Hey, let's hype somebody, dammit: Tyler Austin, the best hitting prospect in the Yankee farm system, has raised his batting average to .270!

It's not exactly the 300th HR, but this weekend, a 22-year-old OF at Trenton by the name of Tyler Austin finally raised his average to the Second Line of Mendoza: .270. Pardon me if I go knock-kneed. In a year when our hitting prospects have tumbled into the depths of Duke Carmel, at least Austin may yet make a season of it.

I know... yeah, he could go 0-for-20 this week and fall back into the land of Jim Lyttle and Eric Duncan.  But Austin got off to a terrible start at Double A this season. He finished April at .253, missed some games, hit .262 in May - without power. Lately, he's ripping it up. If he keeps hitting, he probably gets a couple ABs in Scranton before August ends.

For the last two years, this guy has led our farm system in batting average. He was listed as the 3rd best prospect we have. He's no speed demon or defensive whiz. All he does is hit. And this spring, when he wasn't hitting, well, our whole system looked anemic.

Now, Austin's reached .270, first time all year. He has 5 HRs - two in his last 10 games.  Don't pop any champagne corks: Nobody writes in a .270 hitter at Double A for the Futures Game. But his next target is .280. And when Austin gets there - let's hope this time next week - we should note it, am I right? Because then he'll  be working for .290...