Minor League Recap: Tampa Yankees

Tampa was strong all season and topped off their 2010 year with a sweep of Dunedin in the semi-finals before dispatching the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the finals.? While they played well as a team, there were a few players who were particularly instrumental in Tampa’s success.

Curtain Calls:
Dellin Betances (SP): In fourteen starts for Tampa, Betances went 8-1 with a 1.77 ERA (1.83 FIP).? As one of the Yankees biggest prospects, Betances dominated the opposition in the Florida State League.? He allowed just one homer and nineteen walks, while striking out 88.? He held hitters to a .169 average before getting called up to Trenton.

Corban Joseph (2B):Joseph had a great season in Tampa before getting promoted to Trenton late in the season.? Over 98 games, Joseph put together a line of .302/.378/.436/.814.? He drove in 52 RBIs, six homers and three triples.? As Joseph continues to improve, he still committed thirteen errors in the field.? He also struck out 74 times, while walking just 43.

Walter Ibarra (SS):Ibarra also had a good season for Tampa, hitting .301/.348/.370.718.? He has continued to play well during the offseason, where he is currently hitting .312 for Naranjeros de Hermosillo.

Graham Stoneburner (SP):Stoneburner has made a name for himself in his second year in professional baseball.? After being promoted to Tampa, the right-hander went 8-5 over 19 starts and 103 innings.? He put together an ERA of 2.53, giving up just four homers and 24 walks while striking out 93 batters.? Stoneburner held opposing hitters to just .214 average.? August was a great month for the young hurler, who went 3-0 with an ERA of 1.95 over five games.? While he makes it hard for hitters to get on base, he does seem to struggle once runners are on, with his ERA jumping from 0.30 to 5.70. ?It is 11.39 when runners were in scoring position.

Adam Warren (SP): Another second year pro, Warren pitched his way to a late season midseason call-up to Trenton.? He went 7-5 in fifteen starts for Tampa.? He had a 2.22 (2.72) ERA, allowed only two homers and seventeen walks, while striking out 67 hitters.

Pat Venditte (RP): While it has been widely accepted that Venditte was not considered much of a prospect, the switch pitching youngster continues to make noise as he works his way through the Yankees farm system.? He appeared in 41 games for Tampa this season, before getting called up to Trenton for a couple games.? He recorded six saves thanks to a 1.73 ERA (1.88 FIP).? Venditte allowed only seventeen runs, fourteen earned, and two homers.? He walked fourteen hitters and struck out 85 while holding opposing hitters to a .187 average.

Players to Watch:
Andrew Brackman (SP):The big righty from NC State has struggled with injuries during his minor league career, but looks to have gotten back on track this season.? His numbers were not particularly impressive in Tampa, but his 5.10 ERA did not show the full picture, as his FIP was 3.12.? He gave up five homers and nine walks while striking out 56.? Brackman earned a spot on Trenton’s roster for the second part of the season, where he appeared to step things up and put together some strong numbers.

Jack Rye (OF):Rye spent fifteen games in Trenton before ending up back with Tampa, where he put together some solid numbers.? He hit .274/.342/.413/.755 in Florida, stealing seven bases and only getting thrown out once.? Rye has done alright in Tampa, but he has done two short stints in Trenton (once in 2009 and once in 2010) and has struggled.

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Minor League Recap: Staten Island Yankees

Curtain Calls:
Gary Sanchez (c): Sanchez’s strong performance in the Gulf Coast League led to him playing sixteen games with Staten Island.? He put up some of the stronger offensive numbers on the team during his short time there.? His line was .278/333/.426/.759.? He hit two doubles and two homers, driving in seven RBIs.

Garrison Lassiter (3B): Lassiter led the offense for Staten Island during his 39 games.? He hit .285/.389/.325/.714.? He struck out 29 times, walked nineteen times and drove in ten RBIs.

Michael O’Brien (SP):Over eleven starts, O’Brien went 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA.? He gave up nineteen runs (fourteen earned runs), walked just eighteen hitters while striking out 38.

