As we're currently in the real duldrums of winter and Yankee news is scarce, we're going to start a new series here that will complement our prospect profiles for the next couple weeks. In these new reports, we'll highlight some guys outside of our top 30 profiles that we feel you should watch in 2010, for good or bad reasons. We'll feel our way through this and hopefully you'll appreciate and enjoy our efforts.

We'd also love to get some feedback on some guys you think should be interesting to watch in 2010 for whatever reason. Feel free to comment below with any additional names and/or thoughts about our list.

David Phelps:

Phelps has done nothing but post good results since being drafted in 2008 yet his stock hasn’t been particularly high because his stuff wasn’t particularly good. He has a good sinking two-seam fastball along with solid slider, but the change up and curveball are average or worse pitches. Working diligently in 2009 to turn the slider into a plus pitch seems to have panned out. Phelps raised his K/9 rate to a career high 7.51 in A+ Tampa while continuing to exhibit the command and control he’s been lauded for in the past (1.41 BB/9). With reports that his fastball has ticked back up into the low 90’s and that he had hit 94 with his four seam fastball, Phelps should be one to watch in Trenton at some point in 2010.

Grant Duff:

Duff was a gigantic disappointment as a starter out of college from the 2004 draft. His resurgence however was predicated on a switch to the bullpen where his average/below average command could play up. A few mechanical adjustments led Duff to rediscover the velocity the Yankees once saw from him- his fastball sits north of 95 consistently. The velocity improvement was seen in his slider as well which now is consistently around 85ish and he ditched the changeup he could never quite corral for a splitter that's turned into a good swing and miss pitch. Duff wasn’t added to the 40 man roster like some thought he would be but did show up in the AFL with decent results. The lack of command will perennially hold Duff back and his age really dims his prospect status, however assuming his stuff doesn’t diminish, he’ll be closely watched for further progress in 2010.

Gary Sanchez:

The most natural (as well as exceedingly unfair) comparison for Sanchez is with Jesus Montero since their both international signings who happen to play catcher. But early reports on Sanchez have drawn those comparisons in his extremely limited time in the system. Sanchez is a much better defensive catcher than Montero, with almost everyone saying defensively he should be able to stick at the position while mentioning his solid athleticism. His hitting ability isn’t quite as pronounced as Montero’s, but his plate discipline and approach have opened plenty of eyes because such young international players rarely have those traits before landing in the states. At 16, that's obviously understandable. I have no idea where Sanchez will start in 2010 but we may soon have yet another big time catching prospect to drool over.

Zolio Almonte:

Almonte was the terribly disappointing 2005 international free agent who had utterly failed to do anything successfully- until 2009 that is. Almonte had his best year yet in 2009 in Staten Island improving across the board in almost every facet of his game. The OBP which previously looked like .307 and .291 jumped to .355. The SLG which was always south of .400 turned into .440. Almonte turned in a league adjusted wRC+ of 134 and a .371 .wOBA. The question is was 2009 a fluke or something real? There are points and counterpoints for both sides. On one hand, Almonte is just 20 years old with plenty of room for growth physically and international signees can be notoriously raw. He’s also a switch hitter which is a skill that can be hard to develop and take time to progress. His BABIP was also not crazy, which would traditionally be the sign of a lucky season (.330). His BB% jumped nearly 4 percent to a healthy 10.7 percent.

Also, coaches were impressed by the consistency of his swings for once - his opposite field approach was fine tuned and he had a good swing from both sides of the plate (he’s a natural right handed hitter). On the other hand however, Almonte isn’t really any sort of promising prospect. His “breakout” season was captivating for him given his previous level of success, but it wasn’t generally breath taking by any stretch (.166 ISO won’t wow anyone). Additionally Almonte, at least according to scouts, doesn’t really have great tools to dream on. While his swing led many to believe he could be a .300 hitter, his first few seasons were just awful enough to make many reevaluate that claim. I would still say that there’s almost no real hope for Almonte to turn into anything of value. I place no real expectations on him for further development at all really, but his 2009 performance IS noteworthy none the less. So regardless of his ultimate utility, it will still be interesting to see what Almonte has to offer as a starting OF in Charleston this season.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Website

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment