Introducing Your 2012 Charleston River Dogs. Part 2/3: The Relief Pitchers

It would stand to reason that the segment of this three part series that everyone is most looking forward to would be the hitters. In the interest of keeping everyone on the edge of their seat, in eager anticipation of the hitters post, I have decided to save the best for last. That said, the relief corps at Charleston this year will be very impressive and each significant piece of that bullpen deserves some ink. This is the list of relievers I believe will be pitching in Charleston this year, with a little bit of information on each. The official rosters haven't been submitted yet, so this is only a projection. A common theme for most of the players in this post is that they are all capable of becoming fast movers.This is for two reasons. First of all, the relievers the Yankees draft are often older, necessitating quicker movement through the system to get full value. Secondly, the Yankees tend to be less cautious with relievers. If they have the stuff, they will move up.

      Looks Happy!      

1. Branden Pinder, RH, CP: This is the most obvious choice. He's 23 years old. There's a strong possibility he's ready for Tampa, but the Yankees generally move their prospects one level at a time, with few exceptions. One advantage of this for Pinder is he will likely get to close for the River Dogs, where he might have to fight for saves with Mark Montgomery in Tampa. Look for Pinder to have a big year in Charleston, given that the level of competition isn't all that different from Staten Island. He's not huge but he's a big guy, at 6'3, 210 lbs. He owned batters over 31.0 IP in Staten Island this year with 38 strikeouts and a miniscule 1.16 ERA. Teams had to face him in the 9th inning, where he accrued 14 saves in his first season. He throws a fastball with an average velocity of 93 with a knockout slider that serves as his major strikeout pitch. His fastball can get up to 97 mph, and he has a sneaky delivery with great extension, much like David Robertson. He's working on a change up as well. Pinder's control of his fastball and slider are excellent, which is represented by his 5 walks in 31 IP. He may not last too long in Charleston, and I'd be surprised if we didn't see him pitching in Tampa before the end of the season.

  Smiling not allowed!

2. Philip Wetherell, RHP: Phil Wetherell is a very large man. He is very much in the mold of other recent draftees Kahnle and Burawa. He's 6'5, 225 lbs. His fastball ranges from 91-95 (reaching 96 mph), and he came to Staten Island already armed with a "fall off the table" splitter to complement his fastball. Drafted in the 8th round out of college, he will be 22 years old this season. He is also in the process of developing a slider. It's not a plus pitch yet, but it could become a pitch he uses to keep hitters honest. He is a true power pitcher, with all three of his pitches coming at you at above 87 mph. This year he used those tools to throw 30.0 IP with 41 K's. He did walk 15 batters though, and struggled with control at times. Overall his ERA was 2.40, and he had a successful first year in the minors. Wetherell, at his size, doesn't need a sneaky delivery to have a heavy fastball. He does need to work on his control though. He currently projects as a late inning reliever because of that "Philthy" splitter. If that slider develops into something more than a fringe pitch, we could be looking at a setup man, or even a closer in the future. He's another potential fast mover, especially if he can gain some control and make some progress with that slider.

Teeth show weakness

3. Zach Arneson, RHP: Another 23 year old, he's 6'2 and 190 lbs. He's a 9th round draft pick out of college, and sits at about 94 mph with the fastball that can get up to 97 mph. Arneson also throws a power slider in the upper 80's that generates a lot of swings and misses. Much like Pinder, he is working on a change up to keep batters honest. He's actually a very similar pitcher to Pinder, except he's a little bit smaller, and needs to work on his control. He walked 8 batters in 17.1 IP for Staten Island last year, while pitching to a 3.57 ERA and striking out 17 batters. The scouting report is better than the results so far, so if he puts it all together this year, he's going to move quickly. I can't imagine teams are going to be too thrilled about facing these three at the end of the game when Charleston is winning, and it speaks to the great job the Yankees have done drafting college pitchers who end up making excellent relievers. The funny thing is, these three don't even begin to demonstrate the depth of relief pitching at this level.

