The Bronx View

Whoops indeed:

Congratulations were in order for Michael Young after Joe Girardi named him to the American League All-Star team on Monday morning.

Congratulations, though, quickly turned into apologies as MLB officials informed the Texas Rangers third baseman that he wasn’t actually an All-Star and that he shouldn’t get on a plane to spell Boston’s Adrian Beltre.

Whoops.

In a confusing little case that ended almost as quickly as it began, Young was named to the All-Star team when AL manager Joe Girardi announced at a press conference that he’d be replacing Beltre, who injured his hamstring on Sunday.

But that came as news to Beltre and the Red Sox and Rangers beat reporters, who hadn’t been told of the plan. After a little bit of sleuthing, it turned out that Girardi spoke too soon, because Beltre hadn’t officially ruled himself out of the game.

Something here sounds very… familiar…

OAKLAND – Robinson Cano won’t have to worry about a Home Run Derby hangover after all.

Cano agreed to withdraw from the event following a conversation with Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman before Wednesday night’s game, not wanting to take any chances with the minor back injury that has bothered the Yankees’ second baseman since Sunday.

The Daily News first reported on its website Wednesday that Cano would withdraw from the Home Run Derby due to the back injury, but when he arrived at the Oakland Coliseum, the second baseman said he still planned to take part in the event.

“As far as I know, I’m doing it,” Cano said. “I saw on the computer that I’m not going to the Derby, but nobody has talked to me yet.”

That conversation took place about two hours later, as Cano was summoned into Girardi’s office. With Cashman on the phone, Cano was informed that team trainer Gene Monahan had expressed his concern over Cano participating in the Home Run Derby, prompting the team’s decision to pull him from the event.

“They spoke to me, so now I know what’s going on,” Cano said. “It was our trainer’s decision. He’s been here for a long time and he knows better than me what’s best for me and for the team. I agree with him.”

Cano admitted that the lack of communication earlier in the day bothered him.

“To be honest, I was upset,” Cano said. “I came in and (reporters) were talking to me when I didn’t know what was going on.”

Before he met with Girardi, Cano said he still hoped to participate in the Derby on Monday and that his back doesn’t bother him when he swings the bat.

“Why not? First time in your career, go out there and have fun,” Cano said. “That’s the kind of thing that might happen once in your life. I take BP every day, so it’s not going to be a big deal.”

(H/T to Zoolander in the Google Group for the Beltre article)

From the beginning of spring training in 2009, Joe Girardi set out to correct the mistakes he made in 2008, and not just missing the playoffs.

Girardi was a notoriously bad communicator in 2008. The clubhouse was constantly spinning with contradictions as players were reporting injuries that Girardi was downplaying or outright denying. It seemed as if there was little to no communication coming from the managers office.

That seemed to change in 2009 as Girardi worked hard to be a better communicator toward the press and to his players. He even went so far as to incorporate a team building exercise in the form of skipping practice for billiards.

For the most part, Girardi has been successful at running a tighter ship than before and in truth, the Cano situation could have been more due to a chatty coaching staff than Girardi neglecting to talk to Cano in a timely manner. Maybe that led to Girardi jumping the gun a bit in the Beltre scenario without ever talking to the player or, gosh, maybe the Red Sox first?

It’s interesting. The Yankees under Torre and Cashman ran a pretty tight ship. Rarely did you ever hear about these types of miscommunications from the clubhouse and Cashman certainly plays his office extremely close to his chest. Torre, diligent manager that he wasn’t, probably had a little more free time on his hands than Girardi. But Torre understood how important the lines of communication were in his clubhouse.

Girardi is getting there. It’s just taking him a little bit longer. Now, if we can address his use of the bullpen we can Really make some progress.

As you all have probably heard by now, the Yankees are close to acquiring Cliff Lee for multiple prospects, including their very best hitting prospect (Jesus Montero) and an advanced second base prospect (David Adams).

