Written by Greg Fertel
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29 March 2007
I know, I know. Phil Hughes is a God. He could pitch his way out of a jam with his cap over his eyes. He's the next Roger Clemens. He'll be in the minors before September. With everyone always talking about Phil Hughes, it seems that the other Yankee pitching prospects get the short end of the bat. There are quite a few good arms waiting to be tested, even if they may not be highlight-reel on a weekly basis.
Justin Pope has been the rock of the Trenton Thunder bullpen for the past two years. As reliable as a closer can be, Pope's only memorable fault was in Game 2 of the 2005 Portland/Trenton playoff series. He came in with two on, and fell victim to the cliche bloop-and-a-blast to lose the game up in Maine. Even though Pope struggled in AAA last season, if he can settle down and get his wicked fastball working, he'll definitely be someone that the hitters learn to respect.
Charlie Manning is an inning-eating jack of all trades. He'll accept any pitching role from starter to closer, but he prefers to be in the middle, stalling the offense until a closer like Pope can come in and finish them. Manning is always one of the friendliest people on the field, too. He's always willing to take time out of his pre-game ritual to talk to fans about the game, and much like ex-Yankee prospect Mike Brunet, will often drag other players into the conversation. While Manning is probably far from a superstar, he'll be a valuable middle relief pitcher or fill-in starter to save younger prospect's arms. He'll be missed in Trenton especially.
Colter Bean continued his domination of triple A last year, posting a 2.65 ERA. He's posted more strikeouts than innings and less than a hit per inning in the past two seasons. His only chances in the Majors have been injury fill-ins and random, once a month chances to throw. When he gets consistant work, he can make great hitters look like has-beans and good hitters look like, well, me. His Major League numbers so far reflect his off-the-bench work, and with the Yankees stretching their pitching even before the season starts, it would be a good time to see if Colter can make the transition.
A week 'til MiLB Opening Day!
