Off to see the Wizard

You might think that since I've advocated resting players to get ready for the playoffs, I'd be ready to slam Joe Torre for breaking the Joba Rules on Sunday. If so, you'd be wrong. The Joba Rules were certainly a great idea, minimizing the risk to a very valuable arm as Chamberlain adjusted to a bullpen role, and pitched more than 100 innings for the first time since his sophomore season at Nebraska. However, anyone who thought that the Yankees' were going to keep to those rules in the playoffs was crazy. So, it makes sense to get Joba ready for what might be a slightly heavier workload in the postseason. Its especially important for him to be able to warm up and be available to come in mid-inning. With his ability to get strikeouts, he is definitely the man you want on the mound in a tight game with runners on base.

In more entertaining news, after yesterday's game the Yankees left for their final road trip of the season, which meant it was time for some rookie hazing. As in years past, the veterans stole the rooks' clothes from their lockers and replaced them with new outfits. Last year, it was George Steinbrenner turtlenecks and blazers. The year before it was cheerleading uniforms. This year, with a dozen rookies, the Yankees' were able to put on their own production of the Wizard of Oz. Here's Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Shelley Duncan and Phil Hughes as Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man:



Additionally, the Daily News has shots of Edwar Ramirez as the Wicked Witch of the West, Kei Igawa a flying monkey, Chase Wright as the Good Witch of the East, and Ross Ohlendorf as a palace guard. Plus, a guy by the name of Rob managed to get pictures of Igawa's translator Yumi Watanabe as a talking tree, and strength coach Dana Cavalea as the Mayor of Emerald City. Sadly, I wasn't able to find pictures of Munchkins Matt DeSalvo and Alberto Gonzalez, or of flying monkey Tyler Clippard and palace guard Bronson Sardinha. Hopefully I'll be able to catch them once they start their run on Broadway.

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.

A lack of options

I wrote last night that I'd take a look at who might fill in for Roger Clemens on Tuesday as he serves out his suspension. It turns out that there really is only one option for the Yankees; Jeff Karstens. Ideally they could call up Ian Kennedy, but he's not on the 40 man roster. As for guys who are on the 40 man, Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright have both needed to go back down to Double A, while Matt DeSalvo and Kei Igawa will have pitched too recently to be ready for Tuesday. Considering how Karstens has pitched lately, I'm hoping for rain.

On the subject of Igawa, it looks like he may not be a part of the Yankees by the time Tuesday comes along anyway. The Padres put in a waiver claim last night, and the Yankees now have until Tuesday (two business days after the Padres made the claim) to either work out a trade or take Igawa off waivers. I, for one, don't really see the Padres willing to trade away anyone worth giving up on Igawa. He is, after all, still a lefty with good stuff that comes at an affordable price. Of course my read on the situation may be wrong, and if Cashman can somehow get his hands on a good reliever, I'm all for it.