Via RAB, I stumbled across Frank Pilere’s Top 100 prospects and it got me thinking. In this dead time of the Hot Stove League, there isn’t much to think or write about. But this list gave me a bit of a spark: it reminded me of some of the “other” guys in the Yankees’ system that I’m excited to see progress this season.
Obviously, we’ll all be tracking the progresses of The Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, Andrew Brackman, and Zach McAllister because they’re the biggest names in the minor league system. Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy will also get a lot of attention as the team’s most recent high draft picks. Recent additions to the 40-man roster Kevin Russo, Ivan Nova, and Reegie Corona may even see Major League time this season.
There are four pitchers I’m particularly interested in watching this season.
First, there’s Adam Warren. Warren, from the University of North Carolina was drafted in ’08 by the Indians, but went back to school for 2009 and improved from a 36th round pick to a 4th round pick. He reported to Staten Island after the draft and appeared in 12 games, all starts. He pitched 56.2 innings to the tune of a stellar 1.43 ERA. His peripherals were just as good: his WHIP was 1.041, he only allowed 0.2 HR/9, walked fewer than two per nine, and had a K/BB of 5.00. To be quite blunt, Adam Warren absolutely crushed the New York Penn League. I’m excited to see Warren–who will probably start at High-A Tampa and it wouldn’t surprise me if he turned in the same results in Tampa (and Trenton and maybe even Scranton) as he did for Staten Island.
Next is young Mexican lefty Manny Banuelos. Though he’s only pitched in 38 games, 22 starts, and 151 innings, the results have been great. He’s got a 2.62 ERA and a 3.49 K/BB after pitching most of last season in Charleston. He pitched in one game at Tampa, just one inning with two strikeouts, so I assume he’ll start there with Adam Warren and will likely get a mid-season promotion to Tampa. Manny is still young–he’ll be 19 in March–so he’s got time. We may have to wait a little while for him, but in 2010, I’ll be paying close attention to him and how he progresses in the higher levels of the Yankees’ system.
Domincan righty Hector Noesi was recently added to the 40-Man as well, though he’s only reached Tampa. He pitched in only nine games there last season, so he could start there. If he has a good spring training, though, the Yankees could be more aggressive and put him in Trenton to face more mature hitters. Noesi has displayed excellent control across his 192.2 innings, walking only 1.6 per nine innings. He’s also got a 9.1 K/9 and a 5.76 K/BB. The numbers are definitely there, so it’s time to test Hector against the more mature hitters.
Like Adam Warren, college seasoned right hander Sean Black absolutely crushed the NYPL. His ERA was a video game-like 1.62 in 50 innings and he walked only 1.6 per nine with a 3.78 K/BB. Mature and polished like Warren, I’d expect Black to also do quite well in the minors and be a quick riser.
The Yankees have some great, high upside arms in their system, even if they’re rather far away. These guys have a boatload of potential and I’m very excited to watch them move up towards the Bronx. It’s always sad when we see guys leave the system–Jackson, Dunn, Kennedy, Vizcaino this off-season–but the good thing is that there are usually a handful of guys–like Noesi, Warren, Black, and Man-Ban–to whom we can shift our gazes.
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5 Responses to Who I'm Excited to Watch this Season
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TIQ IQ
I’m with you on excitement for Adam Warren. My buddy scouted him extensively over the past two years and I can’t wait to see him against tougher competition in 2010. In theory, he’s probably not much more than a full year away although I don’t think we’d see him before 2012 given that there just aren’t a ton of open spots on the team right now, as there were in 2007 when Chamberlain/Kennedy both graduated the minors a year after being drafted.
I just profiled Adam Warren if you want to check it out. In short, I’m a big fan.
I’ll assume the F is for ‘Fertel’. I’ve been following your countdown to the top over at Pending Pinstripes and you’ve posted some really good, informative stuff. Nice work.
Here’s a link so folks can check it out.
http://pendingpinstripes.net/
Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy are two of the few players I saw last summer, they both put on a good show but, I still want to see if they can put up the same numbers as they move up and play more games. If they can keep their numbers high enough, we will have a couple more position players to watch.
Hector Noesi is another one of the movers I saw, he looks very comfortable going about his business with a lot of panache.
Adam Warren I saw once, very impressive, agree with both of you…want to see much more of him this year.
I would love to see a five man rotation of all system guys in 2012/14…dreaming right?
I have always hated the idea of trading away a player we have and know how he plays for someone we don’t really know much about but, paying for what he was, as to what he may be by the end of his contract
I’m already a huge Manny Banny fan and am amazed how smooth his path has been already at such a young age. The numbers he’s posted would be nice for any pitcher, but when you realize he’s just 19 it makes you think he could really be special. The smallish frame and aggressive style from a Lefty reminds me of Guidry, who was always a fave of mine.
The other prospect who I’m extremely curious about is Gary Sanchez. I’ve heard great things about his bat and he’s supposed to more likely to stick at Catcher than Montero, who had questions about his position from Day 1. If Montero can just stick behind the plate for a few years (into his mid-20s) we should have a bevy of options to replace him at that point.
I’d also like to add that I’m not giving up on our ‘Twin Towers’ of Brackman and Betances. I never thought they would fly through the system, and therefore am not disappointed by their recent setbacks. It’s incredible how Betances has dropped completely off the radar for so many folks. The surgery he had was long-rumored, not major or shoulder-related, and he’s poised for a healthy 2010 campaign. He’s also 2 1/2 years younger than Brackman (24), who people still seem to rank higher.