4. Robert "Ben" Paullus, RHP: This 22 year old, 6'1 190 lb hurler was a 19th round draft pick last year. His statistics were great, but he fell off towards the end of the season, but that was due in part to a 5 run outing late in the season. He finished the season with a 3.86 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 30.1 IP. He walked 12 batters in that span, and held hitters to a .186 average. When he was drafted, he was throwing a low 90's fastball that could hit the mid 90's, and an 80 mph curveball, as well as an 82 mph change up. Paullus had some good success with that repertoire year one, but he still needs significant work on his mechanics and his control. It may take Paullus a bit longer to develop than the guys above him on this list, but he's still a potential fast mover and he has great stuff that could allow him to really mow down hitters in Charleston and Tampa this year.

5. Caleb "Gotham City" Cotham, RHP: 24 year old Cotham saw his first action since shoulder surgery in 2011. Shoulder surgeries are tricky, but it would be easier to come back from that as a reliever than as a starter, and so far he has impressed. When he first came up, he was sitting at 90-93 mph, topping out at 95 mph. He also threw a change up and a curve ball. Surprisingly, he seems to have maintained his velocity in 2011, hitting 90-91 regularly. There's a chance that number will increase even more as he is let loose this year. He throws a sinker with late movement as well. He throws an 85 mph power slider that he had trouble commanding this year, but that command may come with time. His results were excellent in 2011, with 32 K's in 23 innings and a 1.96 ERA. He'll be one of the older guys in Charleston, and he's still got a lot to prove. He may be the biggest sleeper in this crop of bullpen players.

Some of the other players worth noting who may appear in Charleston this year or may not include the following: Brett Gerritse is a big, softer throwing RHP who is still young enough at 21 to add some MPH's to his fastball. Cory Cowsert was an independent league signing who saw some success last season in the GCL. Corey Maines is another guy who could see some significant innings for this team. Michael Recchia and John Brebbia also looked sharp in 2011 for Staten Island, although I don't know much about their scouting reports except that they will be 23 and 21 respectively this season. Both struck out greater than or equal to one batter per inning last season. Never sleep on a young prospect, that's what I always say.

Overall, we are looking at a very solid bullpen in Charleston this upcoming season. The one thing that is missing is a left handed pitcher, but who needs that when you have 5 relievers as good as the guys above with some others who have had plenty of success filling out the rest of the innings.

Up next, the ever-exciting hitters of Charleston. It's crazy to think that this team has a potential all star at every position in the field, except maybe catcher.

Quick Update on Some (not so) Old Friends

Hector Noesi, the Mariner. Photo thanks to MLB.com

Jesus Montero hit a homerun in his first preseason game with the Mariner's. He also dropped a routine pop-up behind the dish, and got hit in the jaw twice with foul tips. The second one sent him to the dugout for the rest of the game. Sounds like it was minor, and he likely won't have to miss any time.

It's funny, because this game is a pretty solid microcosm for what Jesus Montero is. He is a phenom with the bat, and will likely continue to be that. On the other hand, he can't field worth a lick, and is looking more and more like he will in fact be a DH, maybe catching some games here and there as a backup catcher. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of value in a player like that (look at Big Papi), but getting Pineda, a possible future ace, looks like it might be worth it given the Yankees stellar lineup as it is. There's also always the possibility that Montero improves his defense, or shows us something we haven't seen yet behind the dish this season. If that happens, he might make a goat out of Brian Cashman.

Hector Noesi has been making some noise of his own in Mariners camp. He has apparently had an uptick in his velocity, now hitting 94-97 mph. So far this has been only for short spurts, as he threw two innings in his first spring contest. There had been reports of the increase in velocity coming out of his winter league performance, however, so this may be a new baseline for Noesi. He pitched two solid innings with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in the game yesterday, and was hitting 94-97 on the radar gun.

Those two innings mean absolutely nothing, but the increase in velocity may be a sign of things to come. At that velocity you can't rule out the possibility that he could turn into an ace. Given the scouting report, that doesn't seem likely, but one never knows. He'll also have the advantage of pitching in one of the largest, if not the largest field in major league baseball.  That stadium has been padding Seattle's pitching statistics since Noesi was in diapers, and it would come as no surprise to me if Noesi posts a sub 4.0 ERA this season. That wouldn't make him an ace though. All told, if Noesi was to transform into an ace, this trade could be seen as a huge failure for the Yankees and a revelation for the Mariners. It is doubtful that Noesi will ever get there though, and the Yankees don't particularly need another 3-4-5 type pitcher.