In Montero, the Yankees would be giving up their most advanced minor league bat in quite some time.    As much of a prospect as Jose Tabata was at one time within the organization, he was never as advanced as Montero.   We could go back to the days of Ruben Rivera (flop) and Nick Johnson (who could have been HOF caliber if not for all of the injuries he’s endured).

Montero was a hyped prospect before he even reached the states, the biggest prize in the 2006 international free agent signing period.   While many young, international studs fizzle not long after signing big contracts, Montero didn’t.    In the Gulf Coast League, he hit .280/.366/.421 in his first 127 professional at-bats.  And that was just a taste of things to come, as his OPS jumped to .868 in 2008 for Charleston and .951 in two stops (Tampa/Trenton) in 2009 before going down late in the season with an injury.    He started off slow in 2010, but has picked it up lately and may be on the verge of yet another offensive explosion.  To be exact, I’d almost guarantee that an offensive explosion is likely coming. (It wouldn’t hurt that he would be moving to Tacoma…who play in the ultra-hitter friendly Pacific Coast League)

Why the Yankees can include him in such a trade:   Montero, by most accounts, is not very good behind the plate.    Also, even if he was decent behind the plate, the Yankees do have another strong catching prospect in the upper minors (Austin Romine in Trenton) with projectable guys behind him (JR Murphy in Charelston; Gary Sanchez in the Gulf Coast League).    Teams love to trade from a position of strength, and Montero represents that.

Why they shouldn’t have included him in a trade:   Montero, by most accounts, is going to be an impact bat in the major leagues.  Nothing in life is guaranteed, especially when it comes to baseball prospects, but Montero is about as close to a sure thing as you are going to find in the minor leagues.  He has no obvious weakness as an offensive player.   With the major league roster aging a bit, a young bat like Montero could have breathed some life into an aging lineup as early as 2011. —– David Adams would get lost in any trade involving Jesus Montero, but he really shouldn’t be.    Adams, a third-round pick in the 2008 draft, has done nothing but hit since joining the organization..and shows signs that he could someday be an impact major leaguer. Adams didn’t do all that much upon arriving in Staten Island in 2008.   He put up a .257/.350/.393 line with 19 doubles in 257 at-bats.   I bring up the doubles because that is where David Adams will begin to become very intriguing. In 2009, Adams hit .286/.373/.443 in two stops (Charleston/Tampa) with 40 doubles in 490 at-bats.  Coupled with the eight triples and nine home runs, Adams suddenly become a legit power prospect from a middle infield position.    One of the things people like to look at in a minor league career is doubles…because as a player fills out or becomes more comfortable hitting professional pitching, sometimes some of those doubles convert into home runs over time.   So far, in 2010, Adams has produced 15 more doubles in 152 at-bats.   He is currently on the disabled list with an ankle injury, but it seems doubtful it will hold up this type of trade.

Why the Yankees can include him:   Believe it or not, middle infield is suddenly becoming a bit of a strength.  In Triple-A, Eduardo Nunez has continued to build on his breakout 2009 season in Trenton.     Down in Tampa, Corban Joseph is pushing to be promoted in his own right.   Joseph has put up a .315/.386/.460 line at the age of 21 in a league that is commonly thought of as being more pitcher friendly than hitter friendly.  As a left-handed bat, he’d probably have more future value in the Yankees’ mind given their home ballpark.    Joseph, drafted in the 4th round in that same 2008 draft, has shown to be a prospect who may be, at the very least, on the same level as Adams.    Deeper down in the system, Anderson Felix is currently a bit overshadowed by the Gary Sanchez show in the GCL, but should not be overlooked as a potential prospect as he moves up the chain.   Speedy Jimmy Paredes is a bit overlooked as a prospect, but he shouldn’t be – the shortstop has held his own in Charleston this year.

