A Second Burnett ??

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any fan that the Yankees are looking for another lefty in the bullpen.  Right now Logan is the lefty “specialist” and aside from giving up a home run to Cleveland on Wednesday, he actually has been doing pretty well against lefties lately going back to the Cincinatti series when he struck out Votto & Bruce. Check out more on Logan HERE

Feliciano, who was signed as the lefty specialist in the offseason has been shut down for the season.  You can read about that HERE.  Andy Sisco was a lefty prospect down in Triple-A but was released about a month ago & Randy Flores has taken his place, but Flores' value remains to be seen at this point.

Even with Logan doing better lately, the Yankees will need a second lefty in their bullpen should they want to compete in the postseason.  Right now, the biggest competition is the Red Sox whose lineup is filled with lefty power hitters.  In order to play in a 7 game series with the Red Sox the Yankees will need a second lefty in their pen for situations where Girardi needs a lefty to lefty matchup.  Since Boston has so many lefties, this very well could happen twice a game.  The first time would most likely be when Girardi feels his starting pitcher is beginning to gas and there is a lefty deck.  He would pull the starter and use lefty matchup for a batter.  This would likely only be a ‘one-out’ situation rather than using a lefty to pitch a full inning with better righties available in the pen.  Since Boston is so lefty heavy, there could be another inning later in the game with a power lefty coming to the plate that Girardi would have the freedom to again use the lefty to lefty matchup, whether it is for the full inning or just one out.  The hypotheticals on this are endless, but a second lefty is vital for postseason success.

Last night it was reported that the Yankees sent a scout to check out Sean Burnett on the Nationals.  Although Burnett didn’t pitch last night it seems as though the Yankees have an interest in pursuing the lefty.  Burnett’s numbers aren’t very flashy, but there aren’t terribly many options out there so he is worth considering.  Right now Burnett has a 5.76 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP.  His ERA on the season is a bit higher than his career average at 4.00 but his WHIP is generally where it has been over the past five years, averaging 1.38.  These numbers definitely don’t sway me, but this season lefties only have a .240 batting average against Burnett with a .316 on base percentage.  His numbers against righties seem to hurt his average as righties bat .308 against him with a .378 on base percentage.

Burnett has a decent selection of pitches to use which could be helpful.  His main pitch is a fastball/sinker which he throws more often than any other pitch.  He also uses a slider fairly often to keep batters guessing and sometimes will throw a changeup with varying success.  Although his numbers seem average at best, he is worth sending a scout to check out & after watching Masterson's sinker this past week - I want one of those!

Right now the Nats haven’t said anything as to whether Burnett is available for a trade, but I’m sure the Yankees have a few players they may be interested in.  It's worth keeping an eye on.

Sisco in Pinstripes ???

The AAA Yankees have some decent prospects this season, but one of the more unknown names is the Relief Pitcher, Andy Sisco.  The 28 year old lefty reliever stands at 6’ 10’’, and is nearly three years removed from Tommy John surgery.   Sisco is now approaching  the ‘make or break’ phase of his career.   He received Tommy John surgery back in 2008, but did not return to pitch until 2010.  Sisco is at a crossroads now and needs to show that he can still pitch after the surgery.

He seems to be having no problems with showing off his arm this season, as he has a 0.00 ERA over the past 9 innings.  In AAA he has been used as a lefty specialist and called into situations where a lefty comes to the plate later in the game. Sisco has been effective and has only allowed 4 hits in those 9 innings.  He has also struck out 10 batters within those 9 innings.  Right now, opposing batters are hitting a mere .133 against him!

He was signed this offseason based upon his performance in the Mexican league where he went 6-5 as a starting pitcher.  In the 15 games he pitched, he had a 4.04 ERA.  Although he was previously a starter, he has been used solely in relief for the Scranton Yankees.  Sisco relies on four pitches: fastball, cutter, changeup and his slider.  In the Mexican league he was throwing his fastball about 95mph, but since the regular season began, he is topping out in the low 90’s.  This could be cause for concern, but since we are only in the first month of the season, it’s merely just another variable to keep an eye on.

Ever since Pedro Feliciano went on the DL for what looks to be a long term stint, the Yankees have been calling up pitchers from AAA.  Surprisingly enough, Sisco hasn’t been called up and instead the Yankees went with Buddy Carlyle, a righty.  With Pendleton and Carlyle getting the job done right now, it doesn’t seem like Sisco will get called up.  BUT, based upon Girardi’s managing style and how he plays the matchups/numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sisco get called up mid-season.  Girardi only has one lefty in the bullpen now, and if Logan gets beat up, Sisco is the obvious option.  It never hurts to have two lefties in the bullpen either!

On the down side, Sisco can be wild.  Although he has become to be known as a strikeout pitcher, he walks too many batters.  This doesn’t translate well for the Major Leagues.  If he can fix the control, I guarantee we will see him in pinstripes this season.

Welcome To Scranton

The Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees are looking good so far in their first 11 games.  This Yankees system is filled with promising prospects, who may make an appearance at the Major League level soon.  Even if they Yankees don’t call them up, they can be used as trade bait for a starting pitcher.  Right now, these are the guys to keep an eye on! 