It will be interesting to see how the season turns out, but the value of this trade will ultimately be decided over 4-5 years. In any case, it would be difficult to find fault with Brian Cashman for pulling the trigger this deal no matter what happens.

Introducing Your 2012 Charleston River Dogs. Part 1 of 3: Starting Pitching

The Charleston River Dogs are poised for a great season thanks to a solid pitching staff and an excellent hitting lineup.

The coaching staff of the Charleston River Dogs, the Yankees' Single A affiliate, has been taking questions all offseason about their team for the upcoming season.

"Is this the best team you have ever coached at this level?"

"Are these the best outfielders you've ever coached in single A?"

"Is this the most talented class of players that has come through Charleston since the Joba, Hughes, and Montero class?"

You get the idea. The answer has been unequivocally "yes." Given the fact that the Yankees have all of this talent coming into Charleston and moving up through the ranks, I thought it would be fun to look at the who's who of 2012 Charleston prospects before the season gets underway.

I'll start off by saying I'm not going to get much into the organizational guys since there is very little chance they'll ever reach the majors. Suffice it to say that guys like Kyle Higashioka, Andersen Feliz, Garrison Lassiter, Kelvin Perez etc. will be back for another season to fill out the innings and back up the real prospects.

Starting Pitchers

1. Headlining the starting rotation will be newly acquired 20 year old Jose Campos from the Jesus Montero trade. You can check out his scouting report in the link, but he's a big 6'4 pitcher with all the talent in the world. If he refines his secondary offerings he has future ace potential in the major leagues. His fastball gets as high as 98 mph, that's enough to excite me. There's an outside chance he starts in High A, but that rotation is already a bit crowded.

2. Bryan Mitchell (no not the Redskins 3rd down halfback/special teams extraordinaire) will also start the season in Charleston. Mitchell is 6'2, will be 21 at the start of the season, and he has one of the best curveballs in the entire system. His fastball can also touch 96 with good movement. He also has a change up. The key for him is learning to harness and control his stuff. His 4.09 ERA is not going to take him very far in the minors, but he's got some of the best stuff in the whole farm system and towards the end of last season in Staten Island he started to put it all together and dominate.

3. Here's the guy I talked about in my last article who is rolling off everyone's tongue as this year's sleeper. Matt Tracy is a big, 6'3, 212 lb lefty drafted out of college. He is much older than the other two at 23 years old, but he also has something #1 and #2 do not, a powerful left handed arm that can throw the ball up to 94 mph, rare amongst lefties. As if this wasn't enough, he also throws a dominant change up and a developing curveball, which the Yankees farm system is notorious for being able to develop very well. Given his age, he could move very quickly to High A Tampa this year, and if there is space I could even see him in AA Trenton by the end of the season. In prospect circles, I have heard the name Andy Pettitte thrown around a lot when this guy's name comes up.

4. Another lefty, probably more highly touted than Tracy to start the 2011 season, will likely stand in his shadow to start the 2012 season. Evan DeLuca will be 21 to start the season, so he still has some projection left in him, although at 6'1 his size may be called into question. He started off hot in Staten Island last year then teetered off towards the end. His fastball is similar to Matt Tracy at 94 mph, but he struggles much more to control it. Much like Tracy, he also throws a change up and a curveball. In a lot of ways, he is a younger, smaller version of Matt Tracy, which gives him more time to develop but also has him at somewhat of a physical disadvantage. As of right now I would say the greatest likelihood is that DeLuca ends up in the bullpen long term. Given his tool set, however, he could be a late inning type reliever. He's got a long way to go though and control may be a major issue with him unless he has a breakthrough season somewhere along the line.

5. The 5th slot is more difficult to predict than the other four. If Rafael DePaula ever gets his visa, this is his slot to lose. If not, which is currently looking like the case, then the spot is a crapshoot. That's what happens when you lie to the US government in the post 9/11 era. To tell you the truth he probably deserves it to a certain extent, but that's neither here nor there. William Oliver, Wilton Rodriguez, Kelvin Perez, and Vidal Nuno are all candidates, although I suspect Nuno will be doing something in Tampa next season. Most of the above players are organizational fodder. Nuno, who has probably the most talent, is another guy like Jose Quintana who we will probably lose at the end of the season if he does anything good. The only one on the list who could morph into a prospect is Wilton Rodriguez, but I'd say that's doubtful.

