Minor League Monday 5/26/08

For some reason, my Minor League Monday post from last week seems to never have been posted. Rather than waste some perfectly good writing, I'm going to present the players of the each past two weeks this time around.

Hitter of the Week 5/12-5/18 - Juan Miranda, 1B, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Triple A):

A Cuban defector, Miranda didn't make his American debut until last season, when he was already 24 years old. He's quickly made up for the lost time, however, climbing the organizational ladder to Triple A in just one season, where he's had encouraging early success. A classic slugger, Miranda has a patient approach at the plate, waiting for a pitch upon which he can unleash his light tower power. He returned to the Scranton Yankees on the 12th after losing a couple of weeks to a shoulder injury and promptly hit a home run and drew a walk. Overall he hit .294/.478/.706 on the week with two home runs and six walks.

Unfortunately, once that week was up he proceeded to head back to the disabled list, having reaggravated his shoulder injury. If he can come back from the injury and remain healthy, Miranda should be in line to replace Jason Giambi next year. However, Miranda has huge problems against lefties putting up a .393 OPS versus a 1.013 OPS against righties, so if he did take Giambi's place he would almost certainly need a platoon partner.

Pitcher of the Week 5/12-5/18 - Dellin Betances, RHP, Charleston Riverdogs (Single A):

There might not be a more exciting pitcher in the Yankees' system than Betances. Standing 6'8" and throwing in the mid to upper 90s, his stuff and potential is undeniable. In fact, I think that even at this early stage in his development, major leaguers would have a hard time getting hits off of him. The problem is that those major leaguers probably wouldn't bother swinging, since Betances often doesn't know where the ball is going when it leaves his hand. His May 16th start is a good example of this, as he no-hit the Asheville Tourists for six innings, but gave up a run thanks to a wild pitch. At 20 years old, he's still got time to learn command, and if he does, he'll be a real force to reckon with.

Hitter of the Week 5/19-5/25 - Austin Jackson, CF, Trenton Thunder (Double A):

The year's first repeat MLM, Action Jackson had a very strong week highlighted by a seven RBI game on Wednesday in Reading. There's very little I can add to that, as the numbers speak for themselves. In six games last week he hit .333/.467/.750 with two home runs, a triple, two doubles, six walks, and a stolen base to boot. In other words, he hit for average and power, showed patience at the plate, and speed on the basepaths. Add to that good range in center field and a solid arm, and you've pretty much got the whole package. Obviously he has to show that he can perform over the course of a full season, and do the same in Triple A, but don't be surprised if he's fighting for a starting job with the Yankees come spring training.


Hitter of the Week 5/19-5/25 - Alfredo Aceves, RHP, Trenton Thunder (Double A):

Some of you may be asking "Who is Alfredo Aceves?", and you're not alone. It's a question I asked myself several times after seeing him put up strong starts for the Tampa Yankees. Unfortunately, the information I've been able to gather is pretty thin. Aceves is 25 years old and in his first minor league season, having been signed by the Yankees out of the Mexican League last year. He throws a four seam fastball, cutter, curve and changeup. Oh, and he's the first pitcher to throw a complete game shutout in the Eastern League this season, as he shut down Altoona last night. This performance comes after he held Reading scoreless for seven innings in his Double-A debut on Tuesday. That makes for 16 innings, no runs, 13 strikeouts, 5 hits, 1 walk, and a little bit of a mystery. I'll be sure to share any further information about where this guy came from and how he's been so successful as soon as I can uncover it.

Winter League Week Part 2 - Javelinas in the Sun

Considering how badly the Joe Torre situation has been handled, I think it'll be good for everyone to take some refuge in actual baseball. So, as promised, I'll continue with my review of the Yankees' winter league action by looking at the six prospects the team has sent to play for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League.

As I mentioned before, one of those players is a personal favorite of mine, Kevin Whelan. He's not a favorite because he's a huge talent like Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, but because of his arsenal. Whelan throws three pitches, and they're all fastballs. His four seamer is strong, sitting in the low to mid 90's, and he complements that with a splitter and a forkball, both of which can be exceptional when he's on. Unfortunately, like so many hard throwing prospects, he struggles with his command. Its been no different in Peoria so far, where he was dominant in his first outing, and wild in his second. Of course the whole point of the AFL is for players to learn, and I'm hoping to see some improvement from a him.

The other pitching prospect that accompanied Whelan to Peoria is Steven White. White was drafted in 2003, and the Yankees had high expectations. However, like so many promising pitchers, injuries have kept him from fulfilling those expectations. He's not a bad pitcher, mind you. He's performed well as he's slowly moved up the ladder, but he hasn't stood out in any way. He's now 26 and coming off of another typically good but not great season in Triple A, and has been rocked in his first two starts in Arizona, giving up eight runs in just three innings. To me, he's a classic Quadruple A player; the kind of guy who can do well in Triple A, but won't make it in the majors. He might have some success if the Yankees move him to the bullpen, but otherwise I wouldn't expect much.

In addition to the two pitchers, the Yankees have sent three positional players to the Javelinas, all of whom could be in pinstripes in the coming years. I've written about center fielder Brett Gardner before, and there's nut much to add to it. He's one of the fastest men in baseball, hits for average and draws walks, but lacks any real power, having hit all of six home runs in 294 minor league games, and only one in the past two years. At best, he develops enough doubles power to be a Kenny Lofton kind of player. At worst, he's a fourth outfielder who provides excellent speed and defense at all three outfield positions. Either way, he's a useful player to have.

Another player whose power will determine his fate is Reegie Corona who's currently a shortstop, but can play all over the infield. Like Gardner he hits for average and draws walks, but has very little power. Unlike Gardner, he only has average speed, meaning there's an even greater chance that those ground balls which are slipping through for hits will turn into outs when they hit Triple A and major league fielders. Still, he's a strong defender and could very well become a useful utility infielder, something every team needs.

Finally, there's Juan Miranda, who is something of a mystery. A first baseman who defected from Cuba to the Dominican Republic in 2004, he was signed to a four year, $2 million contract last year and split the season between Advanced Single A and Double A. He put up solid numbers in Tampa and replicated them after being promoted, which is a good sign. Another good sign is that while he was merely solid statistically, he recieved nothing put praise from coaches and scouts, who say he has light tower power, and just needs to refine his game after having spent two years out of the game. His performance thus far in Arizona certainly speaks to that, as he's currently sporting a .571 SLG, and a .250 ISOP (ISOP stands for isolated power, a quick measurement of a player's power which is simply a players slugging percentage minus his batting average). Granted, it's a lot to read into seven games, but this kind of performance and the Yankees' current hole at first gives him an outside chance of becoming part of a major league platoon as early as next season.