Over the past several years, the Yankees have certainly developed pitchers. Not all worked out for one reason or another, but the track record is there.
Prized lefty Manny Banuelos ran into injury problems. Ian Kennedy’s attitude got him traded. Dellin Betances went from troubled starter to knockout reliever. Phil Hughes simply couldn’t pitch effectively in Yankee Stadium.
And we all know what went on with Joba Chamberlain, who, after signing with Detroit this season, had some success before the same demons haunted him in key situations in the postseason.
But the Yankees now have another outstanding bunch coming, which we will explore in this column. Some will work out, others may not.
“We have a lot of good young kids with a lot of excellent arms,’’ said Yankees Senior Vice President and Superscout Gene Michael. “It’s fun to see who develops. We’re excited about several of them.’’
In no particular order, here are some of the arms Michael and others can see in Pinstripes sooner than later:
Right-hander Luis Severino – Fireballer put together a 6-5, 2.46 mark in 24 starts at Charleston, Tampa and Trenton. Strikeout/walk ratio was 127-27. Missed some time due to an oblique strain. His fastball sits at 94 and has hit 97, his slider has a wicked dip and he features a solid changeup. Some see him as a reliever. This corner sees him as a starter for the Yankees in eary 2016.
Left-hander Jacob Lindgren – The Yankees’ top pick in 2014 out of Mississippi State. He was 2-1, 2.16 in 19 appearances and 25 innings after a full season in the SEC. Zoomed through the system, playing for four teams, but showed signs of tiring at Trenton. Fastball, in mid 90s, mixed with hard slider, is wicked. Needs to forget base-runners are out there. Betances did ths year and look at what happened. Can see Lindgren in Bronx mid-2015 if all goes well.
Right-hander Jaron Long – Dad, Kevin, is now with the Mets, but the Yankees feel Jaron has a legitimate shot at a rotation spot in the next few years, Had a breakout season, baffling hitters with sinker-slider combination that was always in the edge of the strike zone. He was 12-5, 2.18 overall and an impressive 7-2, 2.35 at Double-A Trenton. His strikeout-walk ratio was 122-22 and WHIP was 1.01. Can see him in New York by early 2016.
Left-Hander James Pazos – Another who had a breakout year in 2014, going 5-6, 2.60 with 14 saves overall between Tampa and Trenton, recording 10 saves. His fastball reached 95, his improving curve had batters swinging ad missing. He was 0-1, 1.50 in 28 appearances in Trenton, recording six saves and holding Double-A hitters to a .190 average. Control needs a bit of work, but by early 2016, maybe sooner, this guy will boost the Yankees’ bullpen.
Left-Hander Tyler Webb – Another southpaw fireballer, Webb was 3-6, 3.80 in 48 appearances in stops at Tampa, Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fastball reached 93-94 in Trenton, but control was not his best as 1-6, 4.04, but showed ability to get out of trouble with seven saves. He broke out at Scranton, putting together a mark of 0-0, 2.77 in eight appearances with 17 strikeouts and one walk, which opened eyes as International League hitters batted just .152 against him as he recorded four saves. If Webb keeps this up, he could see action in Yankee Stadium by mid-2015.
There are others on the cusp as well, such as righty relievers Nick Rumbelow and Nick Goody. Righty Jose Ramirez is also in the bullpen mix as well if he can stay healthy.
As Michael remarked, it will be fun to sit back and see this group begin to help the big club.
You must be logged in to post a comment.