Mound Talk

1. Joba Chamberlain, RHSP, MLB. Chamberlain is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. He boasts three plus pitches, his fastball, curve and slider. (Full Scouting Report) His fastball sits upper-90s and has a mid-80s slider with tight, hard break. His curveball falls off the table. His changeup is ok but could use a little work. On the negative side, Chamberlain has injury and weight issues. Over the course of his college career he’s dealt with recurring knee, hamstring and tricep injuries. Since coming to the Yankees, he’s improved his mechanics which should help mitigate these but they are still something to keep in mind moving forward.
2. Ian Kennedy, RHSP, MLB. No one dominated the minor leagues like Ian Kennedy last year. Moving from High-A all the way to the big leagues last season, Kennedy showed tremendous control, very good command and great mound presence. Kennedy doesn’t have great stuff. In fact, his pitches actually grade out as pretty average. His best pitch is his changeup which grades out nicely but he’ll also throw two fastballs, a curve and a slider. He has a great delivery with very good repetition. There isn’t much negative to say about him. He’s ready for the show and will make a very good #4 for the Yankees.
3. Jose Tabata, OF, A+. In 2006 Tabata suffered an injury to his wrist. It turned out to be a broken hamate bone that he had surgery on late this season. Prior to the surgery, Tabata, injury and all, dominated the Florida State League hitting .307/.371/.392 with 15 stolen bases. He makes very nice, hard contact and boasts plus speed. He should be able to play decent defense in right field and has a decent arm. Tabata will play in Double-A next year and has a lot to prove. The Yankees will be interested to see if his power develops and will have to be cautious about how his body will develop.
4. Austin Jackson, OF, AAA. Spending most of the season between Low- and High-A, Jackson is an incredible athlete with a quick bat and above average strength. His swing is long and needs to shorten up and be more compact. He projects to develop very good power but at present needs to tighten things up a bit.
5. Alan Horne, RHSP, AA. Horne has dealt with injuries (inlcuding Tommy John surgery) throughout his professional career. He’s always had very good stuff including a fastball int he low-90s with good movement, a power curve and power slider as well as a deceptive change. However, he’s inconsistent. His release point tends to be off because of a mechanical problem with his delivery. He tends to get long in his right arm motion. His command isn’t great but with his stuff, he could be a #3 or #4 pitcher.
6. Dellin Betances, RHSP, A-. Injuries have limited Betances ability to take the mound professionally but his talent is undeniable. He has a good fastball that can top out in the upper-90s. He has a hard curve and a change with great potential. With a little refinement, his change could be his best pitch. He needs to work on his mechanics. His delivery is rushed and creates an inconsistent flow.
7. Jesus Montero, C, Rk. Montero has very good power potential, a good eye and a very good swing. Defensively, he’s got very good arm strength. He’s a bit oversized for a catcher but has shown very good mobility behind the dish.
8. Edwar Ramirez, RHRP, MLB. Ramirez had a quite successful season between three levels. In AA he struck out 17.82 per nine and in Triple-A saw that number slip to a still dominant 15.53. He’s got a good arsenal led by a dominant changeup. Ramirez is destined to be a late innings option, probably in the 7th inning role. He needs to rely less on his changeup and continue to develop his fastball in order to continue his success at the big league level where he was hammered in 2007 on his fastball which could use velocity and command.
9. Ross Ohlendorf, RHRP, MLB. Ohlendorf uses a sinker/slider combo to beat up the ground in front of home plate. Both pitches grade very well with good downward movement. His fastball can reach the upper-90s and also features good downward movement. He needs to improve his command but should be able to effectively relieve for the Yankees in 2008.
10. Brett Gardner, OF, AAA. Gardner is another talented outfield prospect for the Yankees. He has plus speed, translating to lots of stolen bases and plus range in the outfield. He isn’t great offensively, though he’ll fill a nice role. He doesn’t drive the ball particularly hard, but he isn’t a slap hitter along the lines of Ichiro. He’ll start in Triple-A next season with a goal of improving his ability to drive the ball. He has good discipline and will make a decent leadoff hitter.
Flier. Andrew Brackman, RHSP, NCAA. Brackman is a talented athlete with a lot of potential. But injuries have kept him from consistently pitching and that has hurt his development. Nonetheless, he has one of the highest ceilings in the game. His fastball can reach the uppper-90s but more accurately sits low-90s. His curveball is a deadly pitch with incredible break. His upside is a potential ace with perenial All-Star written all over him. But, after being drafted he had Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch until 2009. He is a VERY high risk, but VERY high reward player. Most would probably rate him in the top 10 because of his potential, but with other high potential, less risk players, I took a safer route. If this list were expanded, he’d probably fare in the 14-16 range based on his risk.

The Yankees have restocked and are ready to fully implement a new core of pitchers. With Philip Hughes already in the bigs and Chamberlain, Kennedy and Ramirez ready to join for full-time roles in 2008, the youthful arms will be plentiful in the Big Apple. Horne and Betances aren’t too far behind and Tabata and Jackson have shown tremendous potential. Beyond #10, the system is stocked with guys like Kelvin DeLeon, Humberto Sanchez, Frank Cervelli, Jeff Marquez, Brad Suttle and more.