Ace: Phil Hughes
As most of you fans already know, Hughes is very highly regarded by scouts and regular fans alike. He has a chance to be one of those special pitchers that doesnt come along much. He has a certain modest confidence about him, that he needs to deal with all the expectations and hype. Pitching wise, he has a 93-95 MPH fastball that he can locate at will. He then throws a 1-7 curveball taht has imporved greated over the last year( He threw a nice slider when he was first drafted but then scratched that for the curve). He also throws a Changeup. This is by far teh weakest pitch in the repetoire but is by no mean a bad pitch. It shows potential and he should be able to master is in his time in AAA this year. Its very easy, with all the hype, to forget that he is just 20 years old and by some said to be ML ready. Its rare that players like this come along so the Yankees should be careful that he turns into the next Clemens and not the next Prior.
Number 2 Starter: Dellin Betances
People who know me know that I believe Betances will be an absolute monster. He has all the intangibles to be such an opposing force on the mound. Hes 6'9 and has gained some much needed weight this offseason. It shows how much influence "signability" has on the draft as he dropped to the 8th round for the yankees and that was believed to be a stretch. Pitching wise, he throws a 94-97 MPH fastball. Thats impressive in itself but hes only 18 years old. He also throws a Knuckle Curve that got rave review from all scouts. HIs changeup is also said to be close to being a plus pitch. The only problem with this guy is that he may have some trouble repeating his delivery. Although that is often true with tall pitches, the yankees have great coaches that usually excell at teaching mechanics. Though he is far away, look for him to become something special.
Number 3 Starter: Joba Chamberlain
Once projected to be a top 10 draft pick entering the 2006 season, injury concerns caused him to slip to the yankees in the supplemental first round. Yet another risk taken by the Yankees, in the draft, that seems to have been a great decision. Chamberlain's fastball sits about 93-96 and can dial it up higher at times. His best secondary pitch is his hard bitng slider taht sits in the 80-87 range. His curveball is also very good as he didnt throw is much in colleghe but the yankees see high potential in it. Like most pitchers, the changeup is the main problem in his pitches but the yankees have made that top priority for him this offseason. Their will always be injury concerns for Joba but if he can live up to potential he could be a Number 3 pitching like an Ace/Number 2.
Number 4 Starter: Angel Reyes
Reyes is a young power lefty that was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16 year old in 2003. He has proceeded to do very well at every stop hes been at and project to be in the Charelston rotation at 20 years old. He has a very good fastball for a lefty as he sits 92-94 and can touch 96. He has decent control of it but the yankees hope it will develop into plus control as he matures. He then has a plus curveball that he worked very hard last season and the results show. His Changeup has left a little to be desired but it has greatly improved and he isnt far away from being able to throw it in any count. Though he is still very young, he has a nice pitchers body and has an oppurtunity to be very good.
Number 5 Starter: Tyler Clippard
It isn't easy to pick Clippard over some of the more talented/higher upside pitchers in the Yankees farm but he has earned it pitching consistently well and even dominating for the second part of last year. The main knock on Clippard's stuff is his fastball. Its about 88-92 MPH but has nice movement and he can spot it anywhere he wants. He then throws a very good curve that may be a little inconsistent at times but for the most part its a plus pitch. Finally, he is the opposite of the former guys as his est pitch is his changeup. It has great movement and he can throw it for strikes in any count. Clippard will fit in the rotation as he knows how to pitch and would be a nice change of pace pitcher for the opposing hitter.
1 comment:
Pretty Close :)
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