Yankees Top Prospects in 2009

I don’t particularly like just linking to other pages, but MinorLeagueBall.com is doing their annual prospect grading and just released their 2009 Top 20 rankings for the Yankees and I thought it was worth noting.

What our friends at MinorLeagueBall indicate is that the Yankee minor league system is solid all around and its strength is its pitching.  The top prospect in the system, accoring to MinorLeagueBall is catcher Jesus Montero, who is supposed to have a great bat, but not really noteworthy behind the plate.  I think I would much rather have a catcher who is better handling pitchers than one with a bat (especially in the Yankee lineup), but then again, back in the day Jorge Posada was a converted middle infielder who didn’t have a great glove, but I think he progressed nicely into a great catcher.  Austin Romine is ranked #4  in the Yankee system and is a good defensive catcher who may be less of a liability behind the plate.

Austin Jackson, long considered the best athlete in the system, is said to be a solid player but may not be a star.  Seven of the top ten are pitchers with former first round pick Andrew Brackman ranking 8th.  Overall, I think the Yankees need to add some hitters in the system, but I am perfectly comfortable with having an overabundance of pitching: you can never have too much pitching.

Funny thing about the Yankees off-season signings this year is that they lost their top three draft picks, so their first, second, and third rounders.  However, because they didn’t sign their #1 pick in 2007, Gerrit Cole, they get a compensatory first round pick that can’t be taken away!  Awesome!  The Yanks picked a great year to splurge on free agents since they have a first-rounder that can’t be taken away.

Yanks Complete Hat Trick; Sign Teixeira

Wow.  What a move.  Can anyone stop the Yankees?

For those of you living somewhere other than planet earth, yesterday the Yanks signed their third big free agent this off-season, signing first baseman Mark Teixeira to an 8 year/$180 million contract.  With his signing, the Yanks have committed over $420 million to three players this off-season.  The best part is, the Yankees are still UNDER their 2008 payroll.  With the acquisition of Teixeira, there is no reason why the Yankees should win any less than 110 games next year.  I know the AL East is tough, but can anyone beat this team?

Teixeira is a great signing for the Yankees.  He’s a switch-hitter and fits nicely into the #3 hole in the batting order.  His average season in the bigs is .290/36/121, strong numbers anywhere but if you put him in the middle of the Yankee lineup, I fully expect 40 home runs and 140 RBI.  Teixeira is also a stellar defensive first baseman, who will no doubt save Derek Jeter and co. several errors over the next few years.  He gives the Yankees the best glove at first that they’ve had since the days of Tino Martinez in the late 1990s (a vastly underrated firstbaseman who deserved at least two gold gloves).  Another key component of his signing is that by signing in New York, he stays out of Boston.  You hit your rival hardest when you improve your team and by doing so, you prevent them from improving theirs.

With the acquisition, however, there are a couple of questions to be raised as the Yanks look long term.  Number one is what does this mean for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.  Maybe the Yanks are comfortable with him at third when he hits age 40, but I always penciled him in at first as early as 2-3 years from now.  Same with Jeter.  I could have easily penciled him in at first, although I see him more in leftfield.  He needs to move sooner though, his range at short is terrible.  Speaking of the outfield, it looks a bit crowded these days, doesn’t it?  Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera need to be written into the lineup card for three outfield positions and one DH spot.  That’s five guys for four spots.  While trades have been mentioned as possibilities, I see Damon in left, Swisher in center, Nady in right, Matsui as the DH and you have Gardner on the bench.  I’d still like to see the Yanks revive the possibility of a Melky Cabrera-for-Mike Cameron deal to keep center warm until a more permanent (read: Austin Jackson) solution is found, I think it’s unlikely.  I would understand if the Yanks traded one or more of those guys, but I like my solution, too.  If they were to consider trades, I want the team to remember the Nady is a right-handed bat (and they don’t have too many) and Swisher is a switch-hitter.

The NFC Will Go Through the Meadowlands

For the first time since 2000, the Giants will be the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs, earning a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in the process.  What a game last night.  If you missed the Giants/Carolina battle at the Meadowlands Sunday night, you missed a helluva football game.  Here are a couple quick hit thoughts on that and Big Blue:

• The Giants are a much different, much better team with Brandon Jacobs in the lineup.  He provides a pretty serious change of pace from the quickness of Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw and can just wear down defenses.  By wearing down the D, he enables Ward and Bradshaw to run for some long gains (see Ward’s 51 yard run in OT to start the game-winning drive) and he opens up the passing game.  I didn’t know he’s a free agent at the end of the year, but they better re-sign him.  I love Jacobs fire and his strength.  After the game when asked about how he changes the team’s philosophy, Jacobs responded “I just come in and run into people.”  What he meant to say, of course, is that he runs through people.
• I’d like to see Ahmad Bradshaw more.  He’s been mostly on kick return duty lately and spells Ward late in the game, but he was a dynamic rusher last season (ask the Buffalo Bills) and I’d like to see the Giants utilize him more.  I know he’s cut from the same mold as Ward, but he’s got a quick first few steps and could spring for a couple big gains.
• The Offense still has problems.  Correction, the passing game has problems.  With over 300 yards on the ground against a good defense, I’m satisfied with the running game.  However, without Plaxico “Property of the D.O.C.” Burress, the Giants don’t have a go-to receiver.  On a few occasions last night, Eli Manning and Domenik Hixon looked out of sync and while I like Hixon, he’s nowhere near the receiver that Plax is.  Burress and Manning just clicked and Burress had an intuitive connection with his QB that enabled him to make some key grabs (many of which were no look, Burress just knew where to be).  Because of this, I fully expect Eli and the first team to play at least the first half against Minnesota to try to get more in sync before the playoffs.  The bye can be used to rest the starters.
• The O-Line Dictates the Team’s Success. I think this is tied to the first two bullets, I’ve discussed so far.  With the O-Line playing well and cohesively, Big Blue can run over just about anyone.  Without the O-Line playing well, though, the Giants are in trouble.
• Eli Manning Doesn’t Make Mistakes Anymore. For pretty much his entire career, except last year’s playoffs, the NY Media hasn’t left Eli Manning alone.  Funny how after he wins the Super Bowl, no one really says a word about him.  Here’s a guy who has become an excellent game manager on the field and one that – get ready – doesn’t kill you with mistakes.  This year, he has a career-high 60% completion percentage, 21 TDs and a career-low 10 picks (shattering his previous best of 17).  With all the attention that other NY Quarterback gets, he makes a ton of mistakes and throws a ton of interceptions.  Eli has quietly settled down and become one of the top Quarterbacks in the league.  Listen, I get that he doesn’t put up gaudy numbers, but neither did Tom Brady until Randy Moss arrived, he just won ball games.  People always respected Brady because he didn’t make mistakes and he could make a big play when necessary.  Eli has quietly matured into that, himself.  He won’t lose you a game anymore, like he used to.  Seriously, though, until Moss came to town and Brady threw 50 touchdowns, his career-high was 28, close to Manning’s best.  Like Eli, Brady just completed 60% of his passes and limited his interceptions.  Unlike baseball, the NFL is about winning – and that’s it.  There is less of an emphasis on statistics and more of an emphasis on rings.  To be a great quarterback, all you have to is win games and rings and Eli is showing he can do just that.