Written by Greg Fertel
|
15 May 2008
So, the journalist exemplar George King was wrong yet again. Dan McCutchen is not on his way to Scranton. Still, Scranton needs to replace Heath Phillips in his rotation before Scott Strickland decides that being that horse in a western that gallops until he dies is not worth it. There are a lot of potential moves that could happen in the Yankee farm system. After a month and a half, it is about the appropriate time to take stock of them.
There are generally three conditions that have to be met for a player to be promoted. He has to be considered ready for the position at the upper level, the upper level position has to be available for him to occupy, and someone has to be available to take his place on his former team.
Justin Snyder
Ready? - Probably. Snyder was overqualified for low-A from the get-go. Snyder went through his "hot streak" phase during the first two weeks of April before going through his "bad slump" phase over the next two weeks. His current batting line is .308/.366/.442 in a pitcher's league, and he has hit well despite the rest of the Charleston offense struggling over the last 10 games. He's ready.
Availability? - It depends on what position the Yankees want him to play. They probably want to give
Damon Sublett more time to improve upon his .244/.343/.366 line before a demotion, since he's equally overqualified for the South Atlantic League. Snyder could play center field, with Seth Forteberry hitting just .224/.353/.312 and fallen prospect Tim Battle playing regularly. Still, they haven't bounced Snyder around to other positions this year, so he might stick at 2nd for now.
Replacement? - The Yankees could pull any number of players from their extended spring training crew to fill his spot, or switch him with Damon Sublett. Braedyn Pruitt could conceivably play the position once
Brad Suttle or Brandon Laird return.
Zach McAllister
Ready? - You all know the story. 49 innings, 7 walks, 2.20 ERA. 7.89 K/9 and 1.28 BB/9 make for a nifty ratio. He's been lingering around the bottom of the system for a long time now, and is ready to start moving.
Availability? - Someone would have to be replaced in the Tampa rotation, and immediate candidates aren't readily apparent. Ryan Pope, Mike Dunn and
Ivan Nova aren't going anywhere. Eric Hacker is temporarily out with a blister problem, and could find his way to Double-A fairly soon. The George King reporting regarding Aceves might be indicative of his future promotion opportunities. McAllister needs a chain reaction or an injury.
Replacement? - Easily.
Jesus Montero
Ready? - No. His bat has quieted (along with his whole team) after the strong start, and he's still not hitting lefties well. He needs to run in and out of a few slumps before being promoted, not to mention his ongoing defensive learning at catcher. Plus, Brian Cashman has stated that no matter what he will remain in Charleston all year.
Ryan Pope
Ready? - As much as I'd like to say he is, Pope is not ready. While he's been effective at Tampa, he's not striking a ton of batters out. While it would be nice for the Yankees to develop the next Carlos Silva, I'd like to think that the Yankees are going to take it slow with Pope. He seems to have the potential to be better. Pope hasn't walked a batter in 3 starts, but he wasn't able to pitch deep into games until recently. I'm thinking we wait and see.
Daniel McCutchen
Ready? - He's now pitched 91 innings at Double-A, striking out 82 (8.10 per 9) and walking 27 (2.60). His ERA is under 2.40 and hitters have managed just 68 (6.72) hits off him during that time. The word is overused, but that's domination. He has earned a promotion.
Availability? - No. When a prospect is promoted, it is supposed to be for good. The Yankees don't let minor league club needs interfere with individual prospect needs. While Scranton is struggling right now with Heath Phillips in the rotation, they stand to receive Jeff Karstens and Alan Horne over the next 2 pitching cycles. That will send Dan Giese back to the bullpen and perhaps Phillips to a release. If McCutchen (or Chase Wright) were sent to Triple-A, a rotation squeeze would commence. Phil Hughes is going to force another spot to open up (either by taking a spot personally or forcing one of Rasner or Kennedy down) come July. McCutchen needs a bullpen conversion, demotion or an injury. Jeff Marquez, if he continues to struggle, may be a reluctant switch.
Brett Gardner
Ready? - Gardner has hit .285/.379/.454 with 29 strikeouts and 21 walks in 36 games. While the strikeout rate is higher than you'd want, its hard not to be satisfied with Gardner's performance this season. However, his near-100 walk pace and newfound power are great signs. With his defensive ability and speed on the basepaths, Gardner could be an asset as a major league center fielder right now.
Availability? - Nope. Gardner, Damon, Matsui, and Melky are firmly entrenched in their major league positions. It would take an injury. The one opportunity for Gardner lies with Shelley Duncan and a bench role, but Duncan's power and ability to play 1st base will guarantee him a spot for awhile.
