jacksonianmarch

Clausen looks really good. As does the ND defense. The problem is, our running game has been mediocre and the receivers have been poor. Clausen's INT hit the receiver between the numbers

Not sure I agree all that much with this one. Rasner has been pretty poor of late, but Ponson has been absolutely miserable AND has no place with the team next yr. I like Aceves in the rotation, as I think he could be a solid back of the rotation option with his stuff. I was surprised he had such a nice breaking ball.

this team is terrible

Kennedy is 34:4 when he was 27:26 in the bigs. There are a lot of factors, mindset, competition, umpires. Give these guys some time

This has happened before. Teams have tried to sign guys from Japan prior to their draft so they dont have to wait 10 yrs. The only guy I recall is Mac Suzuki, and he did make the bigs, but he wasnt very good.

So, the Giants D is pretty good again

checked on that link over at scout.com. Apparently he had a partial tear which was cleaned up. Not a full tear and should be pitching again in November for the fall league.

thats a bit of a blow. Damn. Rough yr for him. We'll see how he responds. I think this might mean he'll transition to the pen.

Austin Jackson just took Clay out of the park

Herein lies the problem. Joba has a special arm and the capacity to be a shut down reliever/closer or a top of the rotation ace. One of the positions he can man right now (closer/reliever). The other requires him to build up his arm strength. He is so good that doing it in AAA is a waste. So they need to insert him in the rotation with the expectation that he get multiple starts off during the yr to build up his arm strength. This is a difficult proposition when you are talking about a team that should be in a pennant chase. I could see the media outlash now. "Girardi sits Joba in crucial start!" We need him to get about 150-165 innings next yr. I dont think he can handle 200+ for next yr.

I have a feeling that Varitek is gone at the end of the yr. They havent publicly destroyed him yet, but they dont really need to. Tek's offensive numbers are just plain awful. Walks are down, power is down, average is down, runs are down, RBIs are down, etc. The signing of Ross, IMO was an indication that they are searching for his replacement. To be honest with you, Ross and Kottaras might end up being the sox platoon mates next yr and letting Tek walk may not be a bad idea.

his problems have come the day after throwing

No, you cannot. I dont get how we can just write off a 23 yr old kid who just flat out dominated the minors. You cannot, not yet at least.

Trying to stir the pot again arent you bosox. LOL. This has more to do with Joba's innings than it does with his role. If you think about it, he's been kept from throwing in a game for a month. Most pitchers out a month need to start a rehab assignment. Start around 2-3IP, work up by an inning at a time and make their way back to the bigs in about 4 weeks or so as a starter. In 4 weeks, the season is over. So they can maximize his inning by using him 2 innings at a time every 3rd day. You can bet that they will have him in their rotation plans for next season as well and next yr they will do it right. I had advocated for awhile that Joba move to the rotation. But you need to do it the right way. Look how Leyland did it with Verlander. Well, Justin's innings were pretty high that yr, but in the last 2 months, he started skipping him every 3rd start. This kept his innings from being Mark Prior high and has kept the kid injury free since. This is what we should do with Joba. Have him go 6IP a stint and start skipping him every 3rd or 4th start after the AS break.

And you guys who write off Buchholz and Hughes are stupid.

This is something that cannot be ranked right now. Lester is at a different level in his development than the rest. Hughes, Kennedy and Buchholz have more in common than the others since all 3 have had a rough transition to the bigs and ended up back in the minors. Joba is #1 in potential on most any list, but I gotta take Lester #1 since he has proven he can stay healthy and dominate for a full yr. We'll be arguing this point for a long time.

