AN UGLY ONE, BUT THERE'S A BIG PICTURE

Masahiro Tanaka had a bad day. Usually when that happens, the Yankees lose and we all feel bad. One game sucks.  Looking at the entire series, or the entire season... this game doesn't mean anything.  More on that in a moment.

Tanaka was never really ever able to settle down today.  He seemed kind of out of it.  He ended up going 5 innings, giving up 10 hits and 7 runs.  Danny Burawa followed and gave up an additional 3 runs.  That was followed by Jose De Paula gave up an additional run.  Over all, we looked terrible on the mound.

The Yankee run scoring went like this...

In the second, Brian McCann hit a solo homer. Then came Brendan Ryan singling in Chris Young. 

Then Stephen Drew did something special... he hit a homer in the 7th and then again in the 9th.

Those are the Yankees 4.

Look, it was one of those days.  There really isn't much more to say about it.  There are good games and bad games.  In the grand scheme of things... this isn't that big a deal, we won the series, lost 1 game against the Tigers.

It reminds me of my kid.  He played 3 games in 2 days a few days ago.  He struck out 4 times in 2 of those games.  He was bummed out.  I looked at him and said, "Dude... you walked a few times, you had 2 hits, you scored runs and had 2 RBIs. Overall, you batted 2-6. You batted .333."  My son half-smiled.  When he looked at the whole picture, 4 strikeouts, while it sucked and he rarely does it, was small in the whole 3 games. And that's like this weekend in the Bronx.  The Yankees only lost 1 of 3.  Big picture, it's no big deal.  1 game, 1 horrible game, on it's surface... sucks. But you move on... and  that's what we'll do.

Final: Tigers 12 - Yankees 4

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YANKEES ADD 4 TO THE 40-MAN ROSTER

The Yankees have spoken.

(In Photo: Mason Williams)
They released this statement:

"The New York Yankees today announced that they have added OF Tyler Austin, RHP Danny Burawa, RHP Branden Pinder and OF Mason Williams to the Major League roster. The Yankees also have sold the rights of INF Zelous Wheeler to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League."

(In Photo: Tyler Austin)
We just reported the Wheeler info in THE YANKEES ARE KILLING OFF THEIR YOUNG.

(In Photo: Danny Burawa)
As Chad Jenning of LoHud wrote just a few moments ago: "They’ve obviously chosen to bank on Mason Williams’ upside, and they’ve made it clear that Danny Burawa and Branden Pinder rank ahead of Mark Montgomery on the bullpen depth chart."

And there you have it.Interesting.

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THE YANKEES' FUTURE ISN'T SO BAD AFTER ALL

(In Photo: Aaron Judge, Michael O'Neill) (Courtesy: Charleston River Dogs)
Over the past few seasons we’ve listened as experts have told us how the Yankees’ farm system is slowly digressing.  The philosophy of using the minor league talent to land other teams’ established veterans had depleted our future and left the organization nothing more than a top-heavy behemoth vulnerable to the slightest of setbacks.

Last year seemed to bear that out as we had no real answers when Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter, and their replacements, fell to injury.

I’ve had the opportunity over the years (thanks to a minor league club – the Syracuse Chiefs – being nearby) to watch some of the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders’ games, and what I’ve witnessed hasn’t exactly validated the experts’ assessments.

I’ve seen players with genuine talent and passion for the game make solid cases (in my mind) for the stability of our favorite team’s future.

To that end, I decided to take a look at how many of our “Baby Bombers” are currently doing at their various levels of baseball.  I discovered that the Yankees have a number of players distinguishing themselves in their quest to reach “The Show”.

(Courtesy: Charleston River Dogs)
At Single A level Charleston (RiverDogs), we have first baseman Mike Ford hitting .333 with a .464 slugging percentage through 15 games.

In the outfield for the RiverDogs is Aaron Judge.  The 22-year-old was drafted in the first round (32^nd pick overall) last year, and like Ford, is hitting .321 through 16 games.

(Courtesy: Charleston River Dogs) 
Starting pitcher Caleb Smith carries a 1.26 ERA and 1.12 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) with 13 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched.

Out of the bullpen, Charleston brings 23-year-old Nick Rumbelow who has three saves, a 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Moving up to A (Advanced) level Tampa, there’s Dante Bichette Jr., a third baseman, who is hitting .358 with a 1.028 OPS (stat that represents a combination of slugging and on-base percentages) with 16 walks in 17 games.

Teammate Peter O’Brien, also a third baseman, is batting .333 and has a 1.086 OPS.  He leads Tampa with six home runs and has 12 RBI in 16 games.

On the mound in Florida, we have Eric Wooten, a starter that currently carries a 2.11 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP.  Wooten has struck out 16 and walked just 4 in 21.1 innings.

Fellow starter Rafael DePaula has a 2.51 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and six walks in 14.1 innings.

So, what about the guys within reach of a call-up?

