BIRD IS THE WORD

Greg Bird is flying high down in the Arizona Fall League right now. I was talking to somebody at work about him the other day and I got a weird face and a "Who is THAT?!" remark. Well, if you don't know who he is you will by the end of this article because he is definitely opening some eyes.

I love the Arizona Fall League, it is a great way to get a great seat to a ball game and pay very little for it. Oh and you get to watch players and years later you can say "HEY I knew him before he became a superstar for my team." Bird is doing some big things down in Arizona right now. Who knows, maybe he could be our next big superstar. As the resident "prospect hugger" as I have been called....I can only hope.

Bird started off hot. In his first game he hit a home run and he hasn't missed a beat since then. So far, he has played in 11 games and has hit safely in all of them. An impressive 7 of his last 16 hits have gone for extra bases and three of those were doubles. So far he has three home runs, and two of them came from the same game on October 16th. It looks like the desert southwest may agree with him! I guess it is no surprise that with a start like this he was already named the Arizona Fall League player of the week.

A lot of people may not be familiar with Bird, but he was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 draft and is currently ranked as the Yankees 11th best prospect. He started playing for Single-A Charleston in 2013 where he hit 20 home runs. This season he split time between Single-A Advanced Tampa and AA Trenton Thunder where he hit 14 home runs in 102 games played. I bet his numbers would have been even better if he hadn't missed time early in the season due to an injury. I think the thing I like most about him is his good plate discipline. He doesn't swing at bad pitches, in 2013he lead the league in walks with more than 100. He can hit for power, but he can take a walk when needed. He just has a good eye!

So what's next for Bird? He has a ways to go before we could see him in pinstripes. Of course, the Yankees have Mark Teixeira under contract, and even then he still has another first base prospect named Kyle Roller in front of him. With talent like his though, we could see him sooner rather than later.

For the mean time, if you live in Arizona you can check him out in the Arizona Fall League playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions through November 15th if they make the championships. You can check out the complete schedule HERE. I know I will be there watching!

We leave you with this:



That will be in your head all day... You're welcome.




 
--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ











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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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THAT'S MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN APRIL FOR YA!

It was Thursday night after a long week and the prize- opening night at the Trenton Thunder with my son at its newly tooled Arm and Hammer Park .   As you know, the Trenton Thunder is the Double A feeder club for our very own New York Yankees.

The front page of the very first score card of 2013 dons Thunder veterans’ Melky Mesa, David Phelps and Adam Warren.  We are definitely off to a good start.  I should also say that the Alumni Spotlight article features new Yankee Kevin Youkilis who will be “immortalized on May 10th” with his very own bobble head.  After all, you haven’t made it big until you get sculpted into your very own bobble head.

Now like most people who are avid baseball fans, there’s a routine or ritual that you follow when you enter the park.  For me, at the Thunder, it’s a bee-line to Chickie & Pete’s for some Italian hot dogs and a bucket of their infamous crab fries.  Now, I am ready for some baseball.

(In Photo: Zach Nuding with the River Dogs)
My son, Chris, and I head to our seats just behind third .  Pitching prospect Zach Nuding is on the mound for the Thunder.  Nuding pitches well against the San Francisco Giants’ club, the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Nuding gives up six hits in six innings and only allows one run for his opening day outing against Richmond.  He’s a big guy, with some bulk to him- 6’4” and 240 pounds.  I have to say he looks like a Joba Chamberlain who I also saw pitch in Trenton only about five years ago.  Nuding is taller than Chamberlain, but he has that look, the hungry for the majors’ look and that’s what we need in our future stars.

I also got a good look at catcher JR Murphy, outfielder Slade Heathcott and shortstop Walter Ibarra.  Ibarra made a crazy snatch at the deepest part of shortstop just shy of third base and hurled a strike to first base to nab the runner.  Awesome, play as one of the fans yelled, “Yeah, you are ready for the Bronx, kid!” 

It’s not baseball weather at ballpark tonight.  Anyone who’s been to a game in April at night knows that it’s not a picnic- it’s raw, windy and cold, but that’s baseball in April for ya!  Even though Nuding pitches a stellar game, the Thunder could not hold down the Flying Squirrels who picked away at the 5-1 lead to tie the game at the top of the 9th. 

As fans beg for a walk off in the bottom of the 9th, they would have to wait in the cold until the bottom of the 11th for a 6-5 win thanks to a tremendous triple by Slade Heathcott followed by a sacrifice fly to win the game.  That’s the first game in the books for 2013. 

Some takeaways from tonight’s game and win: starting the season with a walk off is a great sign of things to come.  I’m a little superstitious like that, in a good way and I like what I felt at the ballpark tonight in Trenton, NJ.   I felt passion.  The team has some heart and some talent in first baseman Kyle Roller up from Tampa, Heathcott, Nuding, and perhaps even the shortstop from Mexico Walter Ibarra.

Good things are in the making in Trenton folks and we already have many of their stars in our major league club in Derek Jeter, David Robertson, Robinson Cano, and Brett Gardner to name a few.  Let’s keep the momentum going and invest in our guys in the farm clubs.  The future is ours, if we take the time to grow the garden right now. 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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BIG INVITES FOR YANKEES SPRING TRAINING

The Yankees have invited 44 players to Major League Spring Training camp. Now I'm starting to get psyched.    

Here's the list of the Yankees' spring invitees:

Pitchers: 

RHP Corey Black

LHP Juan Cedeno

RHP Preston Claiborne

RHP Matt Daley

RHP Shane Greene

RHP Nick Goody

RHP David Herndon

RHP Tom Kahnle

 

RHP Jim Miller

RHP Bryan Mitchell

RHP Mark Montgomery

RHP Zach Nuding

LHP Vidal Nuno

RHP Mike O'Brien

RHP Kelvin Perez

RHP Branden Pinder

 

RHP Ryan Pope

LHP Josh Spence

LHP Matt Tracy

RHP Chase Whitley

Catchers: 

Francisco Arcia

Kyle Higashioka

J.R. Murphy

Gary Sanchez

Bobby Wilson

Infield: 

Greg Bird

Cito Culver

Walter Ibarra

Dan Johnson

Addison Maruszak

Luke Murton

Jayson Nix

Jose Pirela

Kyle Roller

Gil Velazquez

Outfield: 

Abraham Almonte

Tyler Austin

Matt Diaz

Adonis Garcia

Slade Heathcott

Ronnier Mustelier

Thomas Neal

Juan Rivera

Rob Segedin

2 players I am curious about.  Why wasn't Russ Canzler and Mason Williams invited? Not sure I know the answer, but I would have loved to have seen them compete for a spot.  It would have been fun. I must have missed something. 

Congrats to the guys who got a spot! I can't wait...

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