Down on the Farm 2

As we wait for the Giants' and Yanks ' games to start, I thought we could talk a little more about the Yankee system.    This time, we'll talk a little it about hitters and their development.   Pictured is Dante Bichette Jr..   He had one of the more disappointing seasons in the system.   He played in Charleston, which is a big pitcher's park, and finished up hitting .248 with just 3 homers and a .322 OBP.    Early in the season he was taking his walks, and sporting a better OBP, but as he struggled he tried to hit his way out of his slump and expanded his strike zone.   Now this is a kid who in Spring hit 2 homers in a big league preseason game.   I have no explanation for why he struggled as he did - could have been homesick - since it was his first time away from Florida.   Who knows? Apparently not the Yankees.

Now, I will concede that all hitting development is about making adjustments and that players make them at uneven rates.   Still, what you want to see from minor leaguers in season is improvement, and Dante just got worse.    What's more, no one on hand seemed to be willing to remind him to take his walks.   The Yanks do give each player "walks goals" for the year, but I don't know if those are too low, or just not being emphasized enough in the day to day managing of the minor league players, but it remains a problem.

One player who does take his walks is Cito Culver, but he doesn't hit!   He batted just .215 but walked 71 times to give him a .321 OBP, and that desirable .100 or great split between the two.  Now, not only does he not hit, but he doesn't slug, either.   It's unclear at this point if he will ever hit enough to start in the bigs, but he might be able to get on base enough and play D well enough to be a back-up.

Not terribly good showings from our first picks from `11 and `10.   And consider this; both of these players were taken under the old rules, where the Yanks and other teams could spend whatever they wanted on their drafts.   But both of these first picks signed for slot or less.    Mason Williams and Greg Bird got the biggest bonuses in their respective classes and both look legit.   If there's time, in the next few days, I'll look at the Yankees strategy under the old rules, and if there's more time, I'll look at some good news.