gom is dumb

So, now that the season is over, a bunch of in house roster moves have been made. Most people wont care about these, but they are significant nonetheless for the growth of the franchise. Phil Coke and Chad Moeller have been brought up to the majors. Coke was a part of the package to go to Pittsburgh when they found some concern in his shoulder. He's a lefty who can throw low 90s and has a very good changeup. Since the deal fell through, he's been converted to relief. After an initial difficult adjustment, he threw 10 consecutive scoreless innings prior to last nights crappy outing. He'll audition for the second lefty spot come 2009. Moving up to AAA to take their place are Oneli Perez and Zach Kroenke. Perez is the guy we got off waivers from the White Sox. He's 25, throws ched and was on the fast track to the bigs until he flat out sucked in AAA for the Sox and was DFA'd. He came here and after an initial adjustment, has been ridiculously good in AA over his last 10 games. (22IP 12H 30K 7BB). He's a Rule V guy next yr so if he doesnt get protected, he's gone. He needs to prove he can pitch above AA. Kroenke is a lefty sidearmer who has been working multiple inning stints this yr, but his future is as a matchup lefty. Moving to AA are two guys who should pique yankee interests. Christian Garcia will get a shot at pitching in the AA playoffs. Garcia is a former 3rd round pick from 2004 who has been a yankee top 10 prospect since his draft. But injuries to both the elbow (TJS) and knee (ACL reconstruction) have seen him miss about 2 full yrs from mid 2006 to mid 2008. This yr, he has battled some dead arm which is common for guys recently removed from TJS. When he has been pitching, he's been solid. 60K in 49IP as a starter is nasty. There is a question as to whether he'll be in the organization next yr. He's Rule V eligible, and even though he's been injured, he's still a tall kid with lights out power stuff. Also moving to AA is Humberto Sanchez. Sanchez is the centerpiece the yankees got in the Sheff deal. He had TJS in spring training of 2007 and then had to have the elbow opened again in February to have bone chips removed. Upon his return, he's been converted to a reliever and moved slowly through the system. Now in AA, he'll get a shot at AA playoffs. Sanchez will be in AAA next season and a potential yankee callup for pen duty if needed.

