There are your Top 30! November 24, 2007
Posted by Pablo Zevallos in Kevin Whelan, Steven White, Top 30 Prospects, Yankees: Looking to the Future.trackback
So there is your top 30 prospects list for the New York Yankees! I hope that you, our readers, post any comments, complaints, compliments, or gripes on any post you feel necessary.
However, there is no Top 30 without an honorable mention section. The honorable mention prospects:
Steven White: White, the 4th round pick out of Baylor in 2003, has seemingly been around forever. He once held the title of best Yankees pitching prospect, but later surrendered that title next year to Phil Hughes. He’s supposedly lost a tick or two off that big 96-97 MPH fastball he had when drafted. His slurve comes in at 77-80, and a plus changeup at 80. However, White needs to not overthrow when in a jam, and needs time to adjust to a new level. He has seemingly been around the system forever, largely because of a variety of bizarre injuries since his drafting that have held him back. That, his age, and his inability to crank up the big strikeouts anymore don’t make him a Top-30. However, White has some upside, and projects best as a reliever since there are better pitchers who are and will be in the rotation. He should struggle a little bit in New York for the first few months, then do better.
Ceiling: B-, Health: C+, Comparison: Luis Vizcaino
Kevin Whelan: Whelan isn’t in the Top 30 because, although he was lights out for a good part of the year, there is no place to put him. I felt like putting him in the 20s range, but that didn’t seem right. He is a prospect, and to me, he is really #30a. Regardless, Whelan is a 23-year-old right-hander who was drafted, by the Tigers, in the 4th round out of Texas A&M in 2005. He was a catcher, but the Tigers converted him to the mound since he couldn’t hit and throws hard. His fastball is plus, checking in at 92-95. Whelan’s splitter his easily his best pitch and largely used for strikeouts. The big thing, though, is that Whelan is wild. He did well in Tampa in his first full season with the Yankees organization, but when promoted to Trenton, he held a low hit rate, but also walked 6.96 per 9, a deplorable ratio. His hit rate is amazing (around 4 per 9 for the season) but the walks haunt him. His strikeouts are strong as well, and all he really needs to do to get into the Top 30 is walk less batters.
Ceiling: B, Health: B+ (couldn’t go to Arizona due to shoulder fatigue), Comparison: Kyle Farnsworth, for now
Jose Calzado: Calzado, a 2003 international signing out of the Dominican Republic, spent three years in the Dominican Winter League before debuting in GCL in 2006, and then in Charleston in 2007. Calzado has 5-tool potential, and already possesses an amazing arm, fringely plus contact skills, and great speed that is developing into base-stealing speed. His power is developing as well. Calzado mades strides in the second half, and instead of free-swinging, he became more patient. Calzado has the potential to be a solid and even above-average outfielder (his speed and his bat, if it develops fully, should play anywhere) hitting 5-7 in the lineup. His defense and arm should merit Gold Gloves if he is to reach the big leagues.
Ceiling: B, Health: A, Comparison: Torii Hunter
Others I considered but didn’t include (in no particular order): Cody Ehlers, Colin Curtis, Phil Coke, Kevin DeLeon, Chris Britton, Edwar Ramirez, Austin Romine, Chase Weems, Tim Battle.
Errr wait. Whelan was actually demoted to Tampa mid season then up again near the end. mostly because the core coaching staff is there so they want to work with his control in person, they actually had him start during this time too to get him more work in, and he was already coverted to a pitcher in college. (he both catched and pitched in college but was mostly a pitcher in the end)
I think his upside and that he did decent enough result wise in AA makes him a better prospect at least than Angel Reyes. who’s a. equally wild b. terrible in a even lower level , he shoulda been somewhere in the 20s range..
Also, I’m not sure why you didn’t meantion Reegie Corona and Alberto Gonzalez, both are decent middle infield prospect in thier own right, the Yanks are much higher on Corona than Hilligos, as can been seen that they keep promoting him ahead of him, he’s also younger. and he was send to the AFL. he had decent result in Tampa this year too. though the results in Trenton and the AFL were less impressive.
Gonzalez is pretty close to ready. he’s a true gloveman that has some offesnive potential, at worse he should be Miguel Cairo that can play a very legitimate SS. and with any luck he might be somewhat better.
1) 7 per 9? I’d take Farnsworth over that…Reyes never walked seven per 9, although his command isn’t great. I do regret not putting him in, though
2) Gonzalez and Corona are back-up infielders; Corona is a nice prospect, but he’s more a backup due to limited OF potential. Gonzalez is all-glove, no-hit, an d I don’t think he has great potential. Gonzalez is also almost at his potential, and at his age and lack of adjustments thus far, what tells me he can do better?