Why they shouldn’t have included him:  There really isn’t much of a reason to not include Adams.  He doesn’t project to play anywhere other than second base, and Robinson Cano already holds the fort there in the Yankees’ organization.    Adams is a solid prospect who may someday be an above-average major league second baseman…but that was not likely going to happen with the Yankees anyway, given the blocking issues that they have. Corban Joseph can easily move right into his slot as a second base prospect.

Mark Feinsand:

OAKLAND – Robinson Cano broke out a “Get Off My Mound” T-shirt in the visiting trainer’s room before Monday night’s game, causing an eruption of laughter inside the Yankees’ clubhouse.

Even Alex Rodriguez laughed at the shirt, which is being sold in the A’s team store, a nod to Dallas Braden’s famous words for A-Rod after he crossed over the mound on his way back to first base during the Yankees’ visit to Oakland on April 22.

“I hope I get a cut,” Rodriguez told reporters.

Braden echoed the same sentiment when questioned by reporters, but the mouthy pitcher quickly added that if it were up to him, the shirts wouldn’t be at souvenir stands, calling the idea a “suicide request” by the A’s.

According to Braden, the A’s marketing department went to the MLBPA to get the shirt approved, but was not given the go-ahead to license it. As a result, the shirt doesn’t have Braden’s name, face or uniform number on it, though it does include a silhouette of him delivering a pitch.

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“It’s just not cool,” said Braden, who pitched a perfect game against the Rays on May 9. “It’s just a serious, gross lack of tact. At the end of the day, I hope I do not become associated with that kind of approach.”

I wonder what approach would be good for Braden?

The A’s, who are drawing terribly at the box office, are looking to make a buck wherever they can. If Braden looks at this as a negative reflection on him, he should consider where the quote came from in the first place.

I guess his contention is that this type of attitude is okay on the baseball field but not on a t-shirt?

I think Dallas Braden is trying to grow up a bit. The problem is, part of growing up is learning when to keep your mouth shut. He opened it on the field that day and created this mini-phenomenon which has probably done his reputation more harm than good. Now he’s openly complaining about his teams attempts to make money on the incident and, by association, his perfect game.

Laugh it off, Dallas. If you’re lucky, your fifteen minutes of fame will extend to an hour or so.

A buddy of mine texted me yesterday. He’s a Tampa Bay Rays fan (yes they actually exist outside of Florida) and the All-Star rosters were already setting him off.

His text:

If Rivera is an All-Star, then Soriano deserves to be one too.

Probably. There’s lots of guys that deserve to be All-Stars and Rafael Soriano is one of them. I’m not sure ARod deserves to be one, but whatever. Girardi has his own internal politics to deal with and I’m sure ARod will be happier for ten more minutes for having received the recognition.

The greater question I had for my Rays friend was why a man who is in his late thirties cares about such things? I remember looking forward to the All-Star game when I was a kid. I wanted to see guys from my team get into a contest with the greatest players in the game and do well.

A single? Fantastic.

A double? Oh boy!

A home run? This ten year old ain’t sleeping tonight!

That’s the thing, though. I was ten. Pre-teen. Didn’t even have a learner’s permit to drive a car, never mind the ability to put the world in some logical perspective.

There is barely an election in politics these days that doesn’t come with some kind of controversy, shocking considering we’ve been electing people biannually for the last two hundred and thirty years. Do you really expect Major League Baseball to get something as convoluted at the All-Star Game one hundred percent correct?

Doubtful. Becoming an All Star is a notch below receiving a Gold Glove, an award that is supposed to award the greatest defenders in the game but more often than not picks the perceived All Star at each position.

Sure, it seems useful to look back over a player’s career and see they made the All Star game ten times. They must have been the best player at their position for those ten years. Amazing.

We all know that’s not true, though. See ARod and Derek Jeter this year. See Cal Ripken Jr. the last few years of his career. Being an All Star isn’t a judge of anything except who made the All Star game that year.

