HAL STEINBRENNER JUST GOT PRO-ACTIVE...

And I guess Hank's out taking a smoke break.

I was happy to see this report in the New York Post today (HERE) about how Hal is having a meeting to discuss the Yankees' farm system,  but I question how an owner, with Steinbrenner blood, could he be so late to the party when all of us fans have been calling out the Yankee brass for not "readying" their minor league system. The same minor league system that for years they have touted as, "one of the best."

According to the Post, "Steinbrenner summoned his baseball people to a Tampa meeting yesterday to discuss something other than the Alex Rodriguez saga.

With questions about the lack of talent in the minor league system ready to help at the big league level, Steinbrenner gathered his department heads.

General manager Brian Cashman attended and the group more than likely included Tampa based minor league head Mark Newman, Damon Oppenheimer, who is in charge of the amateur draft, and Donny Rowland, the director of international scouting."

(In Photo: Former Yankee Andrew Brackman)
Look, I have been very critical of the way the Yankees have handled the minor leaguers for a few years now, read MAYBE THE GROOMING OF YOUNG YANKEE TALENT AIN'T WORKING,
where I wrote:

"The Yankees have over-hyped talent since their historic run from 1996 to 2000. We've heard every big name youngster be mentioned as "the next best thing." Then, like clockwork, something happens, be it a trade, or they get hurt and are never the same, or, they just disappear."

I got heat for it, but it almost seems like it's coming to light.  By the way, let me be clear, there are many very talented youngsters on the Yankees farm, but there are several that the Yankees either "baby" or don't give a shot because of over working or not giving them a chance in the pros.  Others are a few years away... it's not a blanket attack, trust me.

Now, when it comes to "babying", that's been well documented with our investigative work when it came to Bill Masse, a former Yankee and former Trenton Thunder manager who blasted Yankee brass for the handling of Phil Hughes, he said, " “We get so ridiculous with this dumb pitch count stuff… Somebody came up with a pitch count thing (like) this is going to decide if a kid’s arm is going to be healthy or not. It’s like predicting the weather sometimes. ‘If he throws 66 pitches, he will be fine, but if he throws 81, he is going to get hurt.’ No one can predict that...The only negative you run into is that he never learns how to pitch when he is tired. He never learns how to pitch when he is a little bit fatigued. I think you run into those problems because he is always fresh." 

(In Photo: Tyler Austin)
And that's just pitching, who really knows about the other kids, like Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin, guys we really want to see right now in pinstripes.  I know you guys agree because you fans have been calling for the kids for a while now. In fact, we have reported the same here on occasion, read LET THE YANKEES KIDS PLAY!

That being said, Bleeding Yankee Blue is fair here, we report on both sides, read YOUNG GUNS III: STRUGGLE OF THE KILLER B's. Bottom line, many young players are signed and then disappear only to either find out that they are hurt, or the Yankees just give up, release or trade them off. 

Put it this way... look at Jesus Montero for example, the guy was supposed to be our "top prospect", yet we traded him.  Now, it just so happens that Montero has his own issues as of late, with the Biogenesis list, read HERE, but the point is, when we have "top" talent, the goal is to groom "top" talent to get them up to the pros.  It's frustrating and disappointing as a fan, but I'm glad Hal Steinbrenner is actually angry about this... I mean, where the hell has the guy been?

Good work to the Post's, George King III and Dan Martin to bringing this all to our attention. And to Hal... get moving man, we have issues with our minor league development. There's a log jam and it's time to keep the line moving and bring our guys up!

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