the other 4 starts, he's had this line: 26.1IP 24H 10ER 9BB 25K (1.25WHIP 3.41ERA). He is in his first full yr back since TJS, so he is also dealing with a little dead arm, but he's been solid over his last 3 starts and should see the ERA drift downward

 

Sean Black has been awful of late. He threw 3 very solid outings to start the yr, then his last 3 outings have seen him allow 16ER in 15IP. He struggled out of the gate last yr before becoming lights out late, we'll see if the recent run of suck becomes a trend

 

Jose Ramirez has been terrible. 22ER in 24.1IP. The only good thing is, he has 25Ks in those innings, but the .337BAA cannot last. He has lights out stuff, but if he cannot locate to the corners, then he isnt gonna make it. He's only 21, so they have time

 

Ryan Flannery has been lights out, 11 scoreless innings to start the yr.

 

A

 

Slade Heathcott has been money this yr. .340/.423/.566 with 3HR, 3SBs, and 11 doubles. The bad is that he has struck out 28 times in 106ABs, although he is slowing down of late

 

JR Murphy is also keeping up his end of the bargain for the 2009 drafteed. He's hitting .318/.336/.491 with 3HR and 10 doubles, but only 3BBs.

 

Rob Segedin, a third rounder from 2010, has started off the yr hot. .309/.385/.489 with 3HR and 11BBs. The 9 errors at 3b are a bit much, though

 

Eduardo Sosa missed some time early on, but he's put up a line of .301/.320/.425 with 3SB, but the 2 walks need to be improved on for this young kid

 

Ramon Flores has been great for a 19 yr old. .272BA needs improvement, but 24BB leads the team as does his .432OBP. He's hit only 2HRs, but he is young and the power should be coming

 

Kelvin DeLeon has continued his Serrano type run. 3HRs is nice for one MiLB month for a 20 yr old, but 38Ks in 95ABs is too much. He better start marking more contact, or he's gonna be high and dry

 

Gary Sanchez has been disappointing thus far, with a BA of .214 and an OPS under .600. He hit a HR in the opener and hasnt hit another since. We might have rushed him

 

Shane Greene, Michael O'Brien, and Nik Turley have all been solid. All three have put in over 5IP per start, their WHIPs are 1.22, 1.11, and 1.31 respectively and all three are at 9K/9IP or more (O'Brien has struck out 41 in 31.2IP).

 

Zach Nuding has been solid as well. 24K in 24IP, but 2 rough outings bookending his season thus far have his ERA at 4.50. His stuff is unquestioned, his in the zone command has been a work in progress

 

Danny Burawa has been dominant out of the pen. He, as well as Nuding, were selected late as relievers in 2010, but Nuding went on to the rotation. Burawa is a pen arm through and through and he's been good in his pro debut. 0.94WHIP, 2.53ERA, and 18K in 21.1IP

 

 

For the most part, the pitching from Tampa up has been disappointing. The big bats are hitting, although Sanchez has been off thus far. It's still early, but it doesnt appear to be as magical as last season, when damn near every prospect struck gold

[Meh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbDgn4j_LJc

 

Slade is a beast basically took on the Sox 25 man roster alone.

[ORS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbDgn4j_LJc

 

Slade is a beast basically took on the Sox 25 man roster alone.

If you say so....

[SoxFanForsyth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbDgn4j_LJc

 

Slade is a beast basically took on the Sox 25 man roster alone.

 

Uh. I saw him get one good shot in on the catcher, then he got destroyed. :dunno:

[Palodios]

Generally, I don't see anything tough about getting a good shot on a guy who is on his knees before the fight even starts.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Uh. I saw him get one good shot in on the catcher' date=' then he got destroyed. :dunno:[/quote']

 

That's exactly what I saw.

[jacksonianmarch]

It was a poor decision from a kid with injury issues. The only thing I can imagine is that he either has a history with the catcher or the catcher was saying something during the AB. He's a tough SOB, but he needs to keep in mind that attacking the catcher like that will get him suspended for a long period of time and the ensuing melee could have gotten him hurt.

[jacksonianmarch]

Gary Sanchez starting to heat up. 4 for his last 7, with 3 doubles and a HR. It's his first season in long season and he is only 18

[Meh]

Uh. I saw him get one good shot in on the catcher' date=' then he got destroyed. :dunno:[/quote']

 

Well when it's 16 vs 1... yeah you're going to get destroyed never said he won the fight. He got a shot or two in when he was pulled away.

