The Tampa Yankees

This year's Tampa Yankees are an interesting story for a number of reasons.   First, during the offseason, and in the interests of player development, the Yankees disbanded the old Tampa coaching staff and replaced them with manager Al Pedrique, who had been the Charleston manager last year. as well as PJ Pillitere, last year's Charleston hitting coach, plus Danny Borrell, who'd been the rehab pitching coach, then the short season pitching coach, last year, and JD Closser who is the bench and whatever else coach.

This was a vote of confidence by the Yankees for the coaches.   But what did it mean to the players?   Guys like Jake Cave,  Greg Bird, Dante Bichette Jr., Cito Culver and Angelo Gumbs, had all had these coaches before.   So there was continuity, even though some of the kids had had bad seasons with the coaches before.

Obviously, the Yanks believed Pedrique and PJ were the ones who could deliver the organizational themes of plate discipline, using the whole field and discovering which pitches you can drive, even to the players who had struggled under their guidance last year.   That's quite a leap of faith, but for the most part, it's paying off.

This brings us to a larger development theme, which is time versus teaching.  In other words if you just let a guy play long enough, will he develop more, less or as much as if you mixed in some teaching around and during his games?   It's hard to say, but it's also easy to notice that a guy like Aaron Judge is developing better than fine with very little development exposure to the Yankee organization.  

In fact, I wonder if we'd be having all of these development conversations if David Adams and Ravel Santana didn't have freak ankle injuries, and Angel Reyes, Manny Banuelos, Brett Marshall and a few other pitchers didn't get hurt.

But I digress, which I am allowed to do here.

Of the repeat hitters,  Cave is having a good year, featuring sound D, and a bunch of 4 and 5 hit games.   He's probably got to get back to taking his walks -- though it must be tough when you believe you can hit everything the league has to offer.   Also, he could use a little more pop.

Greg Bird, who is a text book Yankee patience and pop guy, was injured to start the year and has been a little slow in getting his game back together, though he won yesterday's game with a no doubter in the top of the 12th, so he may be turning it on now.

Dante Bichette, Jr., is an interesting guy.   When he was first picked and signed, he exceeded expectations, showing the patience and pop traits that have been responsible for all the Yankee titles.   Then he struggled in the Sally.  They say he was changing his batting stances a bunch, but I really have no idea what happened down there.

He ended up repeating the Sally and getting a bit hotter at the end.   Just when I thought he was going to have to by a condo in Charleston, he was promoted to Tampa this year and has thrived.   Sure he's had some peaks and valleys,  development is not linear,  but for the most part, he's remembered to take his walks, and those key his power.   He's had a bunch of game winning hits, and played a nice 3rd, too.   So more of this coaching staff has either been good for him, or has coincided with his rediscovery of who he is as a ballplayer.  In any event, he's back on a good trajectory, which is great because he's a great kid.

Cito Culver has continued to struggle, and for some reason, has forgotten to take his walks this year.   Plate disc and walks were his greatest offensive contribution and he's not going to them right now.    If the coaches can straighten him out, at least on the walks, I don't know if he'll ever even have an average BA, they'll have done good work.   They keep batting him second, but if he won't take his walks, they should plug Dante in there.   He will crush the fastballs #2 hitters always see and take his walks.

Angelo Gumbs has been hurt a bunch, but still exudes tools.  I wonder if they maybe should have left him in the OF when they drafted him instead of teaching hime 2B.  He's a stalled guy right now and has been for a couple of years.

Tampa is also the current home to Aaron Judge, who we talked about yesterday.  And in the next few days they should get Eric Jagielo back.    Eric skipped low A, and his game of patience and pop was really coming together when the got hurt.   But he's been great in his rehab games, and he can really lengthen the lineup for Tampa.

Tampa, this year,  is also home to a few past IFA's like Yeicok Calderon and Jose Rosario, both of whom are having good, and sort of breakout-ish seasons.   Rosario is hurt now, but Calderon, whose bugaboo had been fielding, saved yesterday's game with a spectacular catch in the OF.   So it's nice to see him contributing.

Matt Snyder plays first and can hammer some pitches, but they have him batting after all of the patience and pop guys.   If they move Cito to 9th, which they should till he flies right, Snyder would move up a slot.

The pitching, under Danny Borrell, has been borderline phenomenal lately.   We talked about Severino yesterday.  I think Borrell had him for short season last year, then didn't have him in Charleston, now has him again.     He's the goods.  And I think a lot of people were a little scared he'd bomb in High A like DePaula did last year.   Nope.

The surprising guy has been Miguel Sulbaran, the kid we picked up from the Twins in the Nunez trade.  He's a stocky lefty who'd under 6 feet tall, but he's another guy who can really pitch.  He threw 6 shutout innings yesterday and was perfect into the 5th.    People will probably project him as a reliever because of his height, but I think he can either be a starter or an El Bruje type swingman for the Yanks down the line - he's just 20 like Severino.

The other really good one has been Daniel Camerena.   Danny is another shortish lefty who just knows how to throw strikes and get guys out.  His K's vary, and he probably needs to find a strike out sequence, because he's not a hard thrower, but he is smart enough out there to match wits with hitters and he'll have to do that as he climbs the ladder.

Connor Kendrick had been looking good until lately.  So he's probably going through an adjustment phase.  He's an athletic lefty, who, when he's executing his plan, throws strikes and gets easy outs.  We'll see if Borrell can get him squared away again.   Borrell was an athletic lefty, himself as a pitcher.

Raphael De Paula is still down there and still has not found any consistency.  He can get crushed one start and be unhittable the next.   He still has a great arm, so he is a big project for Borrell.     Maybe Severino can help him, too.

Jaron Long is also starting and relieving for Tampa.   He's coach Long's son, but he's been getting promoted on his own hot pitching.   He's got a sub 1 whip and he's putting himself on the map.

They also have some interesting guys in the pen, staring with Nick Rumbelow.   Rumbelow is just putting in his innings as he grows into a relief ace.  He's a healthier Nick Goody type, with maybe a little more gas on  the #1.

Brett Gerritse is also in the pen, though he can start in a pinch, too.  You'll recall that when he was drafted from out here, in Cali, he had a NOW curveball.  Well, over the years his fastball velo has grown and now he's got 93 or so and a curve.   The Yanks are probably running up on the Rule 5 with  him, but he just keeps getting better.   He's another guy to watch.

Alex Smith and Joe Smith have filled out the pen, and been anything but generic so far.  Alex, especially has some fans in SABR World.  

In all, it's been a development experiment with the coaching swap, and guys having continuity of coaching and we're half way through it or so.   They should get Jags back very shortly and that will lengthen the lineup.   They have to straighten out DePaula (if he's not traded), and I don't know what they can do for Cito and Gumbs.

If everyone keeps developing, I wonder if Al Pedrique and company will be with them in Trenton, again, next year.