Written by Greg Fertel
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16 September 2007
Could we have asked for more?
Wow. This has been one hell of a season - maybe the best in Yankee farm history. The Yankee farm teams enjoyed unprecedented success at every level, and churned out quite a few studs. From the saga of Phil Hughes to the roaring success of Joba Chamberlain, this season couldn't have been more exciting for Yankee fans.
During spring training, I said that 2007 would be "The year that we all look back and see a turning point back toward the Yankees winning championships again". I think that I'm going to be right. I couldn't have chosen a better year for my first full season of blogging about the minor leagues.
Ian Kennedy. Alan Horne. Austin Jackson. Jose Tabata. Justin Snyder. Abraham Almonte. Jon Hovis. Reegie Corona. Steve White. The stories this season have been bright, colorful, and full of success. Not many minor league organizations could succeed on any scale after the loss of five quality arms in James Cox, Christian Garcia, Humberto Sanchez,
Mark Melancon and Tim Norton. No other minor league organization has the
confidence in their abilities to give a major league contract to a guy who needs Tommy John surgery.
Folks, we're looking at a new order of Yankee dominance, thanks to the farm system. Brian Cashman said it best - "God help the rest of baseball" - if the Yankees play it smart. The Yankee starting rotation next year will cost them about as much as they will pay Roger Clemens to pitch today - and that savings will show up when they bid on Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees have significantly more resources than anyone in baseball, so any savings from the farm system will help them further command the free agent market.
The best part? There is more to come. This has been a year where the Yankees restock their aging starting pitching. I've been searching for another team in history with three rookie pitchers in one year along the lines of Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy, and I couldn't find one. Conjure up images of the Athletics in 2000 or the Braves in 1990, because that's what we're looking at right now. Next year we will be looking at the rise of the new Yankee core of outfielder and relief pitching - with Tabata, Jackson, Gardner, Whelan, Cox, Melancon, Robertson, and others putting themselves in similar positions to the Yankee starters this year.
Thank you Eric and Hiroyo. Last year, while writing for Fire Joe Torre, I had to completely rebuild my blog after leaving for the summer. I was nervous about this season, because the blog had so much success in the spring. After months of trying to convince Hiroyo and Eric quickly volunteering himself, I was able to leave with confidence, and damn was I right. Fantastic job guys.
Finally, thank you all for reading and especially commenting. I read a lot of blogs - dozens of them - and I have
never seen a group of commentators as knowledgeable and intelligent as you guys. Your questions keep me writing - so keep them up!