That does it for the starting rotation, next up will either be the relievers or the hitters, not sure which.

Thursday Afternoon Prospect Links

Greedy Pinstripes did a piece on Brett Marshall.

Bronx Baseball Daily talked about David Adams and his ankle, basically it's still not 100%.

It's about the money stupid did their Top 30 Prospects.

Bronx Baseball Daily talked about Austin Romine's Back Injury.

The Yankee Analysts did 6-10 of the top 10 relief prospects in our system, and plans on putting up 1-5 soon.

TYA also had a round table discussion on overrated Yankees prospects. They also did a piece on off the radar Yankees prospects, and sleeper prospects. They've been hitting the prospects hard lately, and I love it.

New York Daily News posted an article on Mason Williams. It's a nice one, take a look.

Pinstripe Alley has more to say about the rule 5 selections.

Finally, TYA wonders whether Pat Venditte is just organizational fodder or if he will ever get a shot in the majors.

My Yankees Super Sleeper Prospect

Super Sleeper of 2012. Image thanks to BeGreen90 on flickr

This time of year it seems as though the en vogue thing to do is to pick a prospect that few expect to have a good season and predict that they will do just that, placing themselves right on the prospect radar. Yes, it is time to pick a sleeper pick. Admittedly I am a bit late on this one, as everyone and their mother has already chosen Matt Tracy as their this year top 20 next year top 10 prospect. Ten days ago, before all of the ruckus about him, he probably would have been my choice as well. At this point, however, I would not label him a sleeper because so many people know about him, and most are expecting a big season from him. His sleeper status has taken a hit by what he has gained in notoriety. Others, such as Ben Gamel, Nik Turley, Tim Norton, Ramon Flores and Slade Heathcott have also gotten a lot of press.

For my pick, I am going to try to think even further outside the box for what I call my yankees super sleeper prospect. This kid wasn't even on my radar by the end of the season, as is evidenced by his absence on my Top 50 Prospects, but the more I read about him this offseason, the more I regretted that choice. He's already moved up to my top 30-35 (a rough estimate). Another season with improvement like last year and this guy will be on everyone's map, likely a top 20 selection. This pick will surprise even the most knowledgeable of prospect gurus, but then again that is what makes this guy a sleeper. My super sleeper of 2012 is...

Drum roll....  Daniel Lopez!

Now here's what you need to know about Daniel Lopez. Daniel just turned 20 this January, and he'll likely be starting off next season in Staten Island, unless something goes horribly wrong with one of the golden boy prospects that will start the season at Charleston. Then again he played 3 games at the end of 2011 in Charleston, and performed well, so it will be interesting to see what management decides to do with him. He's 6'2, weighing in at 175 lbs according to milb.com. He's from Santiago, Dominican Republic, and he throws and hits right handed.

The main tool that Lopez carries with him is his speed. This is why the Yankees signed him back in 2009. He sported a 60 yard dash of 6.2, and his game will continue to be built around that lightning speed. Since being drafted, Lopez has worked tirelessly to increase his strength and has seen his power numbers increase each season as a result. Thus far, the increase in strength and power has not effected his speed, if anything the opposite if you go by stolen bases. Let's make one thing clear though, Lopez will never be accused of being a power hitter.

His stats won't necessarily jump out at you, but the trends are important to consider. As a 17 year old in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .259/.394/.370 in 18 games. He had 2 triples, no homeruns, and 2 stolen bases in 54 at bats. Limited sample size, but the patience is what jumps out at me in his first professional season. In 2010, he improved upon his average and slugging with a .293/.382/.385 triple slash in 70 games. This time he hit 10 doubles, 6 triples, and 1 homerun, stealing 17 bases and being caught stealing 10 times. Not the best rate, but at least he was more aggressive, and his power numbers were better, even if slightly. Lopez's true breakout season, at least thus far in his career, was in 2011 at the age of 19. He started again in the DSL, but only lasted 11 games as he tore through the pitching to the tune of a .424 average. At this point he was promoted to the GCL Yankees, where he continued his torrid play. At the end of the season he got to play 3 games in Charleston. He played extremely well in those 3 games, but alas small sample sizes prevent me from drawing any conclusions from that data. All in all, 2011 saw him hit for a triple slash of .327/.413/.490 over 61 games across three levels. He increased his power numbers with 11 doubles, 7 triples, and 3 homeruns. He stole 27 bases and was caught just 3 times. His OPS was .904.