[jacksonianmarch]

His teammates should be getting grilled by the coaches for not getting in there sooner

[ORS]

Well when it's 16 vs 1... yeah you're going to get destroyed never said he won the fight. He got a shot or two in when he was pulled away.

It was never 16/1, despite your fragile, self-serving egotistical need to see it that way. I get it, it makes you happy in your shorts to think of Yankeedom as being full of Charles Bronson/Chuck Norris types, but your depiction of the events that transpired is pure fantasy. He went after the catcher, they exchanged blows, benches cleared, there was a fracas, and in the middle of that, Brandon Jacobs, by himself, not with the help of 24 others, obtained a dominant position on Heathcott, and the event ended with several Riverdogs players helping Heathcott get out of that predicament. That's what happened. Apparently, when you wear pinstriped glassed while viewing that video, you see a punk as some sort of heroic tough guy.

 

Try a dose of reality.

[Emmz]

It was never 16/1' date=' despite your fragile, self-serving egotistical need to see it that way. [b']I get it, it makes you happy in your shorts to think of Yankeedom as being full of Charles Bronson/Chuck Norris types[/b], but your depiction of the events that transpired is pure fantasy. He went after the catcher, they exchanged blows, benches cleared, there was a fracas, and in the middle of that, Brandon Jacobs, by himself, not with the help of 24 others, obtained a dominant position on Heathcott, and the event ended with several Riverdogs players helping Heathcott get out of that predicament. That's what happened. Apparently, when you wear pinstriped glassed while viewing that video, you see a punk as some sort of heroic tough guy.

 

Try a dose of reality.

 

:lol:

[Meh]

It was never 16/1, despite your fragile, self-serving egotistical need to see it that way. I get it, it makes you happy in your shorts to think of Yankeedom as being full of Charles Bronson/Chuck Norris types, but your depiction of the events that transpired is pure fantasy. He went after the catcher, they exchanged blows, benches cleared, there was a fracas, and in the middle of that, Brandon Jacobs, by himself, not with the help of 24 others, obtained a dominant position on Heathcott, and the event ended with several Riverdogs players helping Heathcott get out of that predicament. That's what happened. Apparently, when you wear pinstriped glassed while viewing that video, you see a punk as some sort of heroic tough guy.

 

Try a dose of reality.

 

Bronson? You living under a rock, its all about jason statham now. Yeah escobar kicked him in the face while he was down on the ground forgo left that out eh?

[jacksonianmarch]

Heathcott got back from his 5 game suspension and went 3 for 4 with a SB.

 

Montero went 1 for 3 with a double, 3RBI and a walk tonight. The BA still solid at .319, but the OPS in the high .700s needs work

[jacksonianmarch]

Heathcott goes 3 for 5 with a triple and 3 runs scored tonight. He's hitting .315 with an .880OPS. He has been money in the OF as well. He's in prime position for a promotion

[jacksonianmarch]

Dellin Betances is just mowing down hitters in AA.

 

6IP 6H 2ER 1BB 10K. His ERA skyrocketed up to 1.30 after the performance. He's struck out 39 in 34.2IP and allowed only 22H. His downfall had been his walks (16), but only 1 in this start. He wont be in AA for long, he's dominating

[jacksonianmarch]

Not sure why they are keeping Betances in AA. He has nothing else to learn.

 

6IP 3H 0ER 1BB 8K. ERA down to 1.75 with 58K in 51.1IP

[jacksonianmarch]

Bret Marshall also found a groove. Over his last 8 starts...

 

47IP 42H 12ER 20BB 38K for a 2.29ERA 1.32WHIP and 7.3K/9IP. If he works on the control, he'll be something. Good to see him settling down

[jacksonianmarch]

Of note, Jose Ramirez, the 21 yr old Dominican who pitched well in A ball last yr, was demoted about a month ago back to the SAL. He's been much better in the SAL, although the walks remain high.

 

After a horrible run of starts, Sean Black has found his groove. In his last 3 starts, he has an ERA of 2.16, a WHIP of 1.14, and a K/9IP of 6. He got hot around this time last yr and it looks like he might be moving in that direction.

