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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Ok Start for the Phenom

Injuries/News:

Nope.

AAA:

Eric Duncan’s second game in the 3-hole was better than his first. Duncan was 2 for 5 with a homer and a K. Alberto Gonzalez showed no sign of life, going 0 for 3 to drop to .223.

Steve White picked up the victory, but was mediocre, at best. White’s final line of 5-4-3-3-4-2-0 (IP-H-R-ER-BB-K-HR) was not encouraging. Because he’s got solid velocity, if White can string together some good outings and Igawa struggles he might be the kajillionth Yankee prospect to get a shot. Chris Britton relieved him and gave up a solo homer while striking out 3 batters in 2 innings of work and Edwar Ramirez struck out 2 in his lone inning of work.

AA:

Alan Horne picked up his 7th victory. Perhaps no one in the Yankee system has seen their stock rise more than Horne and he continued on that path with a 6-5-1-1-1-4-0 outing against the league’s top offense. Horne’s emergence will be reflected in the midseason Top 30, unveiled later today.

Brett Gardner was 2 for 5 with 3 strikeouts and Cody Ehlers was 1 for 4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts. It’s weird to see Gardner have a multi-strikeout game this year. Last year, not so much, but this year, yes. As long as it doesn’t happen too often, he’ll be fine.

A+:

Dan McCutchen went 7 strong, striking out 3 while walking 1 and allowing 2 hits. McCutchen hasn’t struck out as many guys as you would expect for someone with his stuff, but he’s been effective at keeping runs off the board. He’s also averaging almost 7 innings a start, which is a positive considering his innings eating potential was a large part of the organization’s attraction to him.

Reegie Corona and Juan Miranda struggled at the plate, going a combined 1 for 10 with 3 strikeouts. Tabata and Curtis fared better, 3 for 9 with 2 strikeouts. Curtis also stole a base.

A-:

All Star Break

SS:

Dellin Betances made his much anticipated season debut and showed flashes, but ultimately wasn’t sharp enough. The umpire was also squeezing him a bit, according to the announcer. Dellin’s final line was 4-5-3-3-2-5-0 and a couple of his hits allowed were of the infield variety. Not a great outing, but I’ll take it. I’ll also expect better going forward.

R:

Daniel Gil picked up his first victory despite having an inconsistent outing. Similar to Betances, Gil’s line showed a bit of his potential as well as some of his inexperience 3-4-2-2-0-4-0.

Prilys Cuello was 1 for 3 with a walk, a strikeout, and, surprisingly, two steals. Zoilo Almonte was an impressive 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a strikeout. I’ve had my eye on Almonte for some time, so I’m very interested in seeing how he does.

Spotlight On:

Zach McAllister going for Staten Island on Sportsnet New York.

Depth Chart:

INF
C. Basak-Playing at AAA and hitting well enough at the level, but doesn’t offer too much with either the stick or the glove, his arm also seems a bit short at times on plays at short and third
R. Pena-Playing at AA, offers nothing with the bat, but is reputed to be a standout defender
G. Lopez-Playing at AA...a homeless man’s Hispanic David Eckstein
A. Baldiris-Playing at AA...can draw the occasional walk, but nothing else and is a poor defender