Jesus Montero:  Although he had a very slow spring, he has started to heat up in the first 11 games.  Girardi though Montero was pressing too hard in spring training to make the team, which hurt him offensively.  He was sent to AAA to get some confidence and build his offensive numbers.  He now is batting .423 on the season and is 22-50 at the plate.  His slugging percentage is at .558.  By far the most impressive stat is the amount of 3-Hit games he has, which is now 6!  Montero has 3 hits in more than 50% of the games he played so far.  He had a shot to make the Yankees as the backup catcher, which he blew in the Spring with poor offensive numbers.  It seems like he is trying to make a case for himself again before Cervelli makes his way back.  If Montero continues to hit like this…. Cervelli who?

Side Note: Cervelli is beginning his rehab assignment tonight in High –A Tampa.

Jorge Vasquez:  I don’t think anybody expected Vasquez to have such a strong spring or start to the season.  Vasquez was one of those players in spring training that was crushing the ball and was even leading the Yankees in batting average.  Prior to spring training, Vazquez was playing down in the Mexican league and hitting .346 witha  .647 slugging percentage.  Those numbers continued to climb as the AAA Season started.  In Scranton, Vasquez is leading the team with 7 home runs through 11 games, and is hitting .321.  Even more impressive is his slugging percentage which is .714!  Vazquez was named batter of the week, last week when he went 11-26 with 5 Homers and 11 RBI’s.  I don’t know where he fits with the Yankees, but if he keeps hitting like this, I am sure the Yankees will find a spot.

The only thing he needs to work on is the strikeouts.  He struck out 41 times in 36 games in the Mexican league and has already struck out 12 times in AAA.

Justin Maxwell:  Maxwell was another name that was floated around as a backup outfielder for the Yankees this season, but didn’t make the cut after the spring.  Maxwell is widely known for his speed on the bases, and has already stolen 4 bases in the first 11 games in AAA.  Although his batting average is mediocre at .267, his on base percentage is .400 and he has a .625 slugging percentage.  Maxwell has been on fire this past week hitting a home run in every game this week.  With Gardner totally crapping out so far, Maxwell may have an opportunity.

Andy Sisco:  Sisco is a lefty relief pitcher, and I have a strong feeling we may see him get called up at some point throughout the season.  Right now the only lefty in the Yankees bullpen is Boone Logan.  Luis Ayala who started as the other lefty in the pen, went on the DL last week and Lance Pendleton was called up.  Pendleton is a righty, which makes me think that Girardi will eventually drop Pendleton within the next month or two as the odd man out, when they really want to play the numbers and use a lefty specialist for a batter or two.  Sisco & Logan would be those late inning lefties.  Right now Sisco is on fire in his first 6.2 innings.  It may be a very small sample size, but he has a 0.00 ERA and only allowed 3 hits.  He has struck out 7 batters in those 6 innings and his WHIP is 1.05.  If Pendleton pitches like he did on Wednesday night against the Jay allowing one hit and walking a batter, Sisco will get called up sooner than expected. 

Hector Noesi:  Last week the Yankees called up Noesi and I wrote about him HERE.  Noesi has not been used yet by the Yankees, but he was warming up the other night in Toronto before Pendleton pitched the 9^th inning.  Noesi was in contention this spring as a possible 5^th starter, and has only pitched one game for AAA going 5 innings and allowing 2 earned runs.

UPDATE:  Noesi was optioned down to AAA today for Buddy Carlyle.  The Yankees want Noesi to be a starting pitcher and he wasn't getting any action with the Yankees.  Better to keep him fresh in AAA for now.

Lance Pendleton:  Pendleton was called up by the Yankees last week and has appeared in two games so far for them.  I wrote about him HERE, when he was called up.  He was used last Friday in mop up duty for three innings against the Rangers after Nova was pulled from the game.  Since everyone was wearing #42 that night, nobody really noticed Pendleton pitch three scoreless innings.  Pendleton looked great in that appearance, and was given another opportunity on Wednesday night against the Blue Jays.  His second appearance was much shakier when he was called in for the 9^th inning.  The Yankees were up by four runs, but Pendleton walked the first batter and allowed the second batter to hit a single.  Girardi didn’t mess around and quickly called in Soriano to put out a fire before it began.  Pendleton may have had an off night, but his control was poor and more notably, his fastball never hit 90 MPH.  Normally he pitches 90-92, but the highest it hit on Wednesday was 89.  If Pendleton continues with those control issues and lack of velocity for a relief pitcher, he will surely be replaced. 

Adam Warren:  Warren started Wednesday night for Scranton and pitched 8 shutout innings.  He was totally dominant and even when he began to get himself in trouble in the 4^th inning, he pitched his way out of it.  The leadoff batter in the 4^th laid down a bunt and the second batter his a single, allowing the first batter to reach third.  With no outs and a man on first and third, Warren forced two ground outs and a strikeout to get out of the jam.  He allowed 5 hits on the night, and walked one batter.  If he continues to pitch like this, I know a team that needs a few starting pitchers!

Warren has quite a few pitches in his reportoire, with superb command.  He throws a mid 90's fastball, cutter, two seamer and a changeup in the low 80's. 

More updates to come soon on the Killer B’s, but the sample size is too small at this point.  You can check out the Killer B’s HERE until we get some updates.