Reports would indicate he is a strong defender with an average arm and excellent speed and route taking.

Better yet, as gaudy as these numbers may seem, he flew almost completely under the radar in 2011 because of a star studded class of players in the GCL. Reports indicate that Lopez is an extremely hard worker, and spends countless hours lifting and in the cages. So far, this hard work has payed real dividends, and given his athleticism I will not be among those in the blogosphere who ignore this kid.

As far as his projection goes, his speed, patience, and still young age will allow him to have a high floor. I believe he will be on a 25 man roster at some point in his career, and barring injury I am relatively confident about that. His ceiling is that of a 15 HR, 50 SB center fielder, although the 15 homeruns seems pretty generous at this point. Remember though, he has a projectable frame at 6'2 and still has lots of room to fill out at just 175 lbs. We are talking about ceiling here, which means that maximum potential he could ever reach, so I'm allowed to be lofty. He's gotten progressively better every season in every way, getting more powerful, hitting for a higher average, becoming more patient, and reading pitchers better. I see no reason why this trend will not continue as long as he continues to put the work in during the offseason. I understand that getting excited over GCL numbers presents a ton of problems, however this is why he is a sleeper.

 Thus, Daniel Lopez is my super sleeper pick for 2012.

Saturday Morning Prospect Links

Fangraphs did a scouting report on Ramon Flores. Nothing too new here, but still an interesting take on the guy

Yankees Fans Unite did an interview with Matt Tracy that was really good. He is everyone's sleeper candidate for this year.

Fangraphs did a quirky  Top 15 Prospects. It's interesting, they have a few big surprises there. There are some guys in the top 15 that might not even be in my top 30.

River Ave. Blues has the  Tim Norton update. He's throwing again and feels great. Never thought I'd hear that less than a year after that horrific injury.

Minor League Ball did a Top 120 Prospects. 4 Yankees were on it, and 2 just missed the cut.

That's all for the Saturday prospect links. Enjoy.

The Last Man in the Bullpen

Cesar Cabral is the consensus top choice to be the last guy out of the Yankees bullpen this year. Image thanks to blog.prorumors.com.

I usually get really into the rule 5 draft. Last year I actually wasted time looking at guys I thought would be good candidates for the Yankees to draft, only to find out that the guys I found intriguing were not only passed up by the Yankees but also by everyone else in major league baseball. As it turns out, I am not a very good rule 5 scout. Life goes on.

Anyway, this year I completely glazed over it assuming we would get some crappy players and not end up keeping them. I think Meyers, who we picked up from the Nationals, is definitely a player in the same mold as the guys we got last year. Then I took a look at Cesar Cabral, read a little scouting report on him, and looked at his numbers in high A and AA last year. Needless to say I am now on the Cesar Cabral bandwagon. I think he could be a great candidate to not only get lefties out as a left handed bullpen arm, but possibly have success against righties as well. Here's why I like him.

1. He's only 23 years old, with a ton of team control left.
2. Fastball in the mid 90's from a LHP.
3. Above average change up (this is why I think he can get righties out)
4. Two breaking balls (not sure if they're good but he has them)
5. He's a former Red Sox prospect, and any time we can stick it to them like that, it feels good.
6. There's a good chance that we can retain some of our other relief options in the minor leagues for depth, at least until Joba/Aardsma return, whereas Cabral is back to the Sox if he doesn't break camp with the team.
7. Pitched really well in the Dominican Winter League this year.


Now, here's why I like him stat-wise

1. 2.95 ERA last season
2. 70 K in 55 IP. (44 in 38 AA innings)
3. 3.33 K/BB

Can't find any lefty splits on him, but scouting reports say he's better against LHB than RHB for what it's worth.

Now, for what I don't like. 1.4 WHIP. 9 h/9 IP. Inexperienced. Tampa Bay took him in the rule 5 draft last year and he didn't stick, so that makes it less likely he'll stick with us this year.

All in all a lot of sources think he's the frontrunner for that last spot in the bullpen. He'll really have to perform well in ST to get there though. I hope he does because he could be a staple on our team for years to come, and we can avoid the Feliciano and Marte disasters in future seasons, and put that money towards other needs.