The Bronx View

Trenton was rained out tonight.

Charleston:

JR Murphy and Slade Heathcott are showing the type of difference one year can make.

Murphy went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, while Heathcott contributed a 2-for-6 night with a couple of runs scored as Charleston revenged Greenville’s 15-0 slaughter last night with a 11-2 slaughter of their own.

Murphy is now 9-for-29 (.310) with three home runs and seven runs batted in. The 19-year old catcher held his own in Charleston for most of last year – looks like he is trying to break out this year. Heathcott is now 13-for-30 (.433) with nine extra base hits and nine runs scored. On the negative side, all four outs he made tonight were via the strikeout, meaning that 9 of his 17 outs have come via the K. Also, after surviving last year on his ability to take some walks, he has actually yet to walk this year. But all in all, can’t really complain.

Not to be outshone, Ramon Flores went 4-for-6 with a home run, double, and two runs batted in. Flores is 10-for-25 on the season. He is also only 19 years old, and put up a .303/.390/.419 line in 234 at-bats across three levels in 2010. Most of that time was spent in the short-season GCL. He is a left-handed hitting outfielder.

Rob Segedin and Kelvin DeLeon each delivered two hits and two runs batted in. They each also doubled.

The win went to lefty Nik Turley, who rebounded after a miserable first start. Turley, a 50th round pick in 2008, went five innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out four.
——————————————————————————————————————————-

Scranton:

Jenry Mejia was too much for the Scranton hitters to handle as the Triple-A version of the Mets defeated Scranton, 4-0.

Jesus Montero went 1-for-4 in the losing effort, as did Jorge Vazquez.

David Phelps pitched very well through five innings, but tired in the sixth. His final stat-line consisted of 5.2 innings of 4-run (3 earned) 9-hit ball. He walked two and struck out five. Phelps is now 0-2 on the young season with a 7.20 ERA (10 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 6 K).

George Kontos pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing a hit while striking out three. Kontos is a 25-year old right-handed pitcher with stuff that could translate well to the bullpen. This was his first strong appearance of 2011, following two shaky ones.

You haven’t seen me reporting much on Brandon Laird this season, and for good reason: He hasn’t been hitting. He did earn a hit tonight, a double (his first extra base hit of the season – last year, he compiled 55). That raised his average to .154.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Tampa:

Sean Black pitched 6.1 effective innings, while Robert Lylerly kept his hot hitting going, but Ronny Marte imploded in the 9th as Tampa lost, 11-5, to Brevard County. Marte allowed SEVEN (!!!!) runs in the 9th inning to take the loss.

Black (who got a no-decision) allowed two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out six. He has a 2.38 ERA in his first two Tampa starts (11.2 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 9 K). Black is about to turn 23, and although he is far from a flashy prospect, I think he has a shot to work himself into a major league conversation in a few years. He has been mostly solid since being drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 draft.

Lyerly went 3-for-4 to improve his average to .433 on the season (13-for-30).

Zolio Almonte contributed a triple and a run scored while Neil Medchill hit his second home run in two days for the High-A squad.

Scranton: I wonder how long the Yankees will be able to keep Jesus Montero in the minor leagues.

It’s only a handful of games, but Montero put up a 3-for-5 night with a pair of doubles, while Jorge Vazquez contributed four hits of his own to go along with two runs batted in as Scranton defeated Rochester, 5-3.

Montero is now hitting .480 (12-for-25) with three doubles and a home run. Obviously, 25 at-bats means nothing – but if he is just cruising at Triple-A for the first month of the season, I think the Yankees will have a big decision to make. But we aren’t quite there yet.

Justin Maxwell contributed a two-run triple to the winning effort.

On the hill, Andrew Brackman tossed five innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out two. He induced six groundouts (two flyouts) and threw 46 of his 80 pitches for strikes. Not a terrible first outing; not a great first outing. But good enough.

Lance Pendleton threw three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win, striking out four while allowing one hit. Kevin Whelan earned his second save of the year, allowing two hits but no walks in a scoreless ninth.
—————————————————————————————————————-

Trenton:

The offensive woes of the Thunder continued tonight, as they were two-hit by Portland in a 7-0 blowout.