Chase Whitley (RP): This year’s fifteenth round pick has shown some sleeper potential in his first season of professional ball. Whitley gave Staten Island some strong innings out of the ‘pen.? He went 4-2 over 34.1 innings of work (28 games).? His 1.31 ERA was accompanied by 44 strikeouts and just fifteen walks.

Richard Martinez (P): Martinez had a 4-1 record with a 1.69 ERA over sixteen games (two starts).? He allowed just nine runs (six earned) and walked sixteen hitters while striking out 34.

Players to Watch:
Cito Culver (SS): Culver’s fifteen games in Staten Island were a disappointment, but the Yankees’ first round pick from this year showed some great potential in the Gulf Coast League.? During his time on Staten Island, however, Culver hit .186/.340/.209/.549 and committed six errors.

Kelvin De Leon (RF): While De Leon has been viewed at having a significant ceiling as a prospect, his development has been rather slow.? Over 69 games for Staten Island, he went .236/.288/.359/.647.?? Unfortunately, he struck out 80 times while walking just seventeen times.? He had 37 RBIs with six homers and twelve doubles.? De Leon will need to improve on his defense if he is going to continue to move along in the farm system.

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Minor League Profile: Austin Romine

Background:
Romine is a California native, who will turn 22 just before Thanksgiving.? The Yankees took him in the second round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft, signing him right before the deadline for a hefty $500,000 bonus.? Because of his late signing, Romine only played in a handful of rookie league games in 2007, but has steadily progressed in his three years of professional ball since then. ?He spent 2008 in Charleston, 2009 in Tampa and this past season as the backstop for the Trenton Thunder. It is likely Romine will be catching in Scranton this season, but that is contingent on whether the Yankees truly believe Montero will be able to produce in the Bronx in 2011.? If not, they will want both their prized prospects to be able to catch regularly, meaning Romine could start the year back in Trenton.

Offense:
People may not be salivating over Romine’s bat the way they look at Montero’s, but this does not mean Romine is a slouch at the plate.? Far from it in fact, as he is a solid contact hitter who has a good eye for the strike zone.? He earned Florida State League Hitter of the Year in 2009, and can hit with some power to all fields.? Romine is not expected to have the power that Montero can provide, but he is a consistent hitter.? He needs to work on drawing more walks, but this is not necessarily due to a lack of patience, but rather to how aggressively he goes after the pitches he likes.? Romine does not strike out much and his athletic make up gives him a boost on the base paths.? He managed to swipe eleven bases in 2009 when he was in Tampa, but in Trenton he only stole two, so his ability to be a threat on the bases, even for a catcher, is still up in the air.

Defense:
It seems to me that many Yankee fans are focusing on defense at the catcher’s position, particularly after some of the ugly plays we saw behind the plate this season.? Reports on Montero’s defensive ability range from poor to mediocre, but Romine has always been reported as a solid defensive backstop.? He has improved each season and has the agility and footwork that the bigger Montero can only dream about. ?Romine has plus arm strength, but perhaps his most important aspect of his defense is his baseball IQ and his ability to work with pitchers. ?When all of this comes together Romine is projected to be an above average defensive catcher at the least.

2010:
Romine put together a solid offensive season in Trenton this past year.? He was elected to the All-Star team once again, joining teammate Hector Noesi for the Futures Game.? Romine put together a line of .268/.324/.402/.726 for 2010.? He continued to work more walks, picking up 37.? He had ten homers, 31 doubles and 69 RBIs.? Romine threw out 23% of runners trying to steal, allowing 85 stolen bases while pegging 25 runners. ?Romine’s arm has been continually sited as one of his true strengths, so it is possible that the steals are not wholly attributable to him.

Projection:
Romine projects to be a solid major league catcher, able to contribute on both sides of the field.? If things continue to go as they have, it would not be surprising to see Romine spend 2011 in Scranton and get a shot at the big leagues in 2012, however, Jesus Montero is the x-factor here.? If Montero is traded, it would not be surprising to see Romine fast tracked and perhaps see some time in the Bronx in 2011, unless they Yankees feel he is not ready.? With Montero ahead of him and Sanchez behind him, however, I often wonder if Romine’s true value to the Yankees will end up being on the trade market.

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