Unless you’re ten years old and still believe in the power of the higher authority, what value does the All Star game have? Is deciding the home field advantage for the World Series enough to make people actually care?

Maybe, although the good people of Kansas City probably don’t use that as motivation. The All Star game should be what it is: an exhibition game where people can just enjoy baseball for what it is.

Instead of trying to make the game more meaningful, maybe baseball should use the All Star game to make the game more fun. Take away the home field advantage nonsense and loosen things up a bit.

One of the better moments of recent All Star games was when Randy Johnson intentionally threw behind a nervous John Kruk. Why? Because the players showed personality, a trait we rarely see in the game unless it’s wrapped in fist pump show boating that rubs some people the wrong way.

Bring the the players personality into the game. Mount a microphone at home plate and the mound. Let the players talk to each other, taunt a bit. Let the pitcher warn the batter that the heat is coming and build some anticipation. Take the seriousness out of the game and let the fans get a look at the people who play the game.

And one side benefit to taking the seriousness out? The game will go quicker because batters won’t step out and pitchers won’t march around the mound for five minutes before delivering.

The All Star game could also be a place for MLB to try out some things like instant replay. They could road test some ideas, whether they be rules to speed up the game or new tech like instant replay to put them in practice and see how these things work. It’s only one game but it will certainly receive some media scrutiny and may make some extra people want to watch.

Will any of this make the All Star game better? Maybe. Maybe not. But it would make it more watchable and probably more fun which makes perfect sense for an exhibition game.

In promotion news, Andrew Brackman was promoted to Trenton & Zolio Almonte was promoted to Tampa. Almonte is a 21-year old center-fielder. This is quite the leap for the young man. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Neil Medchill was demoted from Tampa to Charleston.

I am going to break from the normal format and start in Trenton, where a lot of today’s action was.

Trenton:

Brandon Laird hit two home runs and drove in seven as Trenton put up an 11-2 victory.

Laird had three hits overall, including a grand slam and a three-run home run. He is hitting .293/.344/.558 with 17 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and 76 RBI. He’s even 2-for-2 stealing bases, for good measure. He has eight home runs in 82 June at-bats.

Austin Romine couldn’t quite live up to that, but went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Romine is now up to .294/.360/.447 on the season and has put up a 2-for-4 game in each of his last three games. To show how bad his slump was prior to this, he is now hitting .224 in June.

Hector Noesi threw another solid game. Noesi tossed seven innings of four-hit ball. He allowed two runs, walked three and struck out 10. He is now 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA for Trenton (45 IP, 36 H, 9 BB, 44 K, 5 HR). He allowed five earned runs in his first start for Trenton – he has allowed only six in his last six starts combined. Tim Norton continued his impressive relief work, throwing a scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K since promotion to Trenton). Norton is older (27) but is having a solid season that is hard to ignore (1,32 ERA; 5 BB, 41 K in 27.1 innings)

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Scranton:

Eduardo Nunez went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI as Scranton won, 5-1. Nunez is now hitting .320 on the season. Reegie Corona contributed two hits (including a home run) and two runs scored to the winning effort. Corona is still only hitting .232/.301/.350 on the season, but is hitting .324/.343/.588 in his last 10 games and .259/.302/.420 in June. Corona’s numbers are weighted down a bit by an awful April (.488 OPS), but has picked it up a bit since then. He’s only 23, and a strong showing in Scranton could potentially put him on the trade radar as he has played short & second in his minor league career. The win went to Tim Redding, and that’s as far as we’ll go there.

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Tampa:

The Shaeffer Hall Express continues to cruise through minor league lineups. Hall went six innings tonight, allowed two unearned runs on seven hits to lead Tampa to a 5-2 victory. He walked nobody and struck out six. Hall has been unbelievable since Day 1 this year. For Tampa, he is now 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 4 starts (23.1 IP, 20 H, 2 BB, 23 K). Overall, he is 6-2 with a 1.58 ERA (14 starts, 91.1 innings, 72 H, 13 BB, 69 K). As always, I am not sure what to make of him; other than the fact that all he does is dominate in every game he pitches.