Both hits came courtesy of third-baseman Bradley Suttle. Suttle also stole his second base of the season.

Steve Garrison made the start, and was roughed up this time around. Last time out, he threw four shutout innings; this time, he went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He walked nobody and struck out two. Since he started tonight’s game, I doubt he was under immediate consideration to replace the injured Luis Ayala on the major league club; however, this performance probably destroyed any chance of getting to the big club within the next week or so.

Pat Venditte pitched a scoreless inning and sports a 4.50 ERA in three games (2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K)
—————————————————————————————–

Tampa:

Neil Medchill connected on his first home run of the season, but Tampa’s bats were mostly cold in a 4-2 loss to Brevard County.

Medchill, a 11th round pick in the 2009 draft, struggled mightily in 2010, putting up a .199/.280/.331 line with 12 home runs and 154 strikeouts.

Robert Lylerly contributed a couple of hits and an RBI to the losing effort. He is hitting .385 (10-for-26) on the young season. He has thus far shown the ability to hit in the minor leagues, though not for much on the power side.

Brett Marshall took the loss. He pitched better than he did in his last outing by going five innings, while allowing three runs on seven hits. He walked nobody and struck out four. He is now 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the early season (9 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 5 K).
—————————————————————————————-

Charleston:

Charleston was on the losing side of a 15-0 massacre at the hands of Greenville tonight.

Kyle Roller notched a pair of hits in the losing effort and is now 10-for-20 on the young season.

Slade Heathcott and Gary Sanchez both had the night off.

Shane Green made the start and got tattooed. He allowed seven runs on seven hits over three innings, walking two and striking out four. A far cry from his six shutout inning debut his last time out.

The other eight runs in the game were all unearned, as Charleston committed five errors. Rob Segedin made his fourth error of the season, while Anderson Feliz contributed a pair of errors as well.

Thomas Kahlne allowed four of those unearned runs, but also struck out five in his two innings of work.

Trenton:

Tonight, we will start in Trenton, where Manny Banuelos threw four scoreless innings as Trenton’s struggling offense was able to push across three runs in a 3-2 extra-inning victory. Trenton pitchers minimized the damage tonight, as they did give up 14 hits.

Banuelos allowed four hits, walked one and struck out one. He is highly regarded as the top pitching prospect in the organization, and this is a good start to his career in Double-A.

Austin Romine went 1-for-2 with a double, run scored, and three walks, while OF Melky Mesa went deep for his first home run of the season. Bradley Suttle doubled, scored a run, and stole a base for the 2-3 Thunder, who have scored only 18 runs in five games.
——————————————————–

Scranton:

The offense has been a little more plentiful in Scranton.

Jorge Vazquez hit two home runs and drove in five, while Jesus Montero contributed three hits, including a double, as Scranton cruised to a 11-0 victory over Rochester.

Greg Golson went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run, and three runs batted in of his own.

Montero is now 9-for-20 on the season with a double and a home run. Vazquez, who has enough raw power to be a big leaguer, now has three home runs on the young season. Golson’s home run was his second, and Scranton has hit 9 home runs total in their four games played this season.

Despite the lopsided score, not a great night for DJ Mitchell. Mitchell went 3.2 innings, allowing only two hits but also four walks to go with his four strikeouts. Control and command have been an issue for Mitchell in the past. In 2010, he went 13-4 between two levels with a 4.00 ERA, walking 64 while striking out 112 in 150.2 innings. When he is going right, he generates grounders while striking out batters at a good enough rate. But until he can get his command in order, he is not going to reach his potential.
—————————————————————

Tampa:

Jairo Heredia threw six strong innings, while Robert Lylerly contributed a double, home run, and three runs batted in as Tampa took a 7-3 decision over Brevard County.

Abraham Almonte went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored in the win.

Heredia allowed two runs on three hits, walking nobody while striking out seven. The 21-year old right-hander was given a test in 2010, as they put him in Tampa to start the season – the results were a disaster (0-6, 6.93 ERA in 24.2 innings over six starts). They sent him down to Charleston, where he righted himself a bit (4-2, 3.45 ERA, 65/19 K-BB in 70.1 innings). He is still a good pitching prospect who needs to master High-A this year. If he does, he’ll make it to Trenton as a 22-year old, which is impressive. Heredia’s name has been around for a while, so it is hard to believe he is still as young as he is.

