Winter Ball Update

After the MLB season ends, various Yankee players and prospects have continued to play in the Caribbean winter leagues and elsewhere. Level of competition is good, with many familiar faces from the big leagues dotting these rosters. Those of you who have ESPN Deportes may have been watching the exciting Mexico vs Venezuela matchup or DR vs PR in the tournament last night. For everyone else, here’s an update on how some top farmhands have fared in Winter Ball:

-AAA 1B Juan Miranda had a terrific winter season, putting up a triple slash of .409/.471/659 with 2 HRs in 14 games for Tigres de Licey of the Dominican Winter League. For those familiar with Miranda’s penchant for stark platoon splits, this sample was no different with .452/.486/.774 vs Righties and .308/.438/.385 facing Lefties.

-Ivan Nova shined playing for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League, posting a 1.05 ERA in 5 games with a 0.82 WHIP. He has already been mentioned by Brian Cashman as being in the mix for the 5th starter competition in Spring Training and could be an injury away from big league action in 2010.

-Reliever Zach Segovia is a name Yankee fans will want to keep an eye on. He was recently signed as a minor league free agent originally out of the Phillies organization who’s coming off Tommy John surgery. Playing for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League, he posted a 0.71 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP in 12 appearences. As a 26 year old, he should start the season in AAA and will be a candidate for a call up if he produces.

If there’s a player I didn’t cover that you were looking for, here’s the full list of Winter Ball stats.