In his debut, Zolio Almonte went 1-for-2 with an RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. The raw talent this kid has is really impressive.

21-year old shortstop Jose Pirela contributed three hits to the cause, driving in one and scoring one. He also drew a walk. Pirela is hitting .238 overall but is hitting .343 in the month of June.

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Charleston:

JR Murphy is still playing here instead of in Staten Island…and tonight, he made a bid to make sure he stays here. Murphy went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI but Charleston ultimately lost, 7-6. Slade Heathcott, who also has hung around Charleston, contributed a 1-for-4 night with a run scored. Heathcott is hitting .292 on the season. Murphy has his average up to .250 thanks to a 10-for-26 run (.385).

20-year old catching prospect Kyle Higashioka hit his 4th home run of the season in the losing effort.

Francisco Gil (21) pitched three innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit. He walked nobody and struck out two (6 games, 0-0, 1.59 ERA, 11.1 IP, 11 H, 0 BB, 6 K) Gil has a very good arm, and just needs to stay healthy. Easier said than done sometimes. He missed the entire 2008 season due to surgery on his right elbow. He missed the beginning of 2010 as well. He threw 45 effective innings for the GCL Yankees last year.

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GCL Yankees:

Anderson Felix, a 18-year old second baseman, went 3-for-5 today to raise his average to .500 (9-for-18) with four doubles, a triple, and two RBI. 18-year old OF/1B Ramon Flores also improved to .500 today (8-for-16) with three hits of his own. Flores even got to play in a game for Tampa earlier this year.

Charleston was off tonight as they are on their All-Star Break.

Scranton:

Eduardo Nunez went 2-for-5 with two RBI but it wasn’t enough as Scranton fell, 7-6. Nunez is now hitting .317 on the season. A right-handed bat, Nunez has posted good splits against both types of pitchers: .313/.378/.418 vs. lefties; .316/.345/.409 vs. righties. Those splits were entering tonight’s action.

26-year old catcher Rene Rivera hit a home run and drove in three in the loss. If someone actually claims Chad Moeller (hahahahahahaha), Rivera would be the next emergency catcher in line.

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Trenton:

A nice night for Trenton’s offense, as they scored 12 runs on 10 hits in a 12-7 slugfest victory.

Austin Romine hit his second home run in two days in the win. He also hit a double, drove in two runs, and drew a walk. He increased his line to .290/.355/.446 on the season. He had a two-hit night in Game 2 last night, and had three hits two games prior to that. Perhaps his slump is over.

Daniel Brewer, Austin Krum, and Jose Gil also homered for Trenton. Brewer (22) hit his 6th home run to go along with 17 doubles and two triples. He has also stolen 19-of-22. He is hitting .244 overall. Krum, who has no real power to speak of, actually homered for the second time in three games to give him three overall on the season. (.259/.356/.328). The home run was Gil’s fourth and he is hitting .218/.279/.436 in 78 at-bats as Romine’s backup.

Brandon Laird went 1-for-5 with a double and two more RBI.

On the hill, DJ Mitchell didn’t benefit from the huge run support. He only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing all seven runs (six earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out two as his ERA climbed to 4.91. The sinker-baller also allowed three home runs (something in the air in Trenton tonight?) to double his season output to six. Mitchell has pretty much been up and down most of the year – in his previous start, he threw seven 1-hit innings.

The bullpen did a fine job obviously – no runs on two hits in 4.2 innings. Ryan Pope pitched 1.2 of those innings, allowing both hits while allowing a walk and striking out two.

