Leaders

Current Yankee leader in batting average:

Andy Pettitte - .333

Current Yankee leader in earned run average:

Nick Swisher - 0.00

Make of that what you will.

Draft and Game Liveblog 6/9/09

We're just a couple minutes out from the start of the draft, and while John Manuel seems to be pretty certain as to how the first ten picks will go, it's anyone's guess as to who will fall to the Yankees. Some of the names being floated around the interwebs are Slade Heathcott, Brett Jackson, Matt Purke, Tanner Scheppers and Matt Hobgood.

It's also worth noting that the Yankees' two picks, since they're compensation for unsigned picks from last year, are unprotected. That means that if the Yankees can't sign their picks for whatever reason, they won't get any kind of compensation. Without that safety net, I think the team might be a little more conservative than usual.

Update 6:08PM: Washington's on the clock, and they seem like they're going to take the full fifteen minutes to make their pick. This is pretty annoying as everyone has known for months that they're picking Stephen Strasburg, arguably the best pitcher in NCAA history.

Update 6:16PM: It's looking like I might have to rename this point, as the tarp's out on the field in Fenway.

Update 6:26PM: Well, the exceptionally annoying weather guy on YES is saying that they'll be able to get the game in. Hopefully he's right. Meanwhile, the draft has proven to be entirely predictable through the first three picks.

Update 6:31PM: Why, exactly, do the teams bother sending representatives like Bill Mazeroski if Bud Selig's going to announce all the pick himself?

Update 6:40PM: Still no surprises in the draft, as John Manuel is 6 for 6. Meanwhile, I'm flipping back to the Yankee pregame show where Kim Jones is telling us that the tarp is off the field.

Update 6:44PM: The Mike Minor cheering squad is one of the more enjoyable parts of the draft so far, and makes me think that they should let more people come to this thing.

Update 6:51PM: The first surprise of the night comes from Cincinnati (or as Selig says, "Cincinnatuh"), when they pick Mike Leake, whose upside makes him look like a mid to late first round pick, but I guess the Reds are placing value in his high polish and low risk.

Update 7:04PM: Game time!

Update 7:12PM: The rain looks pretty ugly in Boston, but it doesn't look to bother Josh Beckett, as his curve is looking especially nasty.

Update 7:17PM: I think MY9's radar gun might be just a little bit off, as they just clocked Beckett's first pitch curveball to A-Rod at 96MPH.

Update 7:23PM: We're halfway to the Yankees' first pick and there's still some great talent on the board. Though I initially wanted to see the team get a position player, I'm particularly excited by the chance that they could get pitchers Tanner Scheppers or Kyle Gibson.

Update 7:30PM: Despite the walk to Youklis, Burnett seems to have unusually good command of his fastball tonight.

Update 7:36PM: The Yankees haven't been able to do any damage, but at least they're making Beckett work, as Cano and Posada grind out 8 and 6 pitch at-bats respectively.

Update 7:44PM: David Ortiz finally manages to pass pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Carlos Zambrano on the home run leaderboard thanks to a fastball that Burnett served right down the middle of the plate.

Update 7:49PM: I'm not sure what's more embarrassing, fans chanting for Ortiz to make a curtain call, or Ortiz actually obliging them.

Update 7:52PM: The rain claims its first victim of the night, as A-Rod misses a double play opportunity trying to get a grip on the ball. Meanwhile, Burnett seems to have lost the strike zone and the Yankees could be in trouble.

Update 7:55PM: I'm desperately hoping the camera will show someone warming in the bullpen. Like now.

Update 7:56PM: Meanwhile the Twins just drafted Kyle Gibson, adding to my disappointment.

Update 8:03PM: Five picks away from the Yankees at number 29 and Tanner Scheppers is still on the board, as is local product Mike Trout. Both would make for excellent picks.

Update 8:09PM: Time Warner Cable just picked the absolute worst time for a test of the emergency broadcasting system.

Update 8:11PM: Ok, I take that back, as the test finishes before the game comes back from commercial. Actually, I probably wouldn't have minded missing that leadoff walk, as Burnett continues to only have a vague idea of where the ball is going.

Update 8:16PM: Wow. That was a pretty embarrassing attempt to steal by Mike Lowell. I don't know what he was thinking, but I'm glad he was.

Update 8:22PM: The Yankees are on the clock in the draft, and while I'm really disappointed that Gibson and Trout have been taken, I'm glad to see that Scheppers is still available.

Update 8:24PM: Other good possibilities for the Yankees include outfielders Everett Williams and Tim Wheeler, but right now AJ Burnett is making me wish for a pitcher that can actually throw strikes.

Update 8:31PM: It's Slade Heathcott, a high school outfielder from Texarkana, TX. He's apparently a tremendous athlete who really impressed scouts in a workout last week. I can't say I'm a fan of this pick, as he's already had surgery on his knee and shoulder problems, but I guess you've got to trust the scouts who have seen him in person.

Update 8:34PM: Meanwhile, back in Fenway, I'm elated to see Brett Tomko start things off by throwing a strike, but Beckett's looking increasingly dominant as the game wears on.

Update 8:48PM: Brett Tomko is quickly using up any goodwill I had for him.

Update 8:53PM: That was a pretty painful half inning, as Tomko looked to have the same problems Burnett did.

Update 9:04PM: The more I look at it, the more I think that umpire Mike Everitt is calling a very tight strike zone. To his credit, he's being fair, as he's doing it to Boston as much as he is to the Yanks, but it's something that plays to Beckett's strengths far more than Burnett or Tomko.

Update 9:13PM: Meanwhile, if you want to watch the rest of the draft, you can do so here. Be warned, however. Even though Bud Selig has ceded the duty of announcing the picks, he hasn't been replaced by the hall of fame lineup of team representatives. Instead, Executive Vice President Jimmie Lee Solomon is making the announcements while Al Kaline and Craig Biggio sit and watch.

Update 9:21PM: I really don't want to see the Yankees be the team that gets David Ortiz over the Mendoza line.

Update 9:22PM: Jose Veras manages to pitch the first inning where the Yankees don't give up a walk! Granted, he did hit Jason Bay with a pitch, but I'll take whatever minor miracles I can get.

Update 9:29PM: I guess some team representatives are announcing picks, as Ben McDonald announces the Orioles' second-round pick. That still doesn't explain why MLB decided to subject the TV audience to Bud Selig.

Update 9:32PM: "Hey everyone, I'm Tommy Lasorda!"

Update 9:45PM: Nick Green homers, and I don't even care at this point. I don't think Girardi cares either, as he looks content to let Veras get pounded so the rest of the bullpen is ready for tomorrow.

Update 9:49PM: We're ten picks away from the Yankees' next turn in the draft. MLB.com's draft tracker seems to have frozen at number 42, so I've got no idea who's still available, but it's far more entertaining to watch now that the team representatives are taking the stage.

Update 9:56PM: Johnny Damon has been one of the most reliable Yankees this season, and he kills the first Yankee in scoring by hitting into a double play. It's just that kind of night.

Update 10:00PM: The Yankees' final pick of the night is announced by Constantino Martinez, and it's John Murphy, a high school catcher out of Bradenton. A very solid pick, I think, as he's a guy with both a good bat and the defensive ability to stay at catcher. It's maybe a little odd since the Yankees have quite a few good catching prospects already, but that's a position where you can't have too much depth.

Update 10:04PM: That triple is not going to look good on David Robertson's stat line, but it was definitely a fluke caused by the Green Monster. In another park, Gardner is probably able to catch that ball, and would at least be able to hold it to a double. It's too bad, because it was otherwise a great outing by Robertson.

Update 10:16PM: And that'll do it for the Yankees, whose only positive tonight has to be David Robertson's strong inning. Otherwise, it's a night to forget about and time to concentrate on tomorrow's game.

Draft Preview

We're only a few hours away from the start of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, which is getting special attention this year because MLB Network has turned it into a primetime event. For Yankee fans, however, it shouldn't be terribly exciting. Thanks to their free agent signings, the team lost their first, second and third round picks. This leaves the team with just two picks tonight, one at the end of the first round and one at the end of the second, which they received as compensation for failing to sign two of their picks last year. Recent history has shown us that the Yankees will use their financial strength to take players that other teams will pass on because they might be difficult to sign, or because their health makes them a costly gamble. It's a strategy which has produced some great results, like Joba Chamberlain and Austin Jackson, and some epic busts, like Carl Henry and Gerrit Cole.

With the Yankees set to open a series in Boston at 7, I plan on watching the first hour of the draft on TV and then keeping an eye on it with my laptop during the game. I'll update here when the Yankees get their chance to pick.