Spring Training - The Starters

40-Man Roster Players:

• Andrew Brackman (injured)
• Joba Chamberlain
• Phil Hughes
• Kei Igawa
• Jeff Karstens
• Ian Kennedy
• Jeffrey Marquez
• Mike Mussina
• Carl Pavano (injured)
• Andy Pettitte
• Humberto Sanchez (injured)
• Chien-Ming Wang

Non-Roster Invitees:

• Alan Horne
• Daniel McCutchen
• Darrell Rasner

As I said yesterday, there's a lot more going on with the pitchers than the catchers this spring. While the majority of the intrigue will be in the bullpen, there's still some questions to be answered in the rotation. The top three spots are, of course, set with Wang, Pettitte and Hughes. The fourth spot is ostensibly Mussina's, and he won't lose the job in Tampa, but considering how awful he was in the second half of the season, he'll be on a short leash come April.

The big question for now, however, is whether Joba Chamberlain is in the rotation or the bullpen. Hank Steinbrenner has said unequivically that Chamberlain is a starter, and I've got no doubt that that's where his future lies, but I don't think he's ready for a full season as a major league starter. Last year he threw 116 innings, most of them in the minor leagues, where he never had to struggle. If he starts all season for the Yankees, his workload will increase by at least half. That would be a terrible risk to take on the health of a very valuable player. Both Chamberlain and the Yankees would be much better served if he started the year in the bullpen and moved into the rotation a few months into the season. In the meantime, Ian Kennedy can take the final spot in the rotation.

While Chamberlain and Kennedy seem to be the only serious candidates for the fifth starter's job, that doesn't mean you should ignore the rest of the starters. If the Yankees learned anything in 2007, it's that there's no telling how many pitchers you're going to end up needing. Jeff Karstens figures to be the first one called upon in an emergency, but strong spring performances by Kei Igawa (who the Yankees have invested a lot of money in) or prospects Alan Horne and Jeffrey Marquez could put one of them at the front of the line.

Of course no matter who ends up taking the mound, I'm certain Carl Pavano will step up and pull his hamstring.

Thunder Tuesday 9/18

Minor League Monday comes in a little bit late this week, partially because I had a piece of glass removed from my left hand yesterday, and partially because I'm a sucker for alliteration. This week we celebrate the Trenton Thunder and their win over the Akron Aeros in the Eastern League Championship Series.

It was actually a pretty unusual series for the Thunder, who made their way to the championships on the strencth of their starting pitching. However, their three best starters didn't do much in this series. Alan Horne and Daniel McCutchen were both hit hard, and Jeff Marquez didn't even get to pitch.

Instead, the team relied on stellar relief work, and, in the last game, an unexpected outburst from one of the worst offenses in the league. In that last game, the Thunder scored ten runs off 16 hits, including a home run and three singles from series MVP Matt Carson.

So, I send a hearty congratulations to the Trenton Thunder in my last minor league of the season.

Minor League Monday 8/27

Looking back over my first couple of weeks as a blogger, I've noticed that I'm somewhat erratic in my writing schedule. So in order to improve my posting regularity, I've decided to use the blogger's Metamucil; the weekly feature. Every Monday will be Minor League Monday here at Poughkeepsie Pinstripes, as I take a look at the next generation of Yankees. Today I'll be handing out a few awards for the best performances of the week.

Hitter of the Week - Kevin Smith

Apparently tired of making movies, or possibly just New Jersey, Kevin Smith has moved to Charleston to be the Riverdog's first baseman (sorry, but that joke was just too easy for me to resist). This Kevin Smith was a 25th round pick out or Cypress College in 2003, though he didn't actually start his professional career until 2006, for reasons I haven't been able to find. Regardless, he got a hit in all six games this week, and got three hits in each of the last three games. Overall he went .542/.577/.875 for the week.

Pitcher of the Week - Chase Wright

Chase Wright - Wright will forever be known as one of only two pitchers in major league history to give up four consecutive home runs, which he did following an April callup when the Yankees were desperate for starters, but didn't want to rush Philip Hughes. It wasn't terribly surprising considering he only had 20 innings of Double-A experience under his belt. Since being offered up as a sacrificial lamb, Wright's been a fairly mediocre pitcher, but Saturday he had one night of excellence, pitching a four-hit shutout. Wright will probably never see the majors again, but its good to see him find some success.

The Jason Tyner Silver Slugger Award - Brett Gardner

Named for the Minnesota Twins outfielder who hit his first homerun a mere seven years and 1,220 at bats into his major league, this award goes to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre centerfielder who hit his first homerun in two years on the 21st. Even more impressive, that homerun came in the first at bat of the game and was the only run scored by the Yankees, as Rochester's Dave Gassner shut down the rest of the offense.

Eastern League Pitcher of the Year - Alan Horne

Finally, the most prestigious award, since it comes from some other than me. Horne has been the ace of a staff which is far and away the best in the league, and leads the league in ERA and strikeouts. With Philip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain now in the majors, Horne is one of the better prospects in the Yankees' system. If he wants to be a major league starter, he'll probably need to add a changeup to his arsenal, which is comprised of a heavy, low to mid 90s fastball, a hammer curve and a cut fastball. If not, he could still be a very effective reliever for the Yankees by the end of next season.