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Tampa:

Graham Stoneburner only wishes he had a few of the runs Trenton tried to give to Mitchell. Stoneburner pitched six impressive innings, allowing two unearned runs on two hits while walking nobody and striking out four. However, those two unearned runs were huge as Tampa lost, 2-0. Stoneburner fell to 4-3 for Tampa with a 1.93 ERA (42 IP, 21 H, 1 HR, 11 BB, 39 K, 1.64 GB/FB). The guy is no Jack Morris, though – he just does not know how to win. He is 5-6 in two stops this year with an ERA of 2.00. Obviously, he is demoralizing his teammates at all levels and needs to stop allowing anybody to score if he wants to be a big-time winner in the big leagues.

Tampa was only able to muster three hits in this game, two of which were by Corban Joseph (.302/.368/.424).

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Not much of anything to note in the low-low minors today (Staten Island/GCL). Again, I will report on players who get off to hot starts in these leagues (and are legit prospects), but that’s about the extent of it. I’ll also follow the 2010 draft class.

Scranton:

Zach McAllister pitched a solid game, but still took the loss as Scranton fell, 3-1. McAllister went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two, struck out one, and allowed a home run. McAllister is now 5-5 on the season with a 4.50 ERA (14 starts, 78 IP, 88 H, 19 BB, 47 K, 8 HR). The not so great home run rate coupled with a bad strikeout rate is concerning.

Marc Melancon pitched two innings of scoreless relief, walking two and striking out four.

At the plate, Jorge Vazquez hit his first AAA home run in the losing effort. Vazquez also doubled and is hitting .273 in 33 at-bats since his promotion.

Reegie Corona contributed three hits, his third consecutive multi-hit effort…raising his average to a still pedestrian .233. ————————————————————————————————————————————

Trenton:

Austin Romine hit his fourth home run of the season in the completion of a suspended game…then went 2-for-4 with a double (19) and run scored in the regularly scheduled game as Trenton earned the split. Romine is now hitting .286 on the season. He had a three-hit game a few days ago, so perhaps he is starting to break out of his slump.

Brandon Laird went 1-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI (now up to 67 on the season) in the victory.

Lance Pendleton earned the victory with six innings of three-run, four-hit ball. He walked one and struck out six. He is 6-3 with a 3.72 ERA (77.1 IP, 62 H, 31 BB, 65 K, 5 HR) on the season. As I have stated before, Pendleton is no longer a prospect – but he has done a solid job for Trenton this year.

Tampa:

It probably takes a special kind of talent to do what Dellin Betances is pulling off.

In his third start since coming back from his injury, Betances was dominating, pitching six innings of one-hit baseball to help Tampa to a 3-0 victory in game one of a double-header. Dunedin turned the tables in game 2, winning 4-0. Betances allowed one walk and struck out eight to get the victory. In those three starts, Betances is 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA (18 IP, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 21 K). It is very obvious want this kid to stay healthy.

A two-run double by 21-year old shortstop Jose Pirela was the big hit in the game. Pirela is at .227/.281/.340 on the season. He has a lot of speed (8 doubles, 8 triples, 9-for-12 stealing bases) and is another interesting middle infield prospect in an organization that suddenly is starting to show life at the two middle infield positions. Pirela put up a .295/.354/.381 seaon in Charleston last year, so he does have some hitting ability.

In the second game, Adam Warren didn’t fare quite as well as Betances. Warren lasted four innings, allowing all four runs on nine hits. He walked nobody and struck out two. He also allowed a home run. Warren (22) is now 6-5 with a 2.86 ERA on the season (63 IP, 60 H, 14 BB, 48 K, 2 HR). Rehabbing right-hander George Kontos pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the loss, as did Pat Venditte.

Corban Joseph was only able to go 1-for-7 in the two games, as his average fell below the .300 mark (.299). Melky Mesa picked up his 18th steal in the second game and had a hit in each game. ————————————————————————————————————————————-
Charleston:

Charleston was off as the Sally League played their All-Star Game tonight.