Chase Whitley struck out five in two innings of relief. He also allowed a run and walked a batter to drop his ERA to 9.82. Whitley (21, RHP) was a 15th round pick in the 2010 draft and was Staten Island’s closer upon entering the organization (4-2, 1.31 ERA, 34.1 IP, 15 BB, 44 K, 15 saves). The Yankees drafted a lot of intriguing relief arms in last year’s draft, and Whitley is amongst them.
———————————————————————-

Charleston:

A slugfest broke out tonight, and Charleston ended up on the losing end of it, 12-10. Charleston banged out 19 hits, but the pitching couldn’t slow down Greenville.

JR Murphy connected on his third home run of the season in the loss. Murphy had three hits overall (including a double) and scored three runs. He is hitting .286 on the young season. Last year, he hit seven home runs with Charleston.

Slade Heathcott only managed a 1-for-6 night, but the hit was a triple and he also drove in a pair of runs. He now has eight extra base hits in five games. Interestingly, the guy who showed off good plate discipline for a player of his age last year has yet to walk this year – but he is absolutely killing the ball.

Kyle Roller contributed four hits, including a double, and drove in two. He is hitting .471 (8-for-17). He was a 8th round pick in the 2010 draft, and put up a .272/.367/.402 line upon his arrival in Staten Island. Roller is what you would call a hitter. He plays first base, and really can’t go anywhere else on the diamond.

The start was made by Zach Nudding, who allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. The 30th round pick in last year’s draft walked two and struck out six.

Charleston:

We will once again start in Charleston today, where Slade Heathcott kept up his early season power surge, knocking out two doubles amongst his three hits as Charleston lost to Lexington, 12-4. Heathcott is now 9-for-18 on the season with four doubles, one triple, and two home runs. That’s good for a 1.167 slugging percentage.

Gary Sanchez also doubled, and scored a run in the losing effort.

Rough debut for Kramer Sneed, a 32nd round pick in the 2010 draft. Sneed went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits. He walked two and struck out two. The 22-year old left-hander out of Boston College went 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 games (7 starts) late in 2010. He walked 10 and struck out 51 in 39.1 innings.
—————————–

Scranton:

Jesus Montero went 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Jordan Parraz and Jorge Vazquez both homered in a 7-5 Scranton victory. Montero is 6-for-15 with one extra base hit (home run), no walks, and two strikeouts thus far in 2011.

The home run was Parraz’s second in the young season.

Adam Warren started and struggled with his control. The 23-year old right-hander only lasted 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked five and struck out only one. Guys like Warren, Phelps, and Brackman may have an opportunity to crack the Yankees rotation at some point this year, even if it is only for a start or two. So far, both Phelps & Warren had rough opening outings.

Andrew Sisco pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. With Feliciano still shut down, a guy like Sisco could earn his way up to the big club with a solid start. Kevin Whelan, who blew yesterday’s game, earned the save today.
——————————————

Trenton:

Dellin Betances and the offense both struggled today in a 5-0 loss to New Hampshire.

Betances went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out only one hitter.

Austin Romine (.188) contributed a hit to the losing effort, as did Bradley Suttle (.133), who doubled. Hasn’t been a strong offensive start in Trenton – the highest batting average after today’s game belongs to Austin Krum at .214.

27-year old right-hander Tim Norton pitched a scoreless inning in relief, striking out two. He now has one walk and five strikeouts in two innings to start the season. Norton has pitched well in the organization, when he has been healthy. In four years prior to this one, he has yet to appear in more than 23 games. In 19 games last year, he struck out 47 and walked only 7 in 32.1 innings. His ERA was 1.39. In his minor league career, he has put up a 2.56 ERA in 168.2 innings, walking 38 while striking out 195. Even though he is obviously older, you never know – he may be able to help the big club yet.
——————————————

Tampa:

Abraham Almonte went 1-for-4 with a walk and his third stolen base, but it wasn’t enough in a 4-2 loss to Lakeland.

Mark Prior pitched again today, throwing a scoreless inning, walking one. Kind of interesting that they are already throwing him in back to back games. A good test, if his arm is ready for it.

