Free The Prospects

by jscape2000 on Jun 30, 2011 9:01 AM EDT in New York Yankees Analysis

He escaped Scranton. Can Warren, Whelan and Kontos?

Sergio Mitre is the last straw.

The front office has shown no faith in the prospects that it has drafted, hoarded and trained.

I want to see George Kontos in the South Bronx. He's 26 years old, in his third AAA stint and posting impressive numbers: 46.2IP, 1.01 WHIP, 9.6 K/9.

I want to see Adam Warren. At 23, he's already averaged over 6 innings of work per start (15 GS). He's posted his worst BB/9 of his career, and his WHIP is still under 1.3. Give him a spot start.

Kevin Whelan is now 27 and the last piece of the Gary Sheffield trade with hope of making the majors. But when his cup of coffee is an inning and a third, and now he's being passed over for Sergio Mitre? Whelan's posted a WHIP below 1, 10K/9, and a 5:1 K:BB ratio. What does he have left to prove in a third season in Scranton?

It doesn't make sense, and it can't be both ways. These guys can't be too valuable to trade away while also not being good enough for the Bronx. Like Ian Kennedy, like Mark Melancon, like Austin Jackson- not good enough for the Bronx doesn't mean not good to bring back quality players in return.

The Major Leagues are filled with former Yankees who never got a real shot here:

Kennedy is making a decent case to be the Diamondback's All-Star (116IP, 1.09 WHIP, 7.5K/9)

Jeff Karstens (84.2IP, 1.10 WHIP, 3:1 K:BB) just replaced Ross Ohlendorf (averaged 145IP, 1.29 WHIP, 1.94:1 K:BB) when Ohlendorf went down with a shoulder injury.

Melancon is closing games for the Astros (37.2IP, 1.35 WHIP, 2.54 K:BB).

In fairness to Mitre, he's having a good year. He's probably a smart pickup- he pitched well for the Yankees last year, and he can fill that Alfredo Aceves/ Ramiro Mendoza role.

But with so many prospects knocking on the door, I have to wonder: what do they have to do to get a start?

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Comments

I agree with most of this

It’s time to use the guys in the system rather than sign cast offs from other teams. What more do some of these guys have to prove? Montero in the minors I don’t agree with but I can understand their thinking at least. But some of these guys that have been in AAA for years and there are roles waiting for them in the majors. But instead they give it to Sergio Mitre?

I disagree with the last part though- Mitre is not a good pitcher who I never want to see pitch any meaningful innings for the Yankees at all. What’s worse about it? Girardi probably can’t wait to get Mitre into a tied extra inning game either. I remember vividly my last memory of Mitre. I was at Yankee Stadium for Game 4 of last years ALCS, and the Yankees were down a few runs but it wasn’t insurmountable. In 3 minutes Mitre completely destroys any chance the Yankees have of coming back in the game. I’m so sick of hearing his name in the Yankees plans.

CALL UP JESUS MONTERO!

by nyyrocks29 on Jun 30, 2011 9:21 AM EDT reply actions

right

IT IS TIME TO BRING THEE GUYS UP? EITHER THAT OR TRADE EM THE ONLY ONE OUT THER IS KING FELIX,EVEN THEN THEY WANT A TON OF PROSPECTS,BRING EM UP DO NOT START THAT SHIT AGAIN WITH TRADING EM AWAY FOR NOTHING?

by John Pimental on Jun 30, 2011 9:48 AM EDT reply actions

x

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Jun 30, 2011 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Caps Lock

ARE YOU READY TO UNLEASH THE FURY?

"Son, Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle"

by ntrokel on Jun 30, 2011 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

"Bring Thee Guys up".... This comment is hilarious.

"You know as painful as it is I've had to let a few people go over the years. ..Yogi Berra, Lou Piniella, Bucky Dent, Billy Martin, Dallas Green, Billy Martin, Stump Merrill, Billy Martin, Bob Lemon, Billy Martin".

by ReprezentinNJerz on Jun 30, 2011 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

it sounds like he wants to knight them

Bring thee guys up. I shall make them knights of the realm, defenders of the faith, earls of the kingdom, princes of all England and Brittainy!

by long time listener on Jun 30, 2011 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely

I hope the Yankees aren’t falling into a repeat of the 1980s where prospects aren’t given a legitimate shot, and are traded away only to do great elsewhere.

by upstateNYYFan1984 on Jun 30, 2011 10:20 AM EDT reply actions

Wow, finally some love for the Ian Kennedys...

