Written by Greg Fertel | 23 June 2009

I wish I had my own prospect list from 2006 to use for this little project, but I don't. Instead, I'm using BA's top 30 Yankee prospects from 2006. I'll be counting down from 30, spanning over a few days and drawing conclusions from there.

30. Jeff Karstens, RHP

Kartsen's was included in the trade to Pittsburgh last year for Nady and Marte. He always put up decent numbers in the minors, but never had the stuff to back it up. He profiled as a 5th starter or long man, and that is the role he has served for Pittsburgh, with 14 starts and an ERA of 4.90 this season and 9 starts with a 4.03 ERA last season. I don't expect him to stay in the majors much longer. A career K/9 of 3.59 is just not going to let his ERA stay under 5.

29. Jason Stephens, RHP

He hasn't been able to stay healthy since this ranking. This year, he has seen time in Tampa, Scranton, and is currently pitching for Trenton. He is now 25 years old with only 6.2 poor innings pitched in AAA. He is not a prospect at this point.

28. Kevin Reese, OF

Reese made brief appearances for the Yankees in 2005 and 2006, but was never given a chance to stick around as a bench player. He has not appeared in the minor leagues since 2007, when he struggled in 115 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He is obviously not a prospect anymore, but he ends his professional career with a .385 batting average in the major leagues; he'll always have that.

27.  Rudy Guillen, OF

After being ranked #12 in 2005, Guillen fell down to #27 in 2006. He was clearly headed in the wrong direction and that trend continued. He had an OPS of .461 in Trenton in 2006 and has not appeared in a game since.

26. Andy Phillips, 1B

Here is a very familiar name on the list. I am actually surprised to see him because of his age. In 2006, he played 110 games for the Yankees as a 29 year old rookie and did not play particularly well, contributing -1.0 Wins above replacement. Last season, he got some playing time as a utility man for the Reds and Mets, but didn't do enough to secure a job for himself this year. He played in AAA for the Pirates and White Sox this season, filed for free agency on June 15th. He is rumored to be heading to Japan to continue his career.

25. Garrett Patterson, RHP    

Patterson was a strikeout machine in Staten Island before receiving this ranking, striking out 71 in 51 innings pitched but also walking 38. He was also 23, which is very old for short season ball. He pitched poorly in Charleston and Tampa in '06 and '07 and has not appeared in a game since 2007, when he posted an ERA of 6.23 and a K:BB of 37:37.

24. T.J. Beam, RHP

Beam is a guy who has always put up solid statistics in the minors as a reliever, but he has just never been able to translate that to big league success. He got some action in the majors for the Pirates last season, but didn't pitch too well. He threw 45.2 innings with a FIP of 5.23. He is now pitching well in the Blue Jays system at the AAA level.  He is now 28 years old, and time is running out for him to make his mark in the majors, where he has struggled with every chance. He owns a career 2.98 FIP in the minors, so I expect him to get a few more chances to prove himself at the Major League level.

23. Kevin Thompson, OF

Thompson may also be a familiar name, as he saw time in the Bronx in 2006 and 2007. He was a successful hitter in the minor leagues with good speed, I'm surprised he never got more of a chance in the majors; I think he could have had value as a backup outfielder, pinch runner, and defensive replacement. He spent last season in the Pittsburgh farm system, and is now playing for the Newark Bears in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

22. Bronson Sardinha, OF

Known mainly for his awesome middle name: Kiheimahanaomauiakeo, Sardinha is Another guy who played very briefly in the Bronx. Sardinha is a player who never impressed me. He had a career .260/.338/.413 line in the minors, so its surprising that the Yankees ever had him on their 40-man roster. Sardinha spent time with Seattle and Cleveland's AAA affiliates last season, and subsequently signed a minor league deal with the Tigers at the start of '09. He was released in the spring and has not signed on with a new team.

21. Justin Christian, OF

The Yankees signed Christian as an undrafted free agent, and he seemed to be a bit of a diamond in the rough. He was a decent hitter in the minors who was versatile enough to play second base and all three outfield positions. He saw time in the majors last season, and was mainly used as a pinch runner. I'm sure you remember the major baserunning gaffe he made that ended up costing the Yanks. He was DFA'd in the offseason and has struggled so far for Baltimore's AAA team. I feel the same way about Christian as I did about Thompson; he could have value as a backup outfielder, pinch runner, and defensive replacement.

Stay tuned, I'll be back with numbers 11 through 20 next.

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