Yankee Power RHP's Pt.1

Okay, the Yanks have a lot of pitchers.   And most are right handed.  And a lot of those can hit 94.   But  I want to break them up a bit, because some of the power righties at the bottom of the organization like Hayden Sharp and Taylor Morton are just starting again, and their velo hasn't been publicized.   It probably also doesn't help to talk about Ty Hensley, who profiles as a classic righty power pitcher and was last year's first round pick, because he's on the shelf this year with a lower body injury and we don't know yet how he'll come back from it.  Additionally, it's important to remember, preps are more likely to add velocity than older college guys.   For example, and all jokes aside, Roger Clemens only threw 89 when the Mets originally drafted him as a prep.   So those with now fastballs like a few I'll mention later are more then exception than the rule.

But even with the limits of this piece, the Yanks do have some power righties to be excited about.

Michael Pineda is the closest to the bigs, and is just in the minors on a rehab assignment, but it's easy to forget about him or that silly trade, cause he hasn't done anything yet.   But, he is regaining velo and when healthy before surgery he could regularly top 95.  He is a huge guy, sort of like a righty CC and those guys can be absolute horses for rotations so we have to hope for a best case scenario because he's coming back from "a shoulder" rather than "an elbow."

Next on the launchpad should probably be Jose A. Ramirez.   This guy has hit 100 on the gun.   In fact there was a rumor that the Yanks traded Arodys Vizcaino rather than Ramirez a few years ago because they liked him better.  That seemed like bs till Ramirez started putting it together last year.   He's always had a great fastball and change, but the thing that will keep him a starter or send him to the pen is his breaking ball, which is finally coming along.   He was recently promoted to AAA.  He did well in the first and not as well in the second.   But he's looking more and more like an impact starter.

Also at AA we have  Sean Black and Shane Green, who have been around for awhile now, and at their best look like classic RHP's, but they don't have that consistently A+ stuff that the more exciting super destroyers in the system have.

In High A, we currently have, perhaps, the next big thing, in Rafael DePaula.   He throws gas and a change and a breaking ball and perhaps a few other things.  He seems to have more pitchability than guys like Nova or Ramirez, and at least as much pure stuff.   This guy is the goods, and let's hope he has health luck and is safe from any bad ideas...

In High A we also have a couple of major power righties not having great seasons so far.   They are Bryan Mitchell and Corey Black.    Mitchell was as prep signing a few years ago who showed arm strength and continued to grow and develop into a really intriguing guy.   If you listen to one of his starts on the net, most of the time it sounds like he's a top prospect, but then he has one bad inning where he walks people and that's sort of where he's at right now.

Corey Black is a smaller guy who can hit 100 on the gun.   He had a good season starting after he was drafted last year, but had a tough start to this one, though he pitched well the other day.    Because of his size people won't stop projecting him to the bullpen until he's a proven big league starter.  Of course with the Yankees current propensity to make everyone a reliever he might get switched before he makes the bigs.

Charleston had DePaula and he got promoted, and they also had Gabe Encinas, a prep who had added significant gas last year, then harnessed it this yet, but got injured.   He was close to DePaula in terms of impressiveness this year, so I hope he still has it when the gets back.

Also, Charleston has Jose Campos, who is now called Vincente Campos, and doesn't seem to have Jose's old fastball back yet.   But last year, there was talk that he was the gem of the silly deal, but he, of course, got hurt.   He's making his way back now, but is not yet the super destroyer we were hoping to see.

It's hard to gage who the power righties are in SI, because they're sort of figuring out who's a starter and who's a reliever.    But Rookie Davis is looking more and more like a future righty power pitcher.  Scouts had him working at 93 and touching 95 in his first start of the year.  Like Gabe Encinas last year he's having to learn how to harness it.

They've also started David Palladino, the 6'9" guy who seems to have more velo he can unlock, but isn't consistently hitting 95 yet.   We'll see what adjustments they make.

And down in the Gulf League they have a developing super destroyer named Luis Severino, and he is the GOODS.  Great fastball and change up, still working on his breaking ball, but they are not going to be able to hit him down there.  He's only 6'1, so there will always be a temptation to move him to the pen.   So we should all be praying for his breaking pitch.

I'm not sure if I've left anyone exciting out.   Guys like Nuding and Stoneburner looked like they might be power righties at some point, but neither has shown great velo as a starter, and both might be better off in the pen.   And maybe we'll look at the pen in a week or so.