 

David Phelps continues to dominate. He has thrown 76.1IP this yr, with an ERA of 2.95, a WHIP of 1.26 and a K/9IP of 7.8. He is the most ready starter in AAA

 

Adam Warren is coming on strong as well. His ERA is now in the low 3's, and his WHIP fell below 1.4 tonight after tossing 8 strong innings. He is shaping into a starting pitching option as well

 

DJ Mitchell has been his phenomenal self this yr. ERA sub 3, limiting the walks, and getting grounders. I think his future is as a swing man, but he might get a shot in the rotation

 

Brackman has been absolutely abysmal out of the rotation, although recent reports have noted his FB to be sitting in the 95-96 range. Not sure why they are waiting to move him to the pen. There are better prospects below him and more polished pitchers at his level. With his lack of a change and lack of confidence in long outings, the rotation just doesnt seem to be feasible for him. If he went to the pen, he could be akin to Daniel Bard. He throws mid 90s as a starter, he could reach the high 90s in 1 inning stints. And his lack of a change wont hurt in the pen, he can use his spike curve and his hard heater to generate outs. My guess is the Yanks want to give him this one last season to decide before moving him to the pen next season. Next yr is his last option yr, so they have to figure something out or risk losing him

 

Kevin Whelan has finally shown his closer type stuff. He has always had it, but the walks were his nemesis. This yr, he's only issued 6 in 27IP, while K'ing 30 and having a WHIP of 0.85. He is due to be called up today or tomorrow, so we'll see what all the fuss is about.

[Meh]

Warren threw 9 innings tonight, not 8.

[jacksonianmarch]

he was at 8 when I posted. He is a horse

[jacksonianmarch]

error

[Meh]

Updating my prospect list. It's hard to grade guys from 2011 draft so I'll leave them out not to say any of them would be in our top 10 since we went prep mostly. Even our 2010 draft its hard cause most of them still haven't played cause we went prep again with a lot of our big picks.

 

1. Montero

2. Banuelos

3.Betances

4. Sanchez

5. Heathcott

6. Romine

7. Marshall

8. Warren

9. Murphy

10. Noesi

 

Heathcott, Murphy and Marshall making the biggest jumps. Top four holding steady, while Brackman falls. I kind of think they'll end up moving him to the bullpen.

[jacksonianmarch]

Jairo Heredia is back. After being injured in 2009 and being ineffective in 2010, Heredia's fastball velocity and command are back. He strained his shoulder in 09 and lost about 5mph of velocity in 2010. This yr, he's back to the 90-92mph range and showing good movement and location. His numbers speak for themselves...

 

7-1 3.36ERA 1.04WHIP 9.4K/9IP 5.9K/BB. The kid has been even better over his last 5 games, 32IP 24H 4ER 4BB 37K. This kid looks the part of a mid season callup. And even with 2 lost yrs, he's still only 21 yrs old

[Meh]

Mason Williams is jizz yo pants worthy.

[jacksonianmarch]

Mason Williams was drafted in the 4th round in 2010, but received the highest bonus of anyone selected in the draft by the Yanks at $1.4 mil. His father was in the NFL, so he has athletic bloodlines. He has a cannon for an arm, runs a 6.6 60yd dash and has very good bat speed. When he was drafted, he was a slap hitter, but in instructs, they changed around his stance into a more conventional swing. The early returns are impressive. He was the most impressive player in Extended this yr, and through 3.5 games, he's 7 for 15, 3 for 3 in SBs, with a HR and a double. The kid has incredible tools and shouldnt be in the short seasons for long. This kid is a surefire prospect

[jacksonianmarch]

Robert Lyerly was promoted to AA today and Alan Horne was activated for Trenton and will start a game on Wednesday. He has recovered from multiple shoulder surgeries

[jacksonianmarch]

Montero might be ready to break out. 4 for 9 with a double, HR, and 4RBI in his last 2 games. This is about when he started to rake last yr

[jacksonianmarch]

Time for a top 50 update. I am using the PinstripesPlus top 50 as my reference....

 

1. Jesus Montero, C- .289/.345/.411- regressed a bit offensively, but is typically a guy who gets hot late. Reports out of AAA are that he looks bored and has been suspended twice for lack of hustle. He's still one of the best hitting prospects in the game, but they need to get through his maturity issues STOCK DOWN SLIGHTLY

 

2. Manuel Banuelos, LHP- 3-1 3.38ERA 1.44WHIP, 9K/9IP- Banuelos has been solid in keeping hitters from squaring up the ball, but his new found velocity has caused his FB command to be erratic. He's walked 37 batters in 69.1IP, so he needs a bit more time. Although he might be figuring things out, over his last 2 starts, he's walked 2 in 10IP, while striking out 13 and allowing only 8 hits. The pitch limit has also been a problem. They dont want to stretch him out too far too fast, so he is on an 80 pitch limit. He's still one of the youngest players in AA at 20 and one of the best pitching prospects in baseball STOCK HOLDING

 