There are quite a few promising prospects on this team right now….but only three guys made the team, one of which couldn’t make it due to injury.

Zolio Almonte is the most intriguting name on the list. The recently-turned-21 year old outfielder is hitting .278/.341/.485 on the season with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 35 RBI. He has stolen seven bases (also caught six times), and has 21 walks to go along with 65 strikeouts in 227 at-bats. Obviously, there is room for growth here; but the 10 home runs jump out at you the most at this stage.

Luke Murton couldn’t make the game due to injury. The 24-year old corner player is hitting .291/.375/.498 on the season with 23 doubles, 8 home runs, and 37 RBI. Drafted in the 19th round of the 2009 draft, he is old for the league in terms of age…not quite so in terms of experience. However, at the age of 24, he’d need to move pretty quickly to get to the majors in his prime. he has a .927 OPS vs. lefties.

Ryan Flannery was the third player chosen. A 24-year old closer, Flannery is 5-2 with a 1.91 ERA and 7 saves for Charleston. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed 27 hits while walking 7 and striking out 27. In April, Flannery had an ERA of 6.75 in 9.1 innings. Since then, he has allowed two runs (one earned) in 28.1 innings. Wow. He has allowed 15 hits during that stretch with four walks and 20 strikeouts.

Charleston would likely have produced more All-Stars, but Graham Stoneburner and Shaeffer Hall were both promoted to Tampa earlier this season. I will assume Jimmy Paredes was on the radar for the team (.279/.309/.368 with 24 steals in 30 attempts for the shortstop), but he is far from an oversight. Third baseman Robert Lyerly (22) may have the biggest beef after a .314/.367/.411 first half.

A light schedule overall down on the farm as Trenton & Charleston were off while Tampa was postponed; so some of the focus will turn to teams deep down in the farm. So deep down you can barely see the players playing there. Typically speaking, I don’t report too much on these leagues; most of the players will be lost to attrition before they’ll register on anyone’s radar. But it doesn’t hurt to focus on the true standouts.

Scranton:

But we will start in the upper minors.

Ivan Nova continues to cruise along, pitching 6.1 scoreless innings as Scranton took care of Pawtucket, 4-3…..courtesy of a walk-off wild pitch that scored Justin Christian.

Nova, who didn’t factor in the decision, allowed five hits. He walked one and struck out seven. In 13 starts for Scranton, Nova is 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA. In 77.1 innings, he has allowed 78 hits while walking 26 and striking out 60. In his last four starts, his stat-line reads like this: 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 27 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 19 K. How about dumping Burnett and inserting Nova? Just kidding…..maybe.

Eduardo Nunez went 1-for-4 with a triple (his 2nd) and a run scored in the win. Jesus Montero had his second consecutive 0-for-4 showing. Maybe I should just stop typing about him?

GCL Yankees:

Gary Sanchez immediately lived up to his advanced billing, torching a grand slam to help the GCL squad to a 10-8 slugfest victory. Sanchez, a 17-year old catcher signed during last year’s international signing period, has already been regarded by some as one of the Yankees’ top prospects; given this was his first ever professional game, that is a bit hasty. But I’d say that is a pretty good start for him.

19-year old center fielder Kelvin Duran contributed a home run of his own to the winning effort. Duran hit .302/.366/.462 for the Dominican Summer League Yankees last year in 262 at-bats. He stole 28 bases in 35 tries.

Top pitching prospect Manny Banuelos finally got on a mound, pitching two hitless innings. Despite that, he did give up an earned run while walking one and striking out two. Fellow rehabber Brett Marshall came in relief of Banuelos. He pitched three innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on three hits. He walked three and struck out three. Marshall is a 20-year old right-hander drafted in 6th round of the 2008 draft. He pitched for Charleston last year before going down with an arm injury. In 17 starts, he put up a 3-6 record with a 5.56 ERA (87.1 IP, 98 H, 7 HR, 37 BB, 60 K).