Stick A Fork In Them - They Are Done

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:12am

The Yankees ain't doing it this year

They are playing like zombies. Their lineup is old & older & the same can be said about their pitching. They panicked & signed Clemens & now that will be like flushing money down a sewer. The Sox are red hot & 10 up & the Yanks are ice cold

Look for a new manager next year & wholesale changes via free agency as their farm system has been depleted by trades for has beens

[Patronus]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:32am

their farm system has been depleted by trades for has beens

While this used to be the case, it isn't true any more. The Yankees buckled down on trading their prospects in the middle of the 2005 season and as a result they have actually built a pretty strong farm system. The emergence and development of Robinson Cano is the first visible evidence of this.

Phillip Hughes and Jose Tabata (OF) rank in the top 25 prospects in baseball. They acquired Humberto Sanchez (SP) in the Gary Sheffield deal and while he is recovering from Tommy John surgery he still profiles to be a very strong middle of the rotation starter.

They have a young flame thrower in the lower levels of the minors named Dellin Betances (SP/RP) who profiles to be a major league closer.

That isn't even mentioning 2006 1st round draft pick Joba Chamberlain (SP) and guys like Ian Kennedy (SP), J. Brent Cox (SP), Kevin Whelan (SP) and Marcos Vechionacci (INF)- all of whom could get quality time in the majors. They even have a fairly strong upper minors system as well. If something were to happen to one of their OFs Bronson Sardinha is ready to step in and be a decent option in the big leagues.

Another guy that I like a lot and have covered quite extensively is Tyler Clippard (SP), who will likely be starting Sunday nights game. He has quietly put together an extremely strong minor league career.

Here is a snippet on Clippard from an article I recently wrote:
Tyler Clippard has made a career out of playing over his head. At Palm Harbor High School, Clippard didn’t make the varsity baseball team in his freshman or sophomore year. It took transferring to a different school to get a shot – and he made the most of it. He went 6-2 with a 1.80 ERA for Mitchell High School and struck out 99 batters in 63 innings. Thus began the “little engine that could” style story of Yankees right-hander, Tyler Clippard.

Clippard has had some issues with alcohol and actually was kicked off the team at Mitchell High School for his senior year after being charged with a DUI to begin the season. Fortunately, he learned a hard lesson as a kid and his work ethic has lead to him becoming a very interesting prospect.

He has become somewhat famous for not having what scouts would call “wow” stuff. Given the recent dose of Dice-K Mania that we’ve all been wrapped up in, you should be familiar with the term “pitching backwards.” Clippard’s greatest attribute is that he has an above average curveball and change up, both of which he can throw consistently for strikes. He isn’t afraid to throw any of his pitchers early in the count and more often than not get ahead of the batter regardless of pitch selection. His fastball has decreased in velocity a bit over the past couple of seasons going from 94 on occasion to topping out at 92 in 2006, but his ability to locate it and mix it in later in the count after getting ahead with his off speed pitches is his bread and butter.

The knock on Clippard is that he tends to miss higher in the strike zone with his fastball and due to it sitting in the high 80s/low 90s most of the time it makes him a bit prone to give up the long ball.

The question to ask is: how long do you have to play over your head before it stops being over your head?
In 2006, Clippard dominated in the 2nd half of the season at Trenton that was highlighted by a no-hitter. He led the Eastern league in strikeouts and ranked 5th overall in the entire minors. While he may not have as good of stuff as recent Yankee call up and former AAA teammate Phillip Hughes, the fact remains that this is someone who has logged 557Ks in 513 innings in the minors.

The Yankees rotation is hardly an impenetrable force this season. Mussina, Pavano, Wang and most recently Hughes have all had DL time this season. It appears that Pavano is about to be lost for the year as reports indicate he’ll need Tommy John surgery. Andy Pettitte has a great ERA thus far, but he still is giving up a lot of hits and walks. This is a guy who had a 4.20 ERA in the NL Central last year and is now in the dangerous AL East. The only silver lining here is that he doesn’t have to face the Yankees line up. Igawa has looked absolutely awful so far.

Obviously, Hughes is going to be the guy that is going to get the press, he is the guy that is going to be billed as the future, but if Tyler Clippard can continue using his deceptive stuff and trickery on the mound to fool hitters at the big league level just like he has at every level of the minors, the little engine that could might be on the tracks at Yankee Stadium as soon as this season.
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Ultimately, I agree with you. The Yankees aren't making the playoffs this year, imo - with or without Roger Clemens. However, due to them becoming a bit more conservative with their prospects the future looks fairly bright.
Updated On: 5/19/07 at 10:32 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:36am

This is interesting info but do you not agree that this year is hopelss.

If the Mets take 2 more, that is about it . Steinbrenner may now wait until next year for a new manager as he is about ready to explode

[Patronus]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:41am

Yeah, I added that at the end of my post. When I did my pre-season projections, I didn't have the Yankees in the playoffs and I'm sticking by that.

My comments were more in response to people saying that the farm system has been depleted. They've actually went to great lengths to rebuild their system and at this point it is probably one of the Top 7 or 8 farm systems in baseball.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/19/07 at 10:43am

They do indeed than have reason for hope