Luke Murton went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. The 24-year old right-handed hitter is 5-for-14 with a double, triple, and three RBI thus far in 2011. In 2010, he put up a .282/.361/.463 line in Charleston with 32 doubles and 12 home runs.

Scranton:

Jesus Montero went 3-for-6, including his first home run of the season, but Scranton blew a lead in the 9th and ultimately lost to Rochester, 7-6 in 12 innings. Scranton hit four home runs in the game – including one by slugger Ramiro Pena.

Chris Dickerson also had three hits in the 15-hit Scranton attack. Dickerson also drew a walk, scored two runs, and stole a base. Acquired for Sergio Mitre late in the spring, Dickerson (29 years old tomorrow) is a pretty good depth player to have in the organization.

Speaking of outfielders that provide depth, Greg Golson homered and stole a base, while Jordan Parraz had two hits, including a home run of his own. Parraz is a 26-year old outfielder who has bounced around the minors. He has shown some flashes of ability, but is mainly here to fill out the Triple-A roster.

Hector Noesi made the start, fighting his way through five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Kevin Whelan, who I guess is starting 2011 as Scranton’s closer, blew the save in the 9th, allowing a solo home run. Whelan didn’t walk anybody and struck out two in the performance. Whelan pitched to a 6.02 ERA in 2010 – displaying his usual strong strikeout rate (62 in 49.1 innings) alongside of his usually poor walk rate (31). He is the last remaining player from the Gary Sheffield trade. Humberto Sanchez and Anthony Claggett both had cups of coffee with the big club before fizzling out.

Lance Pendleton, who Houston gave back to the Yankees after he didn’t make their roster as a Rule 5 this spring, took the loss. In 2.2 innings, he allowed the winning run on two hits, walking two while striking out one.
—————————————————–

Trenton:

Graham Stoneburner scattered nine hits over five innings, but only allowed one of those runners to score. Still, it wasn’t enough as Trenton’s bats went cold in a 4-1 loss to New Hampshire.

Stoneburner walked one and struck out one in his first Double-A start. Last year for Charleston & Tampa, the 23-year old right-hander went 9-8 with a 2.41 ERA in 26 starts, striking out 137 while walking only 34 in 142 innings. He is a pitcher to watch in 2011 to see if he can continue the momentum he has built since entering the organization.

Austin Romine had one of the three hits the Thunder were able to muster. The other two went to Raymond Kruml, a 25-year old left-handed hitting outfielder with very good speed but not much of a stick.

27-year old lefty Naoya Okamoto, signed this past off-season out of the Mexican League, made his organizational debut, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks in 1.2 innings pitched.
——————————-

Tampa:

Abraham Almonte went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and a stolen base while Josh Romanski pitched six solid innings in a 2-1 Tampa victory. Almonte is now 5-for-14 with two doubles, a home run, and two steals in the first three games of the season.

Romanski (24, LHP) allowed three hits, walked nobody and struck out a batter. He went 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 18 starts (15 for Charleston/3 for Tampa) in 2010. The former fourth round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers was signed as a free agent by the Yankees last April. Due to injuries, he never appeared in a game for the Milwaukee franchise and he made his professional debut last year for Charleston.

Mark Prior made his Yankees’ organizational debut, throwing a scoreless inning in relief, striking out one.

Ronny Marte finished off the game with 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the save.
———————————-

Charleston:

Slade Heathcott went 2-for-5, with a double, triple, and three runs batted in as Charleston took a 7-3 victory over Lexington.

JR Murphy landed his first catching assignment of 2011, and promptly did his best Gary Sanchez impersonation – launching a solo home run.

The home run was Murphy’s second of the season. Like Heathcott, Murphy was placed in a full season league in 2010, putting up a .255/.327/.376 line. With all of the hype surrounding Montero/Romine/Sanchez, Murphy truly does get lost in the shuffle. He is a legit catching prospect in his own right, and he will probably rotate the C/DH positions with Sanchez all season.

19-year old outfielder Ramon Flores drew three walks and added a hit in the victory. Flores hit .303/.390/.419 between three levels (mostly in the GCL) in 2010.

The start went to Mikey O’Brien, who three six innings of three run (two earned), five hit ball. He walked one and struck out six. O’Brien went 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 11 starts for Staten Island in 2010, walking 18 and striking out 38 in 60.2 innings. The 21 year old ninth round pick in 2008 draft has yet to pitch more innings in a season than he did last year. We’ll see how the Yankees use him this year.

2010 draftee Thomas Kahlne earned the win in relief, throwing two shutout innings. Kahlne retired all six hitters he faced, striking out one. He went 0-0 with a 0.56 ERA in 11 games for Staten Island in 2010 (16 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 21 K). He is a 21-year old right-hander who was taken in the fifth round.

Scranton was rained out tonight.
————————————————-
We’ll start off a bit different tonight – we will go to Charleston, where Slade Heathcott matched his entire home run output from 2010. Heathcott went 3-for-4 with two home runs and two runs scored…but it wasn’t enough as Charleston lost to Lexington, 11-7.

JR Murphy went 1-for-5 with a home run of his own, while Gary Sanchez and Rob Segedin each added a double to the mix. Sanchez also had two passed balls in the game.

20-year old outfielder Kelvin DeLeon added a home run of his own. DeLeon has good talent, but struggled in Staten Island last year (.236/.288/.359).
————————————————–
Tampa:

A nice first Tampa start for Sean Black, who went five innings of one-run, five hit ball in a thrilling back-and-forth 7-6 victory against Lakeland. Tampa’s bullpen blew a 4-2 lead in the 9th, by giving up four runs. However, Abraham Almonte belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the inning to knot the score at 6. They ultimately won the game on a Kyle Higashioka RBI single in the 10th inning. Almonte also added a double and stolen base to his boxscore.

DeAngelo Mack added a few hits (.252/.333/.408 in Charleston last year for the 24-year old left-handed hitting outfielder). Black, a 22-year old right-hander out of Seton Hall University, walked two and struck out three. Last year for Charleston & Tampa, he went 8-8 with a 3.68 ERA (127.1 IP, 127 H, 41 BB, 104 K, 6 HR, 1.47 GB/FB)

Robert Lylerly (23/1B-3B) went 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs batted in. He has five hits in his first two games. He was a 6th round pick in the 2009 draft and had a respectable season for Charleston in 2010 (.312/.352/.425; 36 doubles)
—————————————————-

Trenton:

Corban Joseph went 3-for-5 with two doubles and and two runs batted in but it wasn’t enough as Trenton lost a 8-7 slugfest to New Hampshire. One of the goats of the game was shortstop Jose Pirella, who committed three throwing errors in the field. He now has four errors in two games.

22-year old left-handed power hitter Cody Johnson, acquired from the Braves for cash considerations, went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in the loss. Johnson has a history of good power in the minors – coupled with extreme strikeout rates. Last year, he hit .212 with 18 home runs in 344 at-bats…but he also struck out 151 times. That is NOT a typo or a misprint. He has also had a 177 strikeout season…and that wasn’t even his worst. His worst was a 180 K season in 2009. He also hit 32 home runs that year. If he had Mark Reynolds’ ability to take some walks, he may be a more viable prospect than he is. Of course, if he had plate discipline, he wouldn’t have been put up for auction.

Austin Romine added a hit and two runs scored in the loss.

On the hill, Shaeffer Hall allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings in the loss. Pat Venditte made his first Trenton appearance, and gave up the winning run in the 9th inning.

———————————————————–

Posted by Tom K

Time for the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates…oops, I mean the future of the New York Yankees to take the field. In terms of prospects in the fold, not much has really changed in terms of the names you will hear. The Yankees didn’t make a significant off-season trade involving any meaningful prospect. To be exact, the most they gave up this winter was a first round pick for Rafael Soriano.

Obviously, with a new season comes promotions for a lot of prospects. And we’ll hear more about those as the weeks and months go by. Some will excel and get us excited; some will completely bomb and fall off of the radar. That is part of what makes following the minor leagues so fun.

Now for the recap of Opening Day!

—————————————–

Scranton:

And it wasn’t such a pleasant night for David Phelps. Phelps went 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits as Scranton got crushed by Lehigh, 7-2.

Andrew Sisco, a former big-league left-hander who could have a shot at getting to the big club this year, pitched a scoreless inning in relief, striking out two in the process.

Greg Golson went 2-for-3 with a double, while Jesus Montero and Brandon Laird each contributed a hit.

———–
Trenton:

A much better night for left-handed Steve Garrison, who started and went four scoreless innings in a 5-1 Trenton victory.

Garrison allowed three hits, walked nobody, and struck out four. This is a name to watch – not because he is Manny Banuelos, but because if Pedro Feliciano misses a huge chunk of the season, Garrison may have a shot to crack the major league bullpen at some point as a second left-hander. The Yankees, on the advice of then-consultant Kevin Towers, claimed Garrison off of waivers from the Padres late in 2010. And for those who like local products, Garrison graduated from the Hun School of Princeton.

Craig Heyer, who has flashed exceptional control in his minor league career, was a bit off tonight in that regard – allowing two walks in three innings. However, he didn’t allow a hit (one unearned run) and earned the victory. Heyer walked 9 batters in 72.1 innings for Tampa in 2010. He is a ground-ball specialist who doesn’t strike anyone out and probably has a ceiling of a middle relief innings-eater.

Austin Romine didn’t get a hit, but walked twice and scored a run. Melky Mesa made his Trenton debut, going 2-for-5 with a double, run scored, and run batted in. 3B Bradley Suttle added a 2-run double of his own.

Also at this level to start 2011 is Jose Pirela, a 21-year old shortstop. In Tampa last year, he hit .252/.329/.364 and swiped 30 bases in 37 attempts. Prior to 2010, he had stolen 28 bases in 43 attempts, so he made nice strides there last season. Sometimes you can get a bit of a handle on what an organization thinks of a player by how they challenge him. Being 21 years old and in Trenton is a nice challenge for Pirela. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored tonight.

—————————————

Tampa:

Tough night for under-the-radar prospect Brett Marshall, who allowed six runs in four innings as Tampa’s rally fell short in a 7-5 loss to Lakeland.

Marshall is a 21-year old right-hander who came back strong from Tommy John surgery in 2010, flashing a 2.50 ERA in 13 starts (72 IP, 52 H, 22 BB, 56 K, 2 HR). Although he hasn’t shown much of it yet in his minor league career, Marshall does have power-pitcher potential and is someone to watch as he tries to conquer a tough level for a guy with his experience (33 career minor league starts)

Outfielders Zolio Almonte and Abraham Almonte each went 1-for-4 in the loss (Zolio also added a stolen base), while 22-year old outfielder Taylor Grote contributed a home run. The Almonte’s are bigger prospects than Grote, who was a 8th round pick in the 2007 draft. Zolio (21) hit .269/.331/.424 in 465 at-bats between Charleston and Tampa in 2010, stealing 15 bases in 22 attempts. Due to injuries, Abraham (21) only batted 57 times in 2010. In 2009, he put up a .280/.333/.391 line in Charleston, stealing 36 bases in 41 attempts. He is a nice prospect – and you always hate to see good prospects lose a full season of play.

The Ghost of Carmen Angelini went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Angelini was once a high ceiling shortstop prospect who the Yankees selected out of high school in the 2007 draft. But he last played in 2009, putting up a dismal .193/.254/.265 line in the Sally League.

————————————-

Charleston:

Gary Sanchez wants to live up to all of the insane hype. Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs batted in, while Shane Greene pitched six impressive innings in a 6-1 victory over Lexington.

Sanchez is an 18-year old catcher who put up a .329/.393/.543 line in 173 at-bats between the GCL and Staten Island last year. He is a prospect with through the roof potential, and this is not a bad way to start your first game in a full-season league.

Fellow teenager Anderson Feliz also is trying out this level in 2011. Feliz hit .274/.328/.439 between the GCL and Tampa last year (his stay in Tampa was only for 25 at-bats). The switch-hitting infielder is obviously high on the Yankees radar; they don’t just place 18-year old players in Charleston for the heck of it.

Catcher JR Murphy (who DH’d tonight) went 1-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. I will assume that the Yankees will want to take it easy with Sanchez in his first full season, so expect to see some time sharing between Sanchez/Murphy behind the plate.

