Mike Ashmore was at the Trenton Thunder's media day yesterday and assembled a ton of quotes(click through for much more):

Tony Franklin, Manager: "[Pat Venditte] pitched well for us.  The organization felt a little more time was needed before he comes up, but if the way he pitched in spring training is any indication, you might see him pretty shortly.  That was my first opportunity to see him pitch.  I was as interested as anyone else was."

Grant Duff, RHP: "I think that I was on the verge of being released last year at the beginning of the year.  Then, something clicked with my mechanics to make me a better pitcher, and everything got better; from velocity, to command to offspeed pitches, everything got better."

Ryan Pope, RHP: "the last couple games of last year, my velocity went up.  I got to spring training and it stayed the same, so that’s a good thing…hopefully I can keep that going all year.  It was just the tempo, speeding things up.  I kept that and went from there."

Tommy Phelps, Pitching Coach: "If [Christian Garcia] stays healthy, a lot of big things can happen for him and our organization.  Some guys, they battle with injuries and it takes time.  This is the best I’ve seen him, health-wise, and I’ve been around him three years.  He’s throwing the ball great."

Brandon Laird, 3B: "I’m a player that loves playing the game.  I play hard each and every day and when things aren’t going well, I’m still playing the game hard and trying to help my team.  Whatever I can do to help my team win, that’s what I’m trying to do."

Christian Garcia, RHP: "I’m going put a bubble wrap around me, have my teammates carry me around (laughs)."

Austin Romine, C(Prospect Profile): "I’m hoping when they come and watch, or when my teammates look, they see a guy who’s busting his butt behind the plate.  I don’t like passed balls, I don’t like anything that shouldn’t happen.  I hope they see a guy that they can respect out there, who works hard and who wants to win.  Every time I go on the field, I want to win.  Without a doubt."

D.J. Mitchell, RHP(Prospect Profile): "I still have a lot to learn.  This is only my third full season pitching.  I’ve got great coaches and I’ve got great teammates, and they help out along the way.  With those guys, I feel like I’m learning at a higher pace, that it’s like I’ve been pitching much longer than I have.  But I still have a lot of work to do."

Media Day Wrap-Up: Christian Garcia will start opening night on thursday and the plan is for him to throw 75-85 pitches.

As we head towards real live baseball that counts, we thought it would be nice to compile opinions on the Yankees from around the blogosphere. We sent out various questions to a bloggers from many different Yankees blogs and will be posting their answers throughout the week. We would like to thank everyone for contributing; I think that we have compiled some good information and it's always nice to have varying perspectives.

7. Of all the players the Yankees traded away this offseason, who do you think the Yankees will miss the most, long term?

Greg Fertel, Pending Pinstripes: It's tough to do this, because he doesn't have the ceiling of an Austin Jackson or an Arodys Vizcaino, but I'm going to go with Ian Kennedy. I just think he's an extremely good bet for at least league average performance starting this year. I can't say the same for either of the other two guys.

Dan LaTorraca, WasWatching: I think Austin Jackson has the talent to be a major league stud, and we'll see a few glimmers of that in 2010. He's going to struggle at this level, but if the Tigers give him a chance to refine his game, they could have a great player on their hands. I don't think the Yankees will miss Phil Coke or Mike Dunn that much, but Arodys Vizcaino seemed like a special player.

Travis G, Pinstripe Alley: Very tough question... I'll go with Ian Kennedy. Pitchers that dominate the minors like he did don't come around too often (Joba and Hughes notwithstanding). He never would have been a front-end starter with the Yankees, but he could've taken over the set-up duties when Joba and Hughes graduated to fulltime starters' roles and done a damn good job of it.

EJ Fagan, The Yankee U:    Ian Kennedy. I've always been his biggest fan, and he now pretty much has a guaranteed spot in Arizona. I bet that he will run with it like we expected him to do two years ago.

Mike Axisa, River Ave Blues: Long term, probably Austin Jackson. Granted, they traded him for exactly the kind of player they should have traded him for (up the middle player, in his prime, signed affordably for several years), but they don't have many young every day players on the cusp of the big leagues, and that's exactly what Jackson was

Matt, Fack Youk: Arodys Vizcaino is said to have the highest ceiling of anyone they dealt, but he's also a nineteen year old pitcher with just 86 professional innings to his credit, and all of them were either in Rookie League or short season A ball. If he fulfills his potential he's a front of the rotation type pitcher, but as it stands now that's a big "if". As we've seen over the past few years, pitching prospects don't always live up to expectations right away.

