Yankees System one of Best since early 90's

[Dry1313]

In the early 90's, the Yankees had one of baseball's best farm systems. Since then, they have had a terrible system, with rookie exceptions like Hideki Matsui and Alfonso Soriano, both who learned their skill in another country and shot through the organazation. This year the Yankees hope to buck that trend with a promising system:

Phillip Hughes, Eric Duncan, and Melky Cabrera front the Yankees system, but players like Matt DeSalvo and Tyler Clippard are lesser known names whom you may see in the Bronx soon:

Yankees Specs

Eric Duncan, 3B/1B
While Duncan's numbers in Double-A Trenton last year weren't pretty -- .235 average, .326 on-base percentage and .408 slugging percentage -- the organization was not overly disappointed by their 2003 first-round pick's performance. He was very young, at just 20, for the level, and they were encouraged by the power (19 homers) and walks (59), especially when considering the age factor. He didn't do a great job handling how opponents pitched to him. Many teams began to shift on the left-handed hitter, a sure sign he had been taken out of his game, which usually features good opposite-field power. He took the lessons from the regular season to the Arizona Fall League and won the MVP award by hitting .362 and slugging .734. That performance likely bumped him into position to make the jump to Triple-A Columbus, where he'll mostly play first base, with enough third sprinkled in to maintain that as an option. If he can continue to improve on his daily game plan more effectively, he should be ready to hit New York by 2007, at age 22.




Philip Hughes, RHP
The 2004 draft class of high school pitchers includes future aces like Homer Bailey and Scott Elbert, but the Yankees think Hughes could be as good as any of them. He's got plus stuff and exceptional command at age 19. His fastball sits in the 90-95 mph range and he can touch 97 at times. Along with it, he throws a curve, slider and developing changeup. A good index for a pitcher is his ability to command the fastball to the opposite of his arm side -- away to right-handed hitters for the right-handed Hughes. And he can already do that, signs of a special understanding of pitching nuance. To find the last Yankee farmhand to exhibit that kind of early command, you'd have to go back to Mariano Rivera. Hughes was kept to about 100 innings last year as the Yankees were being super-cautious; this year he'll be upped to 140, beginning in Tampa.
Tyler Clippard, RHP
Clippard's numbers from his breakout 2005 season look impressive enough: 30 fewer hits than innings pitched and a 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Then you consider that this would've been his sophomore year of college and that he had that success in the high Class A Florida State League. Clippard's fastball grades a tick above average, usually in the 92-mph range. He complements it with a very good curve and changeup. He's had a lot of success since being a 2003 draft pick, with good stuff and excellent command, posting a 3.32 ERA and a better than 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio in his Minor League career. He'll move up to Trenton at age 21.

Melky Cabrera, OF
In New York, there are expectations that any time a player comes up, he's going to be the next superstar. Cabrera jumped up from Double-A to the Bronx last year at age 20, as the Yankees tried to catch lightning in a bottle. Cabrera simply wasn't ready. It's worth pointing out that Soriano went 10-for-58 in his first two callups before figuring some things out. Cabrera may not be Soriano, but he is a switch-hitter who can hit and has had some success at the Double-A level already. His experience in the big leagues (he went 4-for-19) could be a good thing, depending on how he responds to it. Considering he was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year in the Dominican this winter after hitting .315 and stealing seven bases in 40 games, then was added to the Dominican Caribbean Series team, it appears he's responded well. Not blessed with tremendous speed, Cabrera will have to improve his breaks and routes on balls in order to stick as a center fielder, and there's some debate over whether he'll be able to do so. He'll get the chance to show what he can do there in Columbus this season.

Matt DeSalvo, RHP
Non-drafted free agents don't exactly enter pro ball with a ton of expectations. DeSalvo was a fifth-year senior out of Division III Marietta when he signed before the 2003 draft. He's been moving steadily through the system since. He was Double-A Trenton's ace in 2005, going 9-5 with a 3.02 ERA, striking out 151 in 149 innings and holding hitters to a .202 average. Since signing, DeSalvo has put up a 2.62 ERA and kept Minor League hitters to a .206 average. He was put on the 40-man roster just recently. A bulldog, DeSalvo is a very cerebral pitcher who's actually written a novel. He's competing in big-league camp and will begin the season in Columbus' rotation, knocking on the door in New York.