Charleston is the yankees long season A affiliate and it has just been fun to check the box scores all season long. Some of the highest ceiling players in the organization played here this yr. Also, there were some guys who were advanced a bit faster than they should have and struggled. Here's a list of some guys who played here. Zach McAllister 20y.o threw 10 games in CHA and was promoted to Tampa. His combined stats are filthy. 151IP 133H 35ER 115K 21BB 2.09ERA 1.02WHIP 1.5GO/AO Jairo Heredia 18y.o 102.1IP 99H 37ER 95K 43BB 3.25ERA 1.39WHIP. At 18, he has been solid. His walk totals are a bit high, but he has solid stuff and should grow into his frame as he ages Dellin Betances 20y.o 115IP 87H 47ER 135K 59BB 3.67ERA 1.27WHIP, but he really started to show some promise of late. In his final 10 starts, his BB/9IP was under 3, while at the beginning of the yr, it was near 6. If he is finally locating, he will dominate. Wilkins de la Rosa 23y.o He's a converted OFer who made his pitching debut in 2007. He started this yr in the pen, but was converted to starter after dominating. He made 11 starts after being used 21 times in relief to start the yr. He was promoted to Tampa with 3 starts to go. Here are his combined numbers. 106.2IP 72H 125K 44BB 2.11ERA 1.09WHIP. This coming from a lefty who can throw high 90s and has a great slider. Bradley Suttle 22y.o .273/.348/.461. OPS>.800 in his first yr while amassing 41 of his 102H for extra bases. It also helps that he switch hits. Brandon Laird 20y.o .276/.335/.502 with 23 homeruns. The best part is, he hit 18 of those homeruns after the AS break. Meaning he is adjusting well. He's a beast Austin Romine 19y.o .300/.340/.440 from the catcher spot. What makes him so interesting is that he has hit all 10 of his homeruns after the AS break. Jesus Montero 18y.o .326/.377/.491 from the catcher/DH spot. You guys know what I think about this kid. In his last third of the season, he's hitting nearly .400 with a near .600SLG. He is a special bat. Justin Snyder 22y.o .289/.370/.408. Little speedy 2b who takes walks and can play multiple positions. Reminds be a bit of a faster Eckstein, except Snyder projected to be able to play 2b, ss, 3b, and all 3 OF positions. Austin Krum 22y.o .273/.356/.400. Another 2007 draftee who projects more as a 4th OFer, but he takes walks, can steal a bag or two and has some power (unlike Gardner). What put him on the map is how he has come to the finish line. In his last 2 months, he's hitting .311 with a near .400OBP and a .435SLG. Looking at the above list, there are two guys with ace type stuff in Heredia and Betances. You has a lefty power arm in De La Rosa and a sinkerballer in McAllister who is just dominating at a young age. For the offense, you have one of the best young offensive prospects in the game in Montero, you have a very powerful youngster in Laird, a consistent, pure hitter in Suttle, a solid catcher with budding power in Romine and two guys who are playing well above their backup potential. That is all from one team. Too bad all levels couldnt be like this. But with the good come the bad... Carmen Angelini 19y.o He's the guy who was drafted and signed to a 1mil contract to break his commit to Rice. He was considered the heir apparent to Jeter when he signed. Well.... .234/.300/.295. He's been pretty bad since the AS break too (.214 BA). He'll likely repeat the yr in Charleston as he was pushed a bit too far for a HS grad with no pro experience (he signed too late to play in the short season leagues in 2007). Not time to give up on him now, but that yr is hardly something that will get you excited and is certainly something to drop him on most lists. (He was in the 20-21 range in our system prior to this yr, I think he'll fall back into the high 20s this yr). Abraham Almonte 19y.o .230/.305/.360. This is the kid that was billed from Carlos Rios (the guy the yankees just fired for the kickback scandal) as being a better raw player at 16 than Jose Reyes of the mets. The similarities are there. Short, switch hitter with speed to burn and more power than you'd expect from his frame. He actually started out pretty good, hitting .300 with a near .500SLG in the first two months of the yr, but he was abysmal since then. He might end up repeating the season again. But unlike Angelini above, Almonte did show flashes of the player they thought he could be. Both are projects right now and unfortunately, they did not play up to their ceilings. Adam Olbrychowski 21y.o Another 2007 draftee out of Pepperdine who I thought would be nasty. He throws mid to high 90s and has a devastating slider. And he started out like he belonged, throwing high quality innings from April to June, keeping the hits right around the IP and getting about 7K/9IP and keeping the walk totals to ridiculously low numbers. But he sustained an injury at the end of June and his ERA after that has been over 8. He will likely be moving on so long as they are sure he's healthy. His level of dominance before the injury and his lack of control and stuff after says to me that he wasnt healthy. So there you have it. Typically, in the yankees system, players are stuck in the SAL for their first long season experience and stay there the whole yr. Only guys who are truly getting nothing out of it are moved on. Some guys were kept here the whole yr to work on things when it was obvious they could advance (like Montero). But typically, once a player proves they can play a whole yr and be productive, they can then rocket through the system. I would not be surprised to see De La Rosa in the big leagues in some capacity next yr. I also would not be surprised to see Montero, Suttle and Laird in the bigs by the end of 2010. Hell, one of the yankee insiders is speculating that Montero may be donning pinstripes next yr. That would entail a move off the catcher's position obviously. Well, there you have it. My favorite box score all yr has been CHA and next yr, these guys will be in Tampa.

I have said many times in the Joba thread that Andrews is actually known for his conservative management. He isnt going to rush into cutting a player if he isnt sure the guy needs it.

You are trusting the word of a sox mouthpiece about an injured pitcher? Until a roster move is made, you wont know the true story. That fact that he threw one day and was scheduled to pitch vs the CWS and then the next day he was scratched tells me that his arm is still feeling it. Like I said before, sometimes this could be a predictor of significant internal derangement. Sometimes, this is a nagging nerve issue that will go away. We'll see.

In his last 39 games (about 1/3 of his season) he hit .391 with a .603SLG. This kid can absolutely mash.

Beckett's contract runs through 2009 with a 12 mil option for 2010