3. Gary Sanchez, C- .246/.324/.421- Sanchez is 18yrs old in A ball right now, and started off very slow. He registered a .549OPS in April, but .906 and .825 respectively in May and June with 6HR in the last 2 months. His catching game needs work as he has allowed an incredible number of passed balls, but his raw power is there and his offensive game seems to have picked up since his slow month of April. He's still young and they will likely go slow with him with guys like Murphy, Romine, and Montero in front of him STOCK HOLDING

 

4. Dellin Betances, RHP- 4-3 2.71ERA 1.26WHIP, 9.9K/9IP- Betances has been your prototypical power pitcher, registering FB speeds in the mid to high 90s consistently, and he jumped back on the prospect map after recovering quickly from elbow surgery and showing rejuvenated velocity and location. What really jumped out for him in 2010 was the control, walking only 22 in 85.1IP. Well, he started out with solid control this season, but he's seemed to hit a wall of late, walking 18 in his last 30IP. I am wondering if the standard post TJS dead arm is starting to hit him, although the velocity has been there. Regardless, he's shown lights out stuff, we'll see if he can harness it again with half a season to play STOCK HOLDING

 

5. Andrew Brackman, RHP- 2-6 7.91ERA 1.86WHIP, 7.6K/9IP. Brackman's control, which was the big reason to move him up on the prospect lists last yr has eluded him yet again. He's now been moved to the pen full time and allowed to ditch his failed changeup. But his numbers in the pen thus far have been ever worse than they were in the rotation, allowing 14ER in his 9.1IP out of the pen. This season he's has some serious fluctuations in his velo as well, but that seems to have been rectified out of the pen. Regardless, he's a very tall pitcher, and those guys can take awhile to come around. They have one more season of him under contract before he runs out of options, so if he doesnt show something over the next 1.5 seasons, he'll probably be out of the organization. STOCK WAY DOWN

 

6. Slade Heathcott, CF- .279/.347/.437- Slade has been solid in his second season in the long leagues. He started out in the SAL where he was solid and just earned a promotion to High A. His issue has been health, as he's missed a slew of games due to various ailments. He needs to work on his stolen bases, as he's been thrown out more than he has made it, and he needs to cut down on the K's (58 in 53G). I think his issue will be health going forward, though. He is a run through a wall kind of player and he needs to sometimes learn that not going all out for a ball every now and then might actually keep him from the DL. STOCK HOLDING

 

7. Austin Romine, C- .306/.367/.416- Romine has been everything the Yanks could have asked for as the most likely full time catcher for the franchise in the next few seasons. He's improved his K rate, has improved his walks and his average dramatically from a year ago. He's on pace for the same amount of HRs, although he has missed some time with a leg injury. He's not gonna be a 30HR guy like Montero can be, but he should be a solid player very similar to what the Yankees currently have in their catching position in Martin, although likely with less power and more ability to get hits STOCK RISING

 

8. Corban Joseph, 2B- .295/.385/.457- Joseph has been everything we could ask for out of a middle infielder. Once knocked for being a poor fielder, he's honed his craft to be a solid defender at the second base position. His batting eye is second to none and his ability to find the gaps is also uncanny. He doesnt seem like a guy who will hit more than 10-15HRs in the bigs, but he could be a Pedroia type hitter with a high average, high OBP and tons of doubles. The problem for him is that the Yankees already have an MVP candidate above him who they wont be letting go, so either Corban will need to find a new position or be dealt. STOCK RISING

 

9. Adam Warren, RHP- 6-3 3.09ERA 1.28WHIP, 5.8K/9IP- Warren is a bulldog on the mound and has been pretty dominant of late aside from his most recent start. Two alarming things to keep an eye on, though, are the drop in the GO/AO and his dropping K rate. Now, he seems to have the ability to rack up the K, as he's had 5 games in his last 10 with at least 5K, but then he goes out there and has 5 games in the last 10 where he's registered exactly 1K. Strange numbers, but over his last 10 starts, he's struck out 6.3 per 9, which is more respectable with a 2.63ERA. He still profiles as a middle of the rotation pitcher, and if there was one more injury, he was the next to be called on. STOCK HOLDING

 

10. David Adams, 2B- .478/.478/.609- Dont let the numbers deceive you, they are only in 7 games and they are all from a rehab assignment. Adams is recovering from surgery on his ankle. He still says it bothers him when he runs, but hitting and fielding arent problems. His bat continues to be his strong point, but his propensity for the injury has left him without a clear future in the bigs. If he gets healthy, he's a solid defender with a hell of a stick. But as it stands, he might end up as a guy who cannot stay on the field for 162. STOCK DOWN