Sean Henn, LHP
Don't let the rocky big-league debut fool you. Henn performed well in Double-A and Triple-A in 2005, and there are those within the organization who think the southpaw is really close to being ready to contribute positively. He lost command while up in New York. If he can regain faith in his stuff, he'll become a very good commodity -- a lefty with a good arm -- in a pretty thin market. He'll begin the year in the Columbus rotation, but it remains to be seen where he finishes.

2. J. Brent Cox, RHP
1-2, 2.60 ERA, 27 2/3 IP, 20 H, 5 BB, 27 Ks</B> One of the top college closers while at the University of Texas, the Yankees took it slow with Cox last summer, allowing him to pitch in just 16 games after he pitched in several pressure-packed College World Series games. He's since acquired a changeup which will help him attack left-handed hitters to go along with a fastball and hard slider tossed with a Jeff Nelson-like delivery. He'll begin the year in Trenton, but could very well move quickly from there.

RHP Josh Schmidt (15) went 5-1 with a 0.27 ERA, 47 K's and 13 saves in 33 IP with Staten Island

These are the players I found interesting. There are a few more, but in any case I see this as an encouraging step to the Yankees 'rebuilding' on the fly.

[MarinersFan87]

Yeah, they make crack the top 26 or so in terms of systems.

[Dry1313]

OK true they still suck but it's nice to finally see some promising prospects.

[RockSports17]

Hopefully these spects stick with the Yanks. Really, it's only a matter of time until these specs get traded also. It's just a known fact with Stein that he rather win now, and not care bout the future.

Remember a couple seasons ago, when we had Rivera, Nick Johnson, and Navarro. Yah, all gone.

[Dry1313]

True, but they actually didn't really pan out. I hope one of these guys will flower into a stud.

[Fishercat]

We have no idea about Navarro and if Nick Johnson didn't "pan out", you have some high standards. He's been hurt, but he's been quite a bit above average for two of the past three years.

Kind of interesting that what Sickels says is the #2 prospect in the Yankees system (Jose Tabata) didn't have a write-up.

The system is better than it was before, as it seems the big-money clubs are finally discovering that having a farm system might be a good idea, but teams like the Sox and Yanks still have a long way to go.

[Dry1313]

Very true. I love how we can shell out money for overpriced veterans but can't put the money into scouting a player like Albert Pujols. $200 Million isn't as good as it sounds when you spend it on the wrong thing...

[Saber]

While the Yankees finally have some talent in the system again, almost none of it is above A-ball.

[Dry1313]

True. Which is why for the few I believe are can't miss: Clippard, Hughes, Cox, and Duncan, the Yankees sytem is still suspect to performance. I just like to see them heading in the right direction, finally.

[Saber]

Well, no prospects are can't-miss, especially young pitchers like Hughes. As for Duncan, I just don't think he's any good.

[Dry1313]

I agree with you to an extent but if Duncan is highly valued by other teams he's worth a little bit to me and he's obviously the Yankees best hitting Spec. As for Hughes, I don't factor in injury to his value because everyone has potential to get a career ending injury whenever they take the field. But if you're 19 and throwing 97 and holding your own in AA, I see you as very close to can't miss. Also, don't factor much into this article, because it is off of Yankees.com, and what are they gonna say, the System sucks?

[Molina00]

Matsui was actually in the Yankee system? I thought he went straight from Japan to the big leagues.

[Dry1313]

He did but he was still a direct input on the Yankees. Soraino was 'drafted' out of Japan but I think it took him less than a Year to crack the Yanks. That just illustrates my point though. Our only good "prospects" were already trained in Japan. I call Matsui a prospect because he was technically a Rookie.

[Fishercat]

It seems that Duncan's stock has fallen lately. A nice AFL Performance helped him, but it seems the Red Sox/Yankee prospect mystique (read: overrating) is wearing off a bit.

As for Hughes, there is no such thing as a sure thing in a pitching prospect. Well, maybe Felix, but even Prior who has a lot of talent and who had mechanics that some believed made him almost invulnerable to pitch counts has had various oddball injuries. No such thing as a sure thing.