Austin Jackson on the other hand is essentially Major League ready. There are some obvious concerns about his game at this point, notably his lack of power, high strike out rates, and the amount of his AAA success that was predicated on an unsustainable BABIP. But, he's also a talented, projectable, 23 year old who plays a premium defensive position. There's a lot of value in that.

Kyle, Replacement Level Yankees Weblog: Vizcaino. I think Austin Jackson’s upside is more of a league average CF, and despite playing in AAA last year, I think his skill-set at the plate still make him a long-shot to reach it. Like any young pitcher Vizcaino is a huge risk himself, but any pitcher with a plus fastball and plus curve has the potential to become something special.

Howard Megdal, The Perpetual Post: Austin Jackson, fairly easily. I think he could be the equal of Curtis Granderson as early as 2011. Remember, he's got the defensive talent, speed, some power, and no platoon split like Granderson.

8. Will there be a Ramiro Pena of 2010? Is there someone who comes out of nowhere and has an impact at the major league level?

Greg Fertel, Pending Pinstripes: I don't know. Ramiro Pena really came out of nowhere last season. He wasn't a top prospect and wasn't on the 40 man roster so I'm not sure anyone else fits the same profile. If there's an injury in the OF, Greg Golson will get called up; if there's an injury in the IF, Reegie Corona will get called up. Other than those two, I don't see any other real possibilities unless there is a real emergency.

Dan LaTorraca, WasWatching: I don't really see anyone on the horizon, but Colin Curtis could make his way to the majors this year, should Brett Gardner falter. Although he's not a powerhouse player, he's fundamentally sound and can put together decent at-bats. He could be one of those guys who does not put up great numbers in the minors, yet excels in the majors. You never know.

EJ Fagan, The Yankee U: I don't think that there will be, because these Yankees are both pretty healthy and pretty deep. That said, Colin Curtis is capable of putting together a decent enough season to replace an injured outfielder or should Brett Gardner fail.

Mike Axisa, River Ave Blues: You might see a guy like Colin Curtis come up and surprise some people. The improvements he made in the Arizona Fall League are real, but he hasn't all of a sudden turned into an everyday corner outfielder. He's always fit the fourth outfielder profile and he still does, except now he might be more than a total zero at the plate. Given the Yanks' current left field situation, Curtis might be able to pull off a mean Melky Cabrera circa 2006 impression.

Matt, Fack Youk: It doesn't look that way, not right now at least. Given the latest round of cuts from camp, it's pretty easy to guess what the 25 man roster will be. Unless Kevin Russo beats Pena out for the utility job, which I don't think will happen, everyone heading north will have previous Big League experience. I think the best candidate to have an impact this year is probably Mark Melancon. We've seen him before, but he's still rookie eligible. He has virtually no chance of breaking camp with the team, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him at some point this year and I think he'll live up to all the good things we've heard about him.

I'm also wondering about Colin Curtis. He's still off the map and off the 40 man, but his strong showing in the Arizona Fall League and this spring may have given him a chance to be more than just organizational filler. The question is how of much that is attributable to small sample size, the video game like numbers put up in the AZFL, and the fact that Curtis was older and more experienced than nearly all of his competition there? I think he's still a long shot, but I see no way that the club goes the whole season with Randy Winn and Marcus Thames as their reserve outfielders. Barring a trade, Curtis may get a shot at some point this year..

Kyle, Replacement Level Yankees Weblog:  Kevin Russo would be my best guess. He’s performed in AAA, showed a good approach in ST, and most of the scouting reports I’ve seen on him suggest he could be a fringe starter on a 2^nd division team. I was actually hoping he’d make the team over Pena.

Howard Megdal, The Perpetual Post: My money's on Mark Melancon. That guy is going to be a superb major league reliever. His 16 bad innings with New York aren't anything like a sample size that matters.

Sean P, Pending Pinstripes: If I think of someone who comes out of nowhere to make a Ramiro Pena style impact, I guess Kevin Russo really comes to mind. Good utility candidate that's only limited by his inability to play SS. Maybe on crazy pills I could see Greg Golson figuring it all out and helping out in the Bronx or Colin Curtis being big off the bench late in the year.

9. Are there any players or positions you would like the Yankees to target in the 2010 draft?

Greg Fertel, Pending Pinstripes: Of course it would be nice to see the Yankees get a shortstop in the draft, but you have to go with the best available talent. Given where the Yankees pick, that probably won't be an elite bat; those guys don't slip regardless of signability concerns.

Dan LaTorraca, WasWatching: I'm a big fan of Christian Colon from Cal-State Fullerton, but I doubt he'd fall to the 23rd pick. That said, I'd like to see the organization focus on adding corner infield and outfield depth.

Travis G, Pinstripe Alley: Not really. I don't follow the draft much until a few weeks before, but, as usual, they should target the best player available, regardless of position. If two prospects are equal in the Yankees' eyes, they should take the pitcher or catcher (as they've been doing). Those two positions hold more value than any other, both for the major league team and as trade chips.

EJ Fagan, The Yankee U:   I generally leave the pre-draft analysis to those much more knowledgeable about the subject than me. There are so many college and high school players out there that its hard to keep track of much beyond the first round.

Mike Axisa, River Ave Blues:    Sure, plenty. We've been spoiled in the last few years with guys like Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, but the Yanks don't have any high upside arms like that at the moment. Someone like Texas' Brandon Workman would fit that bill, or perhaps A.J. Cole (Florida high schooler) asks for huge money and slips. That's the kind of player I'd really like to see the Yanks them target, though as we know, those frontline pitchers aren't easy to find.

Matt, Fack Youk: I don't follow draft eligible prospects enough to call out specific players. As for positions, it would be foolish to focus on any specific area of need. The development arc for baseball players is so long that clubs can't use the draft to fill specific Major League needs. I don't think it's wise to use it to fill organizational needs even until the later rounds come along. The Yankees are well positioned to use trades and free agency to fill needs at the Big League level. This doesn't mean that the draft isn't important; it very clearly is. But I'd prefer that they just keep doing what they've been doing: take the best available talent for each pick, take the occasional flyer on Brackman and Betances like talents, and leverage their financial might to secure some guys that fall for signability issues. The rest will take care of itself. Aside from that, it's always good to be talent rich on the mound and up the middle, and if you look at the various prospect rankings those are the areas where the Yankees' system is strongest..

The Bloguin network has begun to compile power rankings for the 2010 season that will be updated on a bi-weekly basis. They are made up from a compilation of opinions from around the network. In the first set of power rankings for the 2010 season, the Yankees came in as the best team in baseball, with the Red Sox trailing them. I don't think there's any doubt that the Rays are the third best team in baseball, but they came in fifth behind two NL teams. Either way, this should be interesting to keep track of as the season goes along; there are a bunch of intelligent bloggers contributing.

The Charleston RiverDogs have posted their official roster:

Pitchers(12): Ryan Acosta, Sean Black, Ryan Flannery, Shaeffer Hall, Ronny Marte, Kelvin Perez, Jose A. Ramirez, Francisco Rondon, Michael Solbach, Graham Stoneburner, Gabriel Tatis, Benjamin Watkins

Catchers(3): Francisco Arcia, Kyle Higashioka, Hector Rabago

Infielders(6): Kelvin Castro, Emerson Landoni, Garrison Lassiter, Robert Lyerly, Luke Murton, Jimmy Paredes

Outfielders(4): Zoilo Almonte, Taylor Grote, Raymond Kruml, Deangelo Mack

As the roster currently stands, this is not a very prospect-heavy team. Jose Ramirez and Graham Stoneburner are the only really interesting pitchers on the roster. Offensively, Higashioka, Mack, and Paredes warrant mention but are not top prospects. I don't see a clear cut shortstop out of that group of players so I'm hoping that Paredes will play there.

I expect we'll see some rotation in the outfield, with both Mack and Almonte getting time there. If Heathcott does make the RiverDogs team, then he will definitely be the every day starting center fielder, pushing those two to the corners.

After a long offseason, in which we counted down a ton of Yankees prospects with profiles of each, we present to you the updated Pending Pinstripes Top 30 Prospects entering the 2010 season. As all prospect lists go, this is extremely subjective and the individual rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. If you asked me to rank these guys tomorrow, I'd probably come up with a list that looked very different from this one. Either way, here is a compilation of all of our offseason prospect profiles. Enjoy!

You may also access these prospect profiles on the right sidebar at any time.

*We did not profile Heathcott here, this link will take you to RAB.