 

will add to this over the next few days

[jacksonianmarch]

11. Brandon Laird, 3b- .268/.298/.408- Laird has notoriously been a slow starter in his MiLB career, and this yr is no different. After hitting .184 in April, he has hit .294 since May 1st, and he has significantly improved his K rate. Unfortunately, he doesnt walk, and his 13BBs in 314ABs exemplifies this, and shows a significant regression from his improvement in that department last yr. Also, his power has slowed as well, with only 9HR on the season. He is typically a late bloomer, but a corner IFer or corner OFer without the ability to walk isnt really a future Yankee. He's still young (23 yrs old), but he looks like prime trade bait, especially if he rides a hot July into the trade deadline STOCK DOWN

 

12. David Phelps, RHP- 4-6 3.38ERA 1.34WHIP 7.8K/9IP- Phelps has more than held his own in AAA, and was probably in line for a call-up when he went down. His numbers are a bit skewed, because his last start, he left with an arm injury and allowed 13 baserunners and 6 runs in 5IP. No word on the extent of his injury, but if it isnt serious, he has put together a hell of a season. If it is serious, obviously, that would significantly damage his stock STOCK HOLDING, PENDING INJURY

 

13. Bradley Suttle, 3B- .222/.320/.397- Suttle was considered the best pure hitter in the 2007 draft, but injury robbed him of a year and a half. Last yr, he showed a lot of life in the bat late and earned a promotion to AA. But now, he is struggling something fierce and at 25 yrs old, he's not getting any younger. Looks like injury and time have caught up with this kid. He's going to plummet in these rankings next yr, probably off them entirely STOCK WAY DOWN

 

14. Melky Mesa, CF- .195/.281/.340- Mesa was a guy with tons of tools who didnt live up to his potential until last season. In High A, he was the FSL MVP after clubbing 19HRs and stealing 31 bases. This yr, on promotion to AA, he has just not had it. Now, at 24 and being on the 40 man roster, I think his time in the org may be up. He has all 5 tools and looks the part of a future All Star. But with only one season of good MiLB performance under his belt, I expect the Yankees to give up on him this yr. STOCK WAY DOWN

 

15. Brett Marshall, RHP- 5-6 4.32ERA 1.47WHIP 6.6K/9IP- Marshall has pretty deceiving numbers thus far this yr. Last season, he came back from TJS within 10 months and dominated the SAL. Well, he started in the FSL this yr and was lit up, but over his last 10 starts, he's been solid (2.97ERA). His K rate is down and the reports I am hearing are that his FB velocity has been inconsistent, making me think he is experiencing some dead arm. This is a standard post TJS phenomenon, so I would wait and see how he finishes the yr before declaring this season being a rough on. STOCK HOLDING

 

16. J.R. Murphy, C- .286/.329/.434- The numbers on JR are also a bit deceiving. He was OPS'ing an even .800 when he was promoted, and has struggled in his first 11 games in High A. There are two solid things about Murphy thus far this yr. His power has started to pop, with 6HR for a guy who just turned 20, and he has started to play solid defense. He's looking very similar to a guy like Romine, although I think Murphy will end up hitting for more power than Austin. STOCK RISING

 

17. Mason Williams, CF- .347/.386/.520- I thought this kid was our best pick in the 2010 draft, and he isnt disappointing. He's only played 18 games, but he's shown power progression as well. This kid is a true 5 tool athlete who looks very, very good as a potential franchise CFer. Reminds me of Ellsbury with a good arm. STOCK RISING

 

18. Bryan Mitchell, RHP- 0-0 5.93ERA 2.10WHIP 11.9K/9IP- He's started only 4 games, but thus far, the returns are not good. He's shown good velocity and his curve has been good, but his FB location and change have been awful to start out the yr. We'll see how he continues, but the early returns this yr arent good. STOCK DOWN

 

19. Cito Culver, SS- .296/.352/.358- He is only 18 and doesnt turn 19 until after the season, but thus far, his D and his bat have been solid. The power hasnt come and his K rate is a bit high, but he is still very young and has a long way to go. But the offensive changes that took place in his swing seem to be helping STOCK RISING

 

20. Graham Stoneburner, RHP- 1-1 1.80ERA- Stoneburner has been on the DL all season and is just making his way back. He built up to 4IP in his last outing, he's probably due to stay in the GCL for one more start before coming back to Trenton. Depending on how he pitches in AA will determine his stock. STOCK HOLDING