Former first-rounder Slade Heathcott went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored in this game. The Yankees probably want to see Heathcott tap more into his power potential this year; in 2010, he put up a respectable .258/.359/.352 line with only two home runs (one of which was an inside-the-park job). He stole 15..but was also caught 10 times. These are the types of growing pains he was expected to go through; but it is not unreasonable to expect more from him in 2011.

Greene allowed one unearned run on four hits, walking nobody while striking out three. The 15th round pick from the 2009 draft is not a big prospect, but tonight he threw well. Daniel Burawa earned the save with three scoreless innings in relief. The 22-year old right-handed local product (12th round pick out of St. John’s last year) put up a 7.71 ERA in only six games for Staten Island in his first taste of professional ball late in 2010.

————————-

Posted by Tom K

Scranton: 1. David Phelps 2. Hector Noesi 3. Adam Warren 4. DJ Mitchell 5. Andrew Brackman

Brackman is the one to keep the biggest eye on, as the Yankees need to make a decision on him before the 2012 season. One would think they’ll give him a major league tryout at some point during the year, assuming he is healthy and productive.

Warren has made big strides in the last few seasons and has turned himself into a legitimate major league starting prospect.

Mitchell can be inconsistent – he has the stuff, but the command is sometimes lacking.

Noesi is one of those control-type pitchers who has pitched well in the minors (24-14, 3.16 ERA, 348/62 K/BB ratio in 353 innings), but has flyball tendencies. (39% GB percentage in 2010). His home run rate in the minors has still been very good – but Tampa & Trenton are known for being pitcher friendly.

Phelps is someone I have been intrigued by. His stuff is far from outstanding, but he has maintained a decent ground ball rate (though it went down once he hit Scranton last year), while holding strong in other areas. He is 31-8 in his career with a 2.50 ERA (382.1 IP, 85 BB, 315 K). He has the polish – we’ll see if the stuff translates into the major leagues – though it is always possible that he’ll be one of those guys packaged in a deal for major league help.

————————————–

Trenton: (No order announced) Steve Garrison Shaeffer Hall Dellin Betances Manny Banuelos Graham Stoneburner

Garrison was picked up off waivers from the Padres in September of 2010 and was actually in the competition this spring to take Pedro Feliciano’s spot on the roster. Of course, the Yankees decided to go with the “proven” ineffective Luis Ayala instead.

Hall is a soft-tossing left-handed pitcher probably from the Chase Wright mold – he has enjoyed success in the minors (11-7, 2.82 ERA, 114/21 K/BB ratio in 146.2 innings), but with a soft-tossing lefty, you just never know what to really expect as they climb the chain. After being promoted to Tampa in 2010, he put up a 3.91 ERA in 69 innings, allowing 7 home runs. He may fizzle out this season.

Anything more need to be said about Betances and Banuelos? Both guys have at least an outside shot of making it to the big leagues as early as this year – normally, given where they are right now, I would say Banuelos before Betances. And I think that is especially true since the major league club has a solid bullpen and guys like Andrew Brackman and Adam Warren are at AAA waiting to fill in any holes. But is it completely out of the question that a dominant Betances would get to the big leagues are a reliever this season? I would there is a chance we could see that – but it most likely would be due to injury or if the Yankees decide to deal a Robertson or Chamberlain.

Stoneburner had “reliever” written all over him upon his entrance into the organization. And that may yet be his destination – but not yet. Some may look at Stoneburner and say “College pitcher – picked in the middle rounds – he is only dominating because he is more mature than the batters he is facing”. But Stoneburner wasn’t really all that experienced coming out of college. He was probably just a few notches above your typical raw high schooler, actually. He only appeared in 36 college games, starting 21 of them. He was 9-8 with a 2.41 ERA between two levels in 2010 (142 IP, 107 H, 137/34 K/BB ratio). Trenton will represent a huge test for him and will probably give us our first glimpse into what his future role will be.

As Cashman has said a few times, the Yankees will have 10 prospects (of varying ability, obviously) starting in Scranton & Trenton to begin the season. It is a bit rare for a staff to not have a minor league lifer or a former major leaguer amongst the Triple-A rotations, but that isn’t the case here. A guy like Shaeffer Hall shouldn’t get anyone too excited, but everyone else on this list has a chance. No, they won’t all make it – but they all do have a chance to be solid contributors.