Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Near the beginning of John Sickels' absolute-must-read-for-Yankee-fans interview with Mark Newman, I read something that should (if true) send shivers down the spine of every right-thinking fan of an American League team ...
Our strength is clearly in upper-level pitching. We have several high-ceiling arms who will be at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this year and will be in the majors within a year or two. We have pitchers who can be high-end rotation members, it is our obvious strength.
Really? If the Yankees are stacked with blue-chip pitching prospects, they're going to be pretty hard to beat, right? Even if the organization doesn't trust the kids to bring home the division title, they can trade them for whatever they might need. Right?
Relax.
Sickels didn't contradict Newman, but Sickels rates only two Yankee farmhands among the game's top 50 pitching prospects: Dellin Betances (Grade B+, No. 16) and Manny Banuelos (Grade B, No. 34). In fact, Hector Noesi is the only other Yankee pitcher who gets a Grade B or better.
The Yankees do have a solid farm system, which should be scary enough. But no, it doesn't look like the rest of the league is about to be awash in a wave of fresh-faced Yankee pitchers. If just one of those guys wins even a dozen games for the big club in 2012, it will constitute a mild upset.
15 comments
Comments
Kevin Goldstein...
…at BP is considerably higher on the Yankees pitching prospects. I think the issue for the Yankees is more the cost and age of their positional players, though.
by APV on Mar 3, 2011 9:25 AM EST reply actions
And the ceiling.
Betances and Banuelos both have pretty huge ceilings, and Brackman, though less likely to reach it, does as well.
I don’t think the organization’s any more “stacked” with young pitching than it was when Hughes and Joba were doing their thing back in ‘07, but they’ve got some good arms there. If you were looking for KC-level depth of potential impact arms, obviously the system comes up short.
by slamcactus on Mar 3, 2011 9:35 AM EST up reply actions
Small sample size?
Rob,
Not saying that the Yankees are stacked, pitching-wise, but cherry picking from just one prospects list seems short-sighted. As APV mentioned, BP has Banuelos and Betances, in particular, rated extremely highly, as does John Manuel at BA. Frankie Pilliere, late of Fanhouse, might have the three Bs ranked most highly of all. There is also pretty universal agreement that there are potential back end starters as well in guys like Adam Warren, Noesi, Ivan Nova, David Phelps, just to name a few.
Anyway, I’d say your post, while probably correct concerning your 2012 prediction, is suffering from what you would normally deride as a small sample size.
That said, enjoying the SBNation work immensely and looking forward to reading it for years to come!
by sir_captain on Mar 3, 2011 10:03 AM EST reply actions
Forgot to add
Keith Law is also extremely high on Banuelos in particular.
by sir_captain on Mar 3, 2011 10:15 AM EST up reply actions
A B+ and B are pretty good prospect ratings from Sickels.
Folksy literate type.
by birdman on Mar 3, 2011 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
Oh for sure
Rob seemed to be pointing less towards their grades than their numerical rankings. Though I’d argue Banuelos as a B+, I think
by sir_captain on Mar 3, 2011 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
numerical rankings?
Folksy literate type.
by birdman on Mar 3, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
In the sense
that Rob (who I wish would participate more in his comments!) used John’s overall rankings of Betances and especially Banuelos, coupled with the lack of Brackman as a large part of his argument that the Yankees don’t have some very good SP prospects. My point being simply that there’s a divergence of opinion here, and guys like Keith Law, Manuel, Goldstein, etc, disagree.
by sir_captain on Mar 4, 2011 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
brackman
For what it is worth, I should probably have given Brackman a Grade B.
I like Banuelos, Betances, and Brackman a lot.
by John Sickels on Mar 3, 2011 11:11 AM EST reply actions
Thanks for chiming in, John
Have you considered bumping Banuelos to a B+? A lot of people seem to think he’s the best of the bunch.
by sir_captain on Mar 3, 2011 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
Banuelos
Banuelos was the highest-rated B in the book.
by John Sickels on Mar 3, 2011 5:19 PM EST up reply actions
Rob's typical anti-Yankee bias
Rob – it is actually possible for the Yankees to do something right which is not 100% directly tied to their money. Most of the pitching prospects are just standard issue draft picks. Brackman got more money because he’s a Boras guy, and Batences got $1M as a late round pick, but lots of teams do that. We’re looking forward to a tidal wave of young pitchers and a future of 110 games won on regular basis. Go Yanks!
by gyaris on Mar 3, 2011 11:15 AM EST reply actions
"...a future of 110 games won on regular basis."
Based on all the other teams in baseball deciding to play using eight-year olds, or the Yanks’ history of 110 win seasons (exactly two, 2!!) in the modern era of baseball???
by sportsczar on Mar 3, 2011 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
Obviously 110 games is hyperbole
But think about it. The Yankees have won 90+ games every year for a decade and in that time the list of players they’ve developed was basically Alfonso Soriano and Robinson Cano. Since Cashman has re focused on building the farm-system they’ve gotten Hughes, Chamberlain and Gardner plus guys they’ve traded guys like Kennedy and Jackson. Right now their farm system is in the top five. If this is a trend that continues and they can regularly get some cost controlled players to contribute to the club, it makes their spending power that much more of an advantage.
by Pflood83 on Mar 3, 2011 4:29 PM EST up reply actions
Manny B looked pretty darn impressive against the Red Sox. For a 19 yo to hit 96 mph, and have a plus CB and changeup, and decent command is something. Smooth delivery as well, looks a bit like Johan Santana. Of course, he did not face a tough lineup, the wind was blowing in, and it’s only ST.
If he can avoid injury, he looks like a potential #1 or #2 guy, and may be MLB ready in 2012.
by pft on Mar 5, 2011 2:55 AM EST reply actions
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