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Friday, April 10, 2015

Shhh. Don't tell anybody, but it's a rebuilding year

The most important Yankee game last night was washed out. It would have been played in Trenton, but a wet field and sloppy conditions created too much risk. (Also, there might have been some lane closings ordered by the governor; not sure about that...)

The future of the Yankees - if there is any - sits in Trenton.

There, the elongated giant, Aaron Judge, will patrol RF - a few long strides behind 1B Greg Bird, the slugger. Either could reach NY next spring, if the Fates comply. (Or peter-out and serve as delightful Yankee punch lines for decades to come.) It's hard to see Judge or Bird in the Bronx this year, beyond a coffee or apocalyptic collapse. (Even so, they'd probably bring in Lyle Overbay types, rather than rush Bird or Judge.)

At 3B, Trenton offers Ken Jagiello and Dante Bichette, two former top picks who've been treading water in the pool. At SS, the ever-maligned Cito Culver, another former No. 1, has been left for dead by most blogger "scouts." But he's still playing. At catcher, Gary Sanchez is repeating Double A, never a good sign, and maybe destined for 1B, even a worse sign. Jake Cave could be in CF, if he beats out Mason Williams, the once-great prospect, now on the verge of becoming the 2015 poster boy for Yankee farm system mediocrity.

Luis Severino - our top pitching prospect - will throw here. If he shows anything at all, Severino could rise fast. No sense wasting bullets on Double A hitters. I say, "Bring him to the majors before he goes Tommy John."

The Yankees never use the word "rebuilding." They'll fight for that last Wild Card slot. But every move last winter - with the exception of signing Stephen Drew - was designed to get slightly younger. Even if the old guys put together a good spring, it's hard to imagine them holding up through August. Scranton - as usual - is mostly guys on the way down. It's all at Trenton, folks. And nobody wants to subject the future to a soggy field.

2 comments:

Alphonso said...

Normally, a re-building year includes some young players getting a shot at the major league level.

Like Toronto, for example. They have a number of rookies in the starting line-up, and some 20 year olds in the bullpen.

We have no such animal. Even Pirela is a fake, because while on the roster, he is on the DL and we'll never see him, barring injury to someone else, or the continued .000 hitting of Stephen Drew.

So, your saying the Yankees are re-building because we are starting young people at AA? Doesn't everyone?

The truth is; you want the Yankees to be re-building, and to reflect a commitment to that condition, and they aren't.

Because Cashman is an asshole, and Hal is a jerk.

Leinstery said...

Come on el duque. It's the Yankees farm system. We will wait for them for 4 more years, realize their was never any talent to begin with or we will re sign Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkilis and let them toil in the minors before we eventually trade them for a 39 year old Albert Pujols.