Mark Melancons, Jeff Karstens, etc. that have been dispatched by this organization, aka Cashman. You’re forgetting Mike Dunn, Dan McCutchen, Jose Tabata, et al.
But Cashman never gets “credit” for this, because he has an unlimited checkbook – and unlimited mistakes to make.
Sergio Mitre? NOOOOO! I thought we’d never see this clown in pinstripes again. Can Chad Gaudin be far behind? When will Chan Ho Park return to the States? Will Nick Johnson soon be released by the Indians and resigned by the Yanks to provide depth on that 60-day DL?
The problem is Cashman and it’s just plain frustrating to follow the “future Yankees down on the farm” if all they are is bad trade fodder. Remember, Cashman had included Cano or Arias in the A-Rod deal. Getting A-Rod was a coup, no doubt, but it tells you how poor a judge of talent Cashman and his team really are.
DFA Mitre, bring up Flores as the second lefty we need (because Marte was such a solid pickup) and stay off the scrapheap for discards from teams that have bullpen issues far worse than we do!

by SparkySaves on Jun 30, 2011 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

While he has been good...it's not like we gave up IPK for nothing

not like some MVP candidate this year….Also Dunn has been worse than Boone Logan this year, McCuthchen has a nice ERA but his peripherals are bad. Tabata is decent, but we have no room for him with a loaded OF> So i’m not crying over those misses.

But i do agree we should stop signing old verterans and bring up some young guys. Guys like Chien Ming Wang, Cano, D-Rob and Gardner had very little hype when they were brought up but proved to be valuable pieces for the franchise

by lololol on Jun 30, 2011 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Kennedy was OK at best here

Melancon sucked at best, Karstens was useless, Dunn can’t find the plate, McCutchen who cares, Tabata…maybe, but he’d never play here..etc, et al.

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Jun 30, 2011 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Kennedy ...

We didn’t give him a real chance. He was mishandled, and should have started out in the pen and grew into a starter role. Throwing a kid with pedestrian stuff out to start for the Yankees is almost a no-win situation. He already knew how to pitch, but he needed to grow into the role.
Arizona is providing him that oppty, and all signs point to him being a very successful MLB pitcher. Cashman and Co. blew it bigtime on Kennedy.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Jun 30, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

it seems that Cashman's in a no win situation

he gets killed for putting pitchers like Hughes or Joba in the pen and it “ruins them”, now he should’ve put Kennedy in the pen instead of as a starter.

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Jun 30, 2011 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Cash-cow ...

If you have read PA for any length of time you’d know that from the start I was a big Kennedy fan and still think his career will eclipse that of Hughes. You’d also recall that when both were inserted into the starting rotation I thought it a bad move preferring one or both go to the pen to get their confidence where it needed to be.

For the record, I’ve never heard anyone but you suggest that giving a pitcher his start in the pen “ruins” them. It doesn’t. I know first hand that it doesn’t. Starting pitchers with nearly zero MLB experience should not be handed a starting spot without honing their craft in the pen. I would even suggest 50-60 innings of getting out MLB hitters in all kinds of situations.

Overall, I happen to like what Cashman has done. While I don’t think he is a very good talent evaluator, I do like what he’s done with our farm system. Five or six years ago, it was in shambles. He rebuilt it while still keeping the Yankees in contention. That’s no small feat in “win all the time NY”. But now it’s time to start bringing some of that minor league talent to market.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Jul 1, 2011 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Do any job for 10+ years and you're bound to make mistakes

You do a good job cherry-picking some mistakes, while ignoring any good moves. Is Cashman perfect? Of course not. But he’s made some good moves for this team, and he’s not given away superstars for nothing here. Meanwhile, somehow the Yankees continue to win with the guys he picked up, while the Red Sox lose with their can’t-miss SuperTeam.

I would like to see the prospects get their chances, but I can’t argue with picking up Mitre for cash considerations. That’s basically no risk. If Mitre starts getting high-leverage chances, that’s on Girardi, not Cashman.

by waw on Jun 30, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

it's frustrating

It’s almost like any prospect has to have immediate success in the big leagues in order to stick around. Whelan has a bad inning, and he’s gone. It’s odd because Robertson didn’t exactly tear it up his first time up (5.34 ERA in 30 IP in 2008), but they didn’t trade him. And that seems to have worked out. Maybe we should give guys who do well in the minors more than a few innings before we give up on them, huh?

by long time listener on Jun 30, 2011 10:28 AM EDT reply actions

you're right

Doug Davis IS available!

May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.

"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased

Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.

by natteringnabob on Jun 30, 2011 10:53 AM EDT reply actions

and to be more serious

I think the raw, rough estimate is that only 1 in 10 minor leaguers will make it to the majors in any meaningful way. To me, that means you have to sift through many at the major league level to find them. And if it’s any comfort, the Giants don’t do much of this either, rather burning all 3 MiLB options before deciding to run a guy out every day (with little knowledge of what he can actually do) or just cutting him loose and watching him go elsewhere.

May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.

"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased

Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.

by natteringnabob on Jun 30, 2011 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

anybody here who has had any actual experience managing a big organization? entrusted to make decisions that cost actual shitloads of money?

anyone?

by akosipaeng on Jun 30, 2011 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

The spectacular high horse act has gotten real old. Provide an argument as to why he’s wrong, post on your real account or piss off.

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by Jedi Master A-Rod on Jun 30, 2011 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 7 recs

Gatsby?

by Yankees10 on Jun 30, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Burgundy?

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Jun 30, 2011 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Bueller?

May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.

"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased

Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.

by natteringnabob on Jun 30, 2011 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

real account?

so am I posting on an un-real account? Search for akosipaeng on google, there is only one me who’s been using this username in different web sites and even for e-mail (well except for the one in twitter, that’s not me).

what is tiring is that two years ago, this site was one of the best baseball sites in the web and now, it’s a site for people who feel entitled to live their fantasies of managing an organization. Throw bunchloads of insults on Girardi? On Cashman? On Jeter? On Torre? All in the guise of analysis?

by akosipaeng on Jun 30, 2011 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Cry about “insults” to Girardi, Cashman, whoever. Provide zero evidence to disprove what they’re claiming.

Good job.

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by Jedi Master A-Rod on Jun 30, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions

The worst part about this is that it's not surprising. At all.

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
"FUCK INTERLEAGUE" -I'mGivingYouARaise

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Jun 30, 2011 12:15 PM EDT reply actions

Cashman is constipated ...

It’s the only reason why he’s afraid to move any of his AAA chips to the majors. I mean, what guy doesn’t do his best thinking on the can, right? Cashman is no different. However, once he sits down, his best thoughts are strangled because he’s sporting a bowel jam.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Jun 30, 2011 2:29 PM EDT reply actions

I'm beginning to wonder if the Yankees' official farm system strategy...

Is to let guys reach the point in the minors where they are regarded as the absolute best in AAA, AA, etc, and then just trade them for established veterans or guys in their prime. When was the last time we saw a big name from the minors really get a shot? Hughes is the only one that really comes to mind. Joba really came out of nowhere, Nunez was hardly “highly touted” (don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled with his contributions)…but it seems like they let guys get a ton of press and then ship em. It’s a bit irritating. By “a bit” I mean incomprehensibly.

by bango31 on Jun 30, 2011 3:31 PM EDT reply actions

Joba was ranked above Hughes

and Nunez was a deal breaker in any trade convo, so I doubt these guys came out of nowhere or weren’t highly touted.

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Jun 30, 2011 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

My sentiments, exactly, jscape.

I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?

by david d on Jun 30, 2011 9:22 PM EDT reply actions

PSA is the most impatient fanbase

Montero is going to be in the bigs next year, out of spring training. I can wait till then.

The pitching prospects still need time. I have faith in the organization to make the right decisions.

by Branta on Jun 30, 2011 9:28 PM EDT reply actions

I think it all boils down to the front office being afraid of the backlash from the Yankees fan base if they fail. We, the fans, (at least the majority of them) demand a winner each and every season and all hell would break loose if the prospects are given a lot of playing time and we start losing. Failure is not an option.

I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?

by david d on Jun 30, 2011 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Catchers we have have sucked for months, but it's ok, wait till next year.

Perfect logic.

It's like being a huge fan of winning, which we do, relentlessly.

by WhatwouldJeterdo on Jun 30, 2011 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Not being satisfied with borderline replacement level players, revolving door mops and under-performing starters taking away roster spots and playing time from top level prospects toiling up the minors = impatient.

Oh.

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by Jedi Master A-Rod on Jun 30, 2011 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions