Yanks: Some Minor Matters

We're past the non-waiver trade deadline, and barring a waiver trade, the prospects are safe.  So that's good news, what's more, as we thought, a bunch have been promoted a level since the deadline.  Usually when teams want to showcase a kid for trade, they'll promote him before the deadline so he appears closer to the bigs.  That the Yanks didn't do that with Mateo, for example, indicates they weren't showcasing him.  That they did do it with Sanchez indicates they might have been, but thought better of it when he kept hitting and screaming "CORE!" after he was promoted.  Hopefully, they're both here to stay and the Yanks can move McCann.

Going into the season, the big questions were about the revamped player development team.  They promoted some folks like Gary Denbo, and moved some coaches and execs around, and other than what seems like more promotions -- and fewer guys getting stuck at AA -- it's hard to tell what the differences are.

Also, adding the Pulaski team has weakened what are usually two strong GCL teams.  Both DSL teams are strong, but not so much the GCL.  SI's been pretty good, and then post promotional vacancies have weakened Charleston, Tampa and Trenton as the season has worn on.   Scranton; however, at times resembles the 1937 Newark Bears (if you don't know, that was probably the best single season Yankee affiliate in history).  I can't remember the Yanks ever having this much talent at AAA in my lifetime, and that's encouraging -- on the other hand, but for some big salaried old guys, more of them would be up.  If Slade Heathcott or Mason Williams had been able to stay healthy, the Yanks would have had some tougher decisions, and perhaps a bigger lead in the East.

The Yankees replaced Nardi Contreras with Gil Patterson a couple of years ago, and the differences are hard to judge because pitching injuries are so commonplace that it's just murky.  Also, this year, the Yanks lost Clarkin, Hensley and DeCarr to various elbow injuries.  Clarkin seems to have avoided surgery and is in a throwing program, which is good news.  When healthy, I think he's right behind Severino on our prospect pitching list.  People have soft pedaled his potential, but I believe it is sky high.  In general, fastball control and changeups were an issue under Nardi and remain an issue under Gil.

They picked a plethora of pitchers this year in the draft, and seemingly more starters than relievers, but it's too soon to judge them as all of these just drafteds are basically in culture shock.

Rookie Davis and Cale Coshow, who are sort of long holds on the power pitching front, have popped up, but surprisingly, no one from the DSL or GCL or Pulaski is popping up so far this year.

Once again, the Yanks have a bunch of promising relievers up and down the chain, and the with the way they go through them, that's a very necessary thing.

On the hitting side, the guys at AAA have taken turns dazzling, but you have to then look to young IFA's in the lower levels like Carlos Vidal, Thairo Estrada and Wilkerman Garcia to find possible "Yankee Bats."  But those are encouraging.   And Jorge Mateo went 4-6 in his High A debut and currently leads the planet in stolen bases.  There some other good hitters sprinkled throughout the system but none are really having breakout seasons yet.

So, in all, the system is continuing to grow, though there are still too many injuries to get a super rosey snap shot -- on the hitting side Dermis Garcia has barely played and Louis Torrens has been out all year, to go along with all the pitchers -- but the system is once again productive and offering more than the big league team can handle at this point, and that's something they'll have to work out.

We'll see if anyone else pops up between now and the end of the seasons.