Before I get into the individual performances, I want to call your attention to what's been happening with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. In case you haven't heard, the defending International League champions have started their season by winning their first 11 games. That is not only a club record, but according to Chad Jennings at the Times Tribune , it's also the best start for an International League team for at least 30 years. Even more impressive is how they've won those games. The team leads the league in nearly every offensive category, including an 86 run mark that's a full 30 runs better than the next best team, Toledo. The team is hitting .320/.394/.510. That's right, I didn't say that the team's best hitter has a .320 batting average, I said the entirety of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, a team which is playing baseball on an actual baseball field against real, professional baseball players, and not on an Xbox, is hitting .320. It's a little insane and a lot of fun, so I encourage you to watch them if you can.
Hitter of the Week - Jesus Montero, C/DH, Tampa Yankees (High A):
It probably seems a little strange for me to be naming a Tampa Yankee the hitter of the week after gushing about the mighty offense of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, but Montero deserves the honor. As badly as Austin Jackson, Juan Miranda and Shelley Duncan have been pummeling the poor pitchers of the International League, Montero has been doing worse to their Floridian counterparts. His triple slash line of .395/.452/.658 is impressive enough on its own, but it becomes even more impressive when you realize that he's one of the youngest players in the league and is playing in a pitcher's park.
Pitcher of the Week - Mark Melancon, RHP, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
Of course, there had to be at least one Scranton player picking up an award this week. That player was almost Ian Kennedy, who has had two dominant starts so far, striking out 16 batters against 9 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs in 12 innings. As good as he was, though, Melancon was simply ridiculous. Pitching 9 inning in relief over five games, Melancon has faced a total of 30 batters. Of those 30 batters, he has struck out 15. That's correct, he's struck out half the batters that he's faced. Of the other 15, only two have gotten hits, and another three managed to get a walk. No one has managed to make it past second base, let alone score a run. That, my friends, is why he's the most likely candidate to step into the large shoes of Mariano Rivera.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Minor League Monday 4/20/09
Monday, April 14, 2008
Minor League Monday 4/14/08
The weekend did not go well for the Yankees, but it's Monday and that means talk of conjuctivitis and hamstrings can wait. Today we look to the future:
Hitter of the Week - Jesus Montero, C/DH, Charleston Riverdogs (Single A):
Montero showed why he's one of the Yankees' best prospects this week, getting a hit in all seven games last week, including four doubles and two home runs, resulting in a robust .375/.394/.688 (AVG/OBP/SLG) line. That performance becomes even more impressive when you put it in context, as he's the second youngest player in a league and park that's not so friendly to hitters.
Of course the big question about Montero is whether he has the defensive ability to remain a catcher, where his fantastic bat has the most value. Most scouts don't think he has the agility to compensate for his already large size (6'4", 225lbs), but the Yankees are giving him the opportunity to prove them wrong by alternating him with Austin Romine between the catcher and DH spots. It's a great move on the team's part, as it gives two catching prospects who are raw defensively the chance to hone their game while limiting the injury problems that come with moving to a full-time professional workload for the first time. For Montero, the results have been mixed so far, as he's thrown out a healthy three of nine basestealers, but allowed an unhealthy three passed balls in just seven games behind the plate.
Of course, without being able to see him in person, it's impossible for me to get a real read on what his future is like defensively, but even as a first baseman or DH, his offensive future seems bright.
Pitcher of the Week: Eric Hacker, RHP, Tampa Yankees (Single A Advanced):
For the second time in as many weeks, a Yankee pitcher came close to perfection only to be denied thanks to his pitch count. Hacker, who missed the 2006 season with shoulder injuries, pitched seven perfect innings against the Dunedin Blue Jays on Tuesday before being pulled. He then proceeded to retire the first seven batters he faced on Sunday, giving him a total of 9.1 perfect innings. All told, he threw a total of fourteen scoreless innings this week, striking out ten, walking one and allowing only two hits. It's extremely hard for a 25 year-old righthander in Single A who doesn't have electric stuff to stand out in a farm system that's packed with young pitching, but Hacker certainly did so this week.
As always, here's a few more items of interest:
- Last week I mentioned that Double A infielder Kevin Russo had left the team after doctors found some abnormalities in his blood work. I'm glad to report that further testing revealed no problems, and he celebrated his return to the Thunder by hitting a home run in his first game back.
- Shelley Duncan has been taking whatever frustration he might have about his demotion out on the pitchers of the International League. He hit a home run in each of his first three games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and in five games has posted a ridiculous .500/.560/1.136 line. While still at the mercy of injuries and roster mechanics, Duncan is making a strong case to be called back up as soon as possible.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Spring Training - The Catchers
I've been away for a while, but it's February now and that means roses, chocolates and baseball. It's just three days until pitchers and catchers report, with all the other players reporting just five days later. For the Yankees, that'll be a whopping 69 players altogether:
That's a full 40 man roster, 29 non-roster invitees and a lot of names for anyone to keep straight. So, over the next couple of days I'm going to break it down for you, starting with the catchers:
40-Man Roster Players:
Non-Roster Invitees:As usual, the Yankees are bringing nearly every catcher in the organization to camp, for the simple reason that there's a lot of pitchers who need to throw to someone. Obviously, only Posada and Molina will be on the team come April, but keep an eye on Francisco Cervelli. Posada and Molina are both getting old, especially for catchers, and its very possible that the 20 year-old Cervelli would be called up if either was injured.
Among the non-roster invitees, Montero and Romine stand out as the prospects to watch. Both appear on my list of the Yankees' top prospects (which I'll be sharing here over the coming weeks), and both are players with loads of raw talent. I'm especially interested in seeing how Montero handles himself behind the plate, as defense said to be his biggest weakness. As for the other three NRIs, there's not much to say. Anson, Brown and Pilittere are all decent minor league catchers, but it's hard to imagine any of them having an impact on the major league level.
Tomorrow, I'll take a look at the starting pitchers, where there's a lot more players, questions and competition.