Well, at Trenton (Double A) the Thunder have top prospect Gary Sanchez.  The catcher isn’t disappointing by hitting .302 with a .453 slugging percentage and .846 OPS with 13 RBI in 14 games.  If he continues at this rate, chances are you’ll see him at Scranton for the second half of the season. Teammate Kyle Roller, a first baseman, is batting .308 with three home runs and a 1.110 OPS.

24-year-old starter Zach Nuding touts a 2.89 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while striking out 18 in 18.2 innings.

Closing out games for the Thunder is 26-year-old Diego Moreno.  He is among the league leaders with four saves and holds a 1.29 ERA with a microscopic 0.43 WHIP. 

The Yankees have some guys at Triple A Scranton/Wilkes Barre (the RailRiders) who are making strong cases for themselves as well.

We’ve all become familiar with Scott Sizemore whose demotion back to Scranton was nothing more than a result of the roster shell game that teams have to play.  He’s batting .344 with a .936 on-base percentage.  I really would be surprised if we didn’t seem him return sometime soon.

Our Triple A club has a strong bullpen and most representative of that are relievers Mark Montgomery and Danny Burawa.

The 23-year-old Montgomery seems to be on the fast track to the majors.  He has been promoted every year and with a 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and nine strikeouts in eight innings, his meteoric rise through the organization doesn’t appear to be slowing.

Burawa is the 25-year-old complement to Montgomery and his statistics are just as impressive.  Like his teammate, Burawa has a 0.00 ERA.  His WHIP is slightly higher at 1.05, but he has struck out 12 in a little over six innings.

After reviewing how our minor leaguers have begun 2014, I can’t help but think that the Yankees’ future is in good hands.  It is clear that on the horizon there are stars just waiting to explode onto the scene in New York. 

I’ve only mentioned a few here to make the point that while there are prognosticators who will be critical of the organization that has won more championships than any other, only time will be the true evaluation of our scouts’ hard work.

Will any of these guys be the next Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera? 

Probably not, but none of them can be discounted just yet.

Talent like that comes around once in a generation if you’re lucky, and God knows we’ve been pretty damn lucky over the years.

Nonetheless, what these ballplayers (and others) represent is depth in a system that many like to call barren.  They give us a glimpse into what the future holds for the Yankees.

I like what I see.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1




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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IS SO DAMN GOOD!

I had the fortune of being able to attend the Syracuse Chiefs Opening Day in Syracuse last Thursday.  It was special for me not because the local minor league team was beginning its season (the Washington
Nationals are the parent club), but because it was the opener for our “baby bombers” – the Scranton / Wilkes Barre RailRiders – who happened to be the Chiefs’ opponents.

It was a golden opportunity to watch the guys who didn’t make the Major League team and see what kind of potential would be on display.

I wasn’t disappointed.

As the game progressed, it became clear to me that our minor league system isn’t as barren as some would lead you to believe (perhaps our organization is scrutinized more heavily because of our success?).  Several stars emerged, and while it was only one game, it was still evident that the Yankees have a number of players with the talent to make it to “the show”.

Among those that most impressed were Scott Sizemore, one of the odd men out (with Eduardo Nunez) in the battle for the Yankees backup infielder spots.  He went three-for-three with three singles and a walk.

Russ Canzler, playing first base, showed good power in hitting two doubles during successive at bats and drove a long fly to right in his final time at the plate.

Zelous Wheeler, the shortstop, had a single and double in four trips to the plate and looked solid in the field.

Of all the players in the lineup, the one that stood out for me was Ramon Flores, the right fielder.  He had two hits during the game, one of which was a triple where tore around the bases at a speed that Secretariat would envy.  However, the play that I’ll remember isn’t one where Flores was batting.


It was the bottom of the fifth and the RailRiders led 4 – 1.  The Chiefs had runners at the corners and no one out.  Our starter, Bruce Billings, was beginning to labor and Syracuse’s Will Rhymes was at the plate.  The second baseman hit a fly ball of medium depth to right field.   Flores first started back on the ball then stepped forward towards it, and without hesitation made the catch and fired a throw on a line to home plate.  It took one bounce and settled perfectly into catcher JR Murphy’s glove a half-second before the runner arrived.

If you are an outfielder, it’s the type of play you dream about.

The hitters and fielders weren’t the only ones to leave their mark on Opening Day.  While our big league club has had a great start from its bullpen, the Triple-A relief corps wasn’t going to be outdone.

25-year-old Danny Burawa struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh, Mark Montgomery retired the Chiefs in order in the eighth, and Matt Daley struck out the side on 13 pitches to close out the game.

One couldn’t help but be impressed with the RailRiders from top to bottom.

As I left the stadium that day, I felt confidence in the future of our club.  Each of the players I have mentioned is at the cusp of their career in pinstripes, and I’m excited for their arrival in the Bronx.

Should our parent club need reinforcements during the season, I’ll have no problem with the powers-that-be reaching from within to fulfill their need.

The next time you hear someone tell you how thin the Yankees’ farm system is, just give a smile and walk away knowing that we are far better off than they think.  Take my word on it.



    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1




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