Written by Greg Fertel
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30 March 2008
Now that the wonderful Chad Jennings has posted expected rosters for the Yankees' minor league affiliates, we can do some analysis of what to expect from these teams and its most intriguing prospects. We'll start from the top, with AAA Scranton.
Key losses from last season: Shelley Duncan, Matt DeSalvo, TJ Beam, Andy Phillips, Kevin Reese, Bronson Sardinha.
Key additions: Jason Lane, Scott Patterson, Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, Juan Miranda.
Strengths: This team should be pretty solid all around. A rotation of Horne, Marquez, Darrell Rasner, Steven White and Kei Igawa should be pretty tough on International League bats, and they will all be competing to be the first callup in case of any injuries to the big league team. Edwar Ramirez and Scott Patterson have dominated minor league competition up until this point, and should along with Jose Veras and Chris Britton make up a lights-out bullpen. There will be speed at the top of the lineup with Brett Gardner and Justin Christian setting the table and being pests on the bases. Jason Lane and Juan Miranda are legitimate power threats, and Eric Duncan could take that step this season as well.
Weaknesses: Not many, though the lineup, which is not very deep, could struggle to score runs if Miranda has problems adjusting to the new level of competition and Duncan continues to underachieve. As with any AAA club, it could potentially be raided by the major league team should any injuries befall them.
Players to watch:
1. Eric Duncan: Can he finally fulfill the promise of his younger days?
2. Alan Horne: How good will his numbers be if he can get his BABIP to a more reasonable number (it was over .340 last season)?
3. Juan Miranda: Can he continue to rake like he did at the end of last season? Can he even play an adequate first base?
4. Brett Gardner: Can he continue to draw walks and prove to be more than just a slap hitter?
5. Jeff Marquez: Can he get more groundball outs with his sinker?
6. Alberto Gonzalez: Can he hit enough to be more than just a major league utilityman?
My next preview will be for AA Trenton, though it may not be for a few days. I apologize for my recent absence from the blog, but am happy to be back posting again, and am looking forward to another exciting season.
