Written by Greg Fertel
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31 August 2007
The Yankees announced who they are sending down to Arizona this fall. They are:
- Steve Jackson
- Ross Ohlendorf
- Brett Gardner
- Juan Miranda
- Kevin Whelan
- Reegie Corona
- Steve White
It's an interesting list. There are generally three reasons to send someone to a fall league such as Arizona: to make up for lost time, get a boost of confidence in an offense-rich environment, or to get playing time at a crowded position.
Steve White - White missed a large portion of the season. He's going to be one of the first Yankees called up in case of injury next season, and the Yankees want to make sure that he's ready. White has struggled in Arizona in the past, but he's pitching better than he has in a long time right now.
Ross Ohlendorf - Ohlendorf has struggled mightily adjusting to the bullpen, but the Yankees probably view his 97 mph fastball as a great weapon out of the bullpen for 2008. The extra relief appearances will do Ohlendorf good, even if he gets bombed (and he probably will).
Juan Miranda - Miranda is getting up there in age. He's been slumping lately, but needs every at bat he can get. He should rake in the offense-rich environment.
Brett Gardner - Gardner was in Arizona last year. He missed some time with injuries this year. The Yankees will likely use Gardner's AFL performance to help evaluate what potential role he could play for the 2008 MLB club.
Reegie Corona - The Yankees must be real high on Corona, because on top of promoting him aggressively to Trenton, they are sending him to Arizona. For Corona, he's going to continue to work on his defense, but will also try to get his bat in line against weak Arizona pitching. I have to say that I'm fairly surprised to see Corona heading to Peoria.
Steve Jackson - The Yankees still see something with Jackson, so they are going to try to make him into a Vizcaino-like reliever. He got knocked around pretty hard this season, and will probably get knocked around in Arizona.
Kevin Whelan - Definitely a shock. Whelan has already pitched over 80 innings between Tampa and Trenton, and is looking pretty good for the Thunder right now. Now, he did spend the season working on various lengthy periods of rest between appearances, but he'll still get close to 100 relief innings with the extra time this fall.
Just a quick aside - Hughes is looking great today, especially in the 2nd inning. He seems to have revved up the tempo and is finishing his pitches much more aggressively. It took him a little bit of time to settle in for the first inning, but the velocity and location are there now.
