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Having just completed receiving Phil Hughes' latest bullpen session, an impressed Molina told Posada, "You know what? Phil looks like he has more pop."
Posada concurred, and the backstops aren't the only ones who have noticed.
Said manager Joe Girardi: "You watch him and he leads the groups in running. He just looks like an athlete, a thoroughbred and a leader."
Phil Hughes sat slumped in his chair. He
Hughes was, in a word, terrific. He made Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Francisco Cervelli look foolish at times. He got Abreu to swing and miss at a curveball and had Damon fouling balls off the other way, a sign of how late his swing was. Jeter only swung at 3 of the 10 pitches he saw and fouled all of them off.
Now, keep in mind, the hitters have been facing live pitching for four days and Hughes started throwing off a mound in Tampa in mid January. But what was encouraging is the confidence with which Hughes threw his curveball.
That was the pitch he was throwing when he blew out his hamstring in Texas last May. For Hughes to throw the curve the way he wants, he has to follow through with his body and
Mark Melancon did not pitch an inning last season. He has pitched 62/3 innings in his entire minor league career. Yet, Yankees officials speculate Melancon could pull a Joba, emulating Mr. Chamberlain by rocketing from the Florida State League to late-inning Yankee relevance in one season. This season.
"I thank Joba for opening that door," Melancon said after a simulated two-inning batting practice session.
The scouting report on Melancon is above-average fastball with command (though his control was sketchy yesterday), a power curve that some in the organization equate as an out pitch to Chamberlain's slider and, as Nick Green, who hit against him in the BP session, said an ability to hide the ball in his delivery. However, what every Yankees official cites as Melancon's greatest asset is a serious, professional, determined makeup.
"This guy wants to compete and will not get rattled," minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras said.
Sixteen months removed from Tommy John surgery, Melancon will begin in Single-A Tampa's pen and try to further build on the positive results of a 2006 Yankees draft that already has delivered Chamberlain and Kennedy, a draft that is appearing as a seminal moment in franchise history.
For there are many events over the past few years that accentuate the Yanks' attempted shift toward a more youthful hue, beginning with the early-season 2005 promotions of Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang. But the 2006 draft just might be the most symbolic episode because of its marriage of amended philosophy to successful execution.
34Celtic wrote:Prospects ranked out of the top 15-20 are hardly ever anything to write home about. Can you elaborate on some of them?
The Kandi Man Rocks wrote:
still a hater , eh?
nykgeneralmanager wrote:
Outside of the top 20 are guys like Robertson, McAllister, and Kontos who all project as major league pitchers, although not as starters.
Basketball Jesus wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
What
cmaff051 wrote:Igawa gave up a grand slam to the #9 